West Virginians For Obama

Those Rich Arab Princess Who Live in All Glass Palaces Should Not Throw Stones at Others

ARK — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:38:10 EDT

Those rich Arab princesses should learn from lessons of history. One of the lessons to be learnt is the fate of Sadam, as well as that of his grand son and his sons. During his time as a dictator, Sadam thought he was so powerful. He was so proud of his evil accomplishments such as causing so much death and destructions as well as many other sufferings for the people of Iran, Iraq and Kuwait… Then he had to witness both of his sons as well as a grand son blown up to pieces…Meanwhile he had to find a deep and covered hole slightly bigger than a grave to hide in. Afterwards he had to endure the humiliation of jail time and a trial…And finally he was hanged…And Sadam called himself the champion of the Arab world?! Now those rich Arab princesses who think they would be such good Arab fundamentalists by supporting Al-Qaeda and other forms of extremism should know that they are neither more powerful nor dearer than Sadam was during the 80s.

Stomp the streets, march to Washington

CHANGE FOR POOR AND MIDDLE CLASS TOO — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 05:28:21 EDT

Operation swamp the streets to defend your healthcare.

match until single payer, universal healthcare for all is passed.!!!

Calling on All who voted for the Obama agenda in November to match a mile a day to hand over the torch of the United State to the next persons or groups from where you are, going until we reach whashington in a human chain, to carry the torch of humanity. We are the most prosperous nation in the world, yet there is no recourse for anyone who happen to be in a bind temporarily or not, when they get sick in our nation.

We are a God fearing nation, we profess to be a christian nation, yet the answer to a crying woman who is losing her husband to cancer for lack of insurance from the republicans was " because you are here talking to me, I would be magnanimous enough to make sure you are taken care of, but anyone else can't have the same chance."

He refused to answer her pleas for a universal single payer healthcare, yet he said "he the government" would make sure her husband receives treatment that insurance companies have rationed or denied him.

What our republican speaker was saying was that, he would used his "good office" to extend government money to take care of her husband, but if she got sick herself, then too bad she would have to call him again if he is still in office.

He didn't help her by passing a law that would ensure that she gets treatement as well as all americans in his husband's condition.

He went on to say that the job of helping people belongs to the church which all depend on the taxes we pay, to the government or to the church (donations). In effect, he is putting your life in the hands of those who can only extend their services (arbitrarily)to their frock or friends.

Many people sitting in that audience may have had cases that are worse than that of the weeping lady. Yet if they didn't have the luck to have the microphone, they were not heard, and would not be helped as the lady was promised.

We need to organize and march until the single payer universal healthcare is passed.

match until single payer, universal healthcare for all is passed.!!!

He didn't help her by passing a law that would ensure that she gets treatement as well as all americans in his husband's condition.

We need to organize and march until the single payer universal healthcare is passed.

Reading Should Be Fundamental

Henry M — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:03:10 EDT

Those concerned about H.R.3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, particularly anyone who doesn't trust our elected officials, e.g. the President of the United States of America, to do the right thing for the country, should... actually read it before they shout anyone down about it.

Don't ya think?

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3200ih.txt.pdf

Read it and pass it around!

Henry M

A Primer on the Details of Health Care Reform

Henry M — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:16:16 EDT

Many people don't know any more about the healthcare reform than what they've been told by one or two pundits. Here's an article from the New York Times that you can give to people to help them get a more balanced view of the issues.

A Primer on the Details of Health Care Reform
By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: August 9, 2009
WASHINGTON — With the debate over the future of health care now shifted from Capitol Hill to town halls, supporters and critics of the Democrats’ legislative proposals are polishing their sound bites and sharpening their attack lines.
Increasingly, the battle looks like a presidential contest, with expensive advertising campaigns and Internet-driven efforts to mobilize local support. It can be difficult to sort fact from fiction, as angry protesters denounce the legislation at raucous public forums.
President Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress have made the health care overhaul their top priority, putting their political futures on the line. Democrats had hoped to spend the month whipping up support for the legislation, but instead find themselves on the defensive, responding to what Mr. Obama describes as “outlandish rumors” spread by critics.
Many Republicans view fighting the president as a smart political strategy, turning a potentially wonkish debate over Medicare reimbursement rates and subsidies for the uninsured into an ideological battle over the government’s role in health care.
Each side hopes to win ground by boiling down one of the most complex policy discussions in history into digestible nuggets. For beachside viewers who might be more interested in iced-tea service than fee-for-service, here is a guide to the main fight points.
KEEP IT OR LOSE IT?
Mr. Obama has said repeatedly, as he told the American Medical Association in June: “If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period. If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what."
These assurances reflect an aspiration, but may not be literally true or enforceable.
The legislation does not require insurers or employers to continue offering the health benefits they now provide. The House bill sets detailed standards for “acceptable health care coverage,” which would define “essential benefits” and permissible co-payments. Employers that already offer insurance would have five years to bring their plans into compliance with the new federal standards.
The Senate health committee bill goes somewhat further by offering an “option to retain current insurance coverage.
”The legislation could have significant implications for individuals who have bought coverage on their own. Their policies might be exempted from the new standards, but the coverage might not be viable for long because insurers could not add benefits or enroll additional people in noncompliant policies. Dallas L. Salisbury, president of the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a private nonpartisan group, said: “The president and Democrats in Congress are saying what they would like. Their promises may not be literally true because your health plan may change, and your doctor may no longer accept your insurance.”
SOCIALIZED MEDICINE Or Uniquely American?
Republicans harshly criticize Democratic proposals to create a government-run insurance plan, or public option, to compete with private insurers. Republicans say the public plan would drive insurers out of business and lead to “socialized medicine” or a government takeover of health care. Democrats say they want a “uniquely American” system with public and private elements. For now, the Republican criticism seems overblown. Major versions of the legislation all rely heavily on a continuation of private health plans, offered by employers and by insurance companies, subject to sweeping new federal regulations. Whether a public plan would crowd out private insurers depends on details yet to be decided, including its premiums and its payment rates for health care providers.
The public plan is not even a certainty. To win bipartisan support for the overhaul, some Democrats have proposed private nonprofit health care cooperatives, instead of a public plan, to compete with private insurers. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that, under the House bill, the number of people with employer-sponsored insurance would climb to 162 million in 2016, which is 3 million more than expected under current law. Further, it said, enrollment in the proposed public plan might total 11 million, far lower than estimates cited by Republicans. An additional 10 million people, most of them now uninsured, would enroll in Medicaid, the budget office said.
At any rate, the federal government already holds sway over the health care system through Medicare, Medicaid and various insurance programs for children, veterans, military personnel and other federal employees. The federal government will account for 35 percent of the expected $2.5 trillion in health spending this year, and that does not include subsidies built into the tax code.
BLAMING INSURERS Or Ensuring Blame?
Democrats have unleashed a blistering attack on private health insurers as they try to convince the vast majority of Americans who already have coverage that the current system is tilted in favor of corporate profits, not patients, and that insurers are a main obstacle to passing legislation.
Insurers say they support some of the most important Democratic proposals, including a ban on denying coverage or charging higher premiums based on pre-existing medical conditions.The insurance industry does oppose a government-run insurance plan and could eventually mobilize against the overhaul. But insurers appear to be less of an obstacle than public apprehension over such sweeping change and skittishness among lawmakers, including centrist Democrats from Republican-leaning districts.Most Americans do not know the full cost of their employer-sponsored insurance. And it is easier for Democrats to paint insurers as greedy than to explain the complex math that shows current health care spending is unsustainable.
DEFICIT-NEUTRAL Or Budget-Buster?
Mr. Obama has avoided dictating specific provisions of health care legislation. But he has insisted that the bill not add to the federal debt, leading Democrats to say that the overhaul will be “deficit neutral,” with the roughly $1 trillion, 10-year cost to be offset by reduced spending or new taxes. The Congressional Budget Office has yet to issue cost estimates for the latest versions of the bill approved by three House committees. But it has warned that the legislation “would probably generate substantial increases in federal budget deficits” beyond 2019, in part because health costs are rising faster than the rate of inflation and proposed new taxes would not keep up. Republicans use those warnings to cast doubt on the claim by Mr. Obama that the legislation will “bend the cost curve” by slowing the growth of health spending in the long term. Democrats say the overhaul will lead to savings that cannot be calculated under budgeting rules.
At this point, it is difficult to know who is right. Over the next 10 years, the budget office said, the House bill would “result in a net increase in the federal budget deficit of $239 billion,” partly because of an increase in Medicare spending to avert sharp cuts in payments to doctors scheduled to occur under existing law. House Democrats say the higher doctor payments should not count in the cost because they fix a problem that predates the Obama administration and Democratic control of Congress.
EUTHANASIA And Abortion
Conservative critics say the legislation could limit end-of-life care and even encourage euthanasia. Moreover, some assert, it would require people to draw up plans saying how they want to die.These concerns appear to be unfounded. AARP, the lobby for older Americans, says, “The rumors out there are flat-out lies.” The House bill would provide Medicare coverage for optional consultations with doctors who advise patients on life-sustaining treatment and “end-of-life services,” including hospice care. The legislation instructs Medicare officials to propose ways to measure the quality of end-of-life care. Doctors would have financial incentives to report data on such care to the government.
On abortion, the situation is more complex. Opponents of abortion, like the National Right to Life Committee, say the legislation would use tax dollars to subsidize insurance that could cover abortion.Under a bill approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, health plans, including the new government insurance plan, could choose to cover abortion. But they generally could not use federal money to pay for the procedure and instead would have to use money from the premiums paid by beneficiaries.
Douglas D. Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, said, “Under either the Senate bill or the House bill, the federal government would run a huge system of subsidizing elective abortion.
”Representative Diana DeGette, Democrat of Colorado, said the bill would keep current restrictions on the use of federal money for abortion, but “would not expand the prohibitions, as many Republicans want to do.”
CUTTING MEDICAREOr Preserving It?
To help finance coverage for the uninsured, Congress would squeeze huge savings out of Medicare, the program for older Americans and the disabled. These savings would pay nearly 40 percent of the bills’ cost.
The legislation would trim Medicare payments for most services, as an incentive for hospitals and other health care providers to become more efficient. The providers make a plausible case that the cutbacks could inadvertently reduce beneficiaries’ access to some types of care.
The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said Democrats would make “massive cuts to Medicare to pay for more government-run health care.” Mr. Obama told AARP last month, “Nobody is talking about reducing Medicare benefits.” All the savings, he said, would come from measures to “eliminate waste and inefficiency in Medicare.” As an example, he cited duplicative tests ordered by different doctors for the same patient. But some proposals could affect beneficiaries. The major bills in Congress would cut more than $150 billion over 10 years from federal payments to private health plans that care for more than 10 million Medicare beneficiaries.

Henry M

Those Iranian Exiles who ask the US Government to impose further Sanctions against their own people are neither human nor will they ever vote for a Democrat!

ARK — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 08:52:13 EDT

Who gets hurt by sanctions? Iranian people, so people who promote such actions against their own people are neither human nor will they ever vote for a Democrat! So dear Democrats, please do not count on their support whatsoever. However, you could bet the house that during any election, they would fully support all kinds of Palin like candidates. Let’s do a poll and ask those pro- sanctions-against-their-own-people exiles who they voted in 08 Presidential elections. Without a doubt, the majority of honest ones would say McCain/Palin.

There two ways of endangering civilians and commercial air travelers’ lives:

A-Through the ULTIMATE TERRORIST act of passenger aircraft hijacking;

B-Through Sanctions and NOT selling Modern Aircrafts and Parts to a specific country! Even modern warfare has rules and conventions such as the Geneva Convention which would very much protect civilian lives!

One can rest assured, the harder it becomes for Iranian people, the tougher they become. This too will pass, but SAD memories will remain for ever.

As was the case during the past 8 years, sanctions AND THREATS DO NOT WORK AGAINST THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT, BUT FRIENDSHIP & DIALOGUE WILL, GUARANTEED

ARK — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:46:52 EDT

A) Those people in Iran will NOT respond well to threatening language and sanctions but are ready, willing and able for dialogue. The sooner, the better, later could be too late! Why? Because usually the rightist/conservatives in Iran are those who will oppose dialogue, so if they approve and start the dialogue, then moderates who are pro dialogue will not oppose it. But if moderates start the dialogue, then rightist/conservatives could easily oppose them.

B) Now the US Senate has passed tougher sanctions in order to prevent gasoline exports to Iran. Who do you think will get hurt by those sanctions, the Iranian Government or the people of Iran? Certainly ONLY the Iranian people! Perhaps it would be all for the best because then Iranians will move towards more self sufficiency in gasoline production and consumption to replace the 40% which is being imported. But these types of actions will NOT help the progress towards dialogue; neither will it help Western exports to that country during these tough economic times.

C) Perhaps the main issue NOW is past election demonstrations and rioting in Iran as well as the government’s response to those actions. One can rest assured that in no time in recent Iranian history so much freedom of expression has been permitted. I have heard that some people openly insulted President Ahmadinejad and security forces just watched. However when some undesirable elements decided to: 1-use fire bombs, 2-burn buses, 3- burn bikes, 4-burn trash cans, 5-break windows of businesses and 6- break windows of banks, then those previously quite compromising security forces acted swiftly and unfortunately some innocent demonstrators were caught in the middle.

Happy Independence Day

Henry M — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:37:09 EDT

Happy Independence Day,

Happy Birthday, USA!

Henry M

Happy Father’s Day Mr. President

ARK — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:52:25 EDT

Your are truly an excellent father and a perfect politician, whose first visit to the White House resulted in checking his daughter’s bedrooms before any thing else. God bless the HOPE leader and his family and may all evil eyes be away from him and his family. Lots of health & happiness for the First Family as well as all other families in this global community! Peace & prosperity for all!

VOA/PERSIAN Mistranslated President Obama’s Speech AGAIN

ARK — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:45:08 EDT

Why? Just to create another rift between US & Iran. President Obama had mentioned that he would support the will of Iranian people and is concerned about the violence, but the US will remain neutral and will NOT meddle in internal affairs of Iran. He had also repeatedly mentioned: “The US will negotiate with whoever is in Power in Iran.” VOA Persian translation banner implied that President Obama supports the pro-Mousavi faction only?? Who do these people work for? God knows! This wrong translation prompted a harsh response on the Iranian side as well. Congratulations VOA you have succeeded for the time being. But not for long, you could fool some of the people some of the time but NOT all the people all the time!

For those who unwittingly say: “the Supreme Leader of Iran is NOT an elected official?!”

ARK — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:58:17 EDT

Those people should know the Leader is reconfirmed/reelected every single year by an elected body called the Leadership Experts Parliament or Majlis Kheberegaan Rahbari. Members of this Experts Parliament or Majlis are elected by the Iranian people. As a matter of fact during the last presidential elections just like all other presidential and parliamentary election; there were ballot boxes for Experts’ Majlis candidates to be elected by the people of Iran. Just like many countries, those elected experts, every year either reconfirm the Leader or if for any reason the present Leader could NOT be reelected, then they would elect a new leader.

When both sides of the isle are criticizing the president, then he is a Centrist Leader who is doing lots of GOOD things

ARK — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:41:27 EDT

During the present international economic/social turmoil, the world needs a “CENTERIST HOPE LEADER” & that leader is His Excellency President Obama. The present economic/social turmoil has created very rough waters. In such waters the USA SHIP needs a CENTERIST CAPTAIN. Why? Because in such rough waters if the US captains leans too much to the left or right, then the ship will sink and many other ships will follow suit. So president Obama is just that type of an international CENTERIST leader who WILL guide all these ships out of the present crisis. However, patience is the virtue!

Who inspires and finances Al-Qaeda & that Type of Extremist Wahabi Activities? Saudis, Drug Trafficking &...

ARK — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 06:44:38 EDT

There is ONLY ONE source of inspiration for Al-Qaeda: The Saudi style Wahabism

There are a few sources of Al-Qaeda financing: drug trafficking, Saudi financing &… Now for VOA Persian, using a very unreliable source in Turkey to claim they were some contacts between the Al-Qaeda and the Shia Hezbollah in that country is a total farce. Perhaps Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda cars passed each other on a crowded Street in Istanbul?! Just recently in separate bombings in Iraq, the Al-Qaeda and their cronies killed more than one hundred Shia Moslems…Now to claim the Shia Hezbollah had some thing to do with this terrorist group who murder innocent civilians is really wrong! To date tens of thousands of Shia Moslems & about eight thousand Americans have been murdered by these terrorist extremists who think they are religious! Perhaps these Al-Qaeda terrorists and their Saudi mentors should also be listed as murderous and racist tugs who commit genocide right there on top of the list, next to Hitler…Or is there a plan to create division among Moslems and make Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan & … their battle ground. Those who finance and plan such attacks should know that in the event of such a disaster, no country involved in such planning will be safe and negative economic effects of such a conflict will be far reaching. Or perhaps they want to bog down US troops in Iraq, so they would not be able to move to Afghanistan & Pakistan were these terrorists have their head quarters.

We Are Empowered

Antonia Hussein Inman — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:13:03 EST

Obama Family,

This was written by a young man in Georgia. It perfectly expresses what I think we need to do to here in SW Virginia and NE Tennessee. The needs in our community are so great, that I think we need to jumpstart our community meeting next Saturday, March 7 at 11 a.m. at Starbucks in Bristol, Virginia on Lee Highway.

Please read this and send me any information about resources existing in our community for jobs, job fairs, volunteering, food distribution, etc. There are children going hungry in our area tonight. So many are disenfranchised with no employment or medical care. We cannot wait for President Obama to help us. We must help ourselves and build a community of people ready, organized and willing to rebuild our country, from this little area of the South on up to Capitol Hill.

From Preston Harden of Georgia: "I hope all is well with you. Last night, President Obama delivered an outstanding message about responsiblity and productivity of the American people. President Obama and his team are working hard for the American people and to rebuild our great county. However, we as Americans are empowered to also rebuild our country. Each day, I feel empowered to do something to help rebuild my community by mentoring a student, volunteering with a shelter or doing something to help my someone else. As well, I also hold my elected officials accountable by attending legislative sessions at the capital and staying involved with our elected officials. The days of feeling less than or powerless are over - We are empowered to take back our country by each one of us taking back our communities. The problems we face today can not be solve solely by our Government or the Stimulus - it begins with each one of us. If you know someone who is seeking employment - then share openings, job fairs, etc. If you have skills to teach others, then share your knowledge - together we can rebuild, but we must work together as Americans. By helping each other, we are helping to rebuild our communities and taking back our country. Therefore, I want to stress to each one of you today to please get involved with your local political party, with your local community organizations (i.e., shelter, mentoring program, etc) to be empowered, we must be informed.

We are Americans - We are Empowered.

Thank you for your support,

Preston L. Harden,

Borrowed for SW Virginia and NE Tennessee by

Antonia Inman

Send information about jobs, volunteer needs, your resources and I will post on a website and in our list serv.

Give our President a chance!

Randy — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:28:17 EST

THERE IS A METHOD TO HIS MADNESS. OUR PRESIDENT B. OBAMA HAS DONE MORE FOR OUR COUNTRY IN ONE MONTH THEN ANY OTHER PRESIDENT. SO I'M GONNA TAKE ONE MINUTE OF MY TIME TO THANK HIM AND SUPPORT HIM ALL THE WAY. SO HERE IT IS (THANKYOU PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!!!) AND YOU CAN COUNT ON MY SUPPORT. DOING SOMETHING RATHER THEN NOTHING IS WHAT SEPERATES US FROM THE ANIMALS. AMERICA IS EXPERIENCING A VERY HUMBLING TIME IN ITS HISTORY BUT WEV'VE HAD IT TO GOOD FOR TO LONG AND MAYBE SOMETHING GOOD WILL COME OUT OF THIS. MAYBE THIS WILL BRING FAMILIES TOGETHER WE HAVE BECOME A CULTURE OF EVERYONE FOR HIMSELF AND THATS JUST NOT RIGHT. WE NEED TO GATHER OUR MORALS BACK UP AND JOIN THE ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE CLUB CALLED THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!

RANDY OF MI.....

DO GOOD and EARN free coffee at Starbucks

darlene matthews — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:39:31 EST

DO 5 HOURS COMMUNITY SERVICE JAN 21-25 WEAR THE STICKER (displays in front of counter) GET A THANK-YOU CUPPA on the house. R U IN ?

got MLK?

darlene matthews — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:27:31 EST

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/HelpTheNonMilitaryDisabled

Homeless and failed by both the county/ city and VA for about a decade.

creating losss and hell wasting my healht and life and potential.

and spending a lot of charitable and taxpayer money to do it.

PLEASE SIGN PETITIONS COmmEnT IN ONLINE NEWSPAPERS and if you can ,GET OUT THERE TO AN EVENT

Please help celebrate MARTIN LUTHER KING'S DAY and help make change.

MLK MADE THIS FUTURE POSSIBLE

HELP OBAMA MAKE IT HAPPEN !

GOT MLK?

SEND BUSH AND CHENEY YOUR GOODBYE

darlene matthews — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:09:30 EST

PLEASE ALSO DIGG IT

igg it and pass it on
http://digg.com/politics/SEND_BUSH_AND_CHENY_A_PERSONAL_GOODBYE

NewsKey Votes LegislationCurrently In Congress

TELL PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH GOODBYE
This is your last chance to send your final thoughts to Pres. Bush. Do you send him off with cheers or jeers? Post your message to Letters to Leaders so everyone can see your final words to him.
You can also say goodbye to Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Hot Topics

INAUGURATION DRESS REHEARSAL

WEBMASTER — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:02:58 EST

DRESS REHEARSAL FOR 2009 INAUGURAL CEREMONIES AND INAUGURAL PARADE

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, the Presidential Inaugural Committee and the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee will hold a dress rehearsal for the 2009 Inaugural Ceremonies on Sun, Jan. 11, 2009. The rehearsal will include run-throughs of the swearing-in ceremony on the West Front, the departure ceremony and Presidential Review of troops on the East Front of the Capitol, and the Inaugural Parade along Pennsylvania Avenue.

Please Be Advised That Media Must RSVP For The Swearing-In and Parade Rehearsals Separately.

DRESS REHEARSAL FOR INAUGURAL CEREMONIES

6:45 AM Armed Forces Inaugural Committee (military participants only)

8:00 AM Committee of Inaugural Ceremonies and Armed Forces Inaugural Committee

9:00 AM East Front Ceremonies

Media wishing to attend the DoD West Front Rehearsal should check in at the South Screening Trailer, located on the South Lawn of the Capitol, off Independence Avenue no later than 6:15 AM.

Media wishing to attend the JCCIC and DoD Combined West Front Rehearsal should check in at the South Screening Trailer, located on the South Lawn of the Capitol, off Independence Avenue at 7:30 AM.

At the conclusion of the West Front rehearsal, those media wishing to cover the East Front rehearsal will be escorted as a group to the East Front media platforms.

Media planning to attend only the East Front rehearsal should arrive at the South Screening Trailer no later than 8:30 AM to be escorted to the East Front.

Following the East Front rehearsal, Howard Gantman, staff director for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies will be available to talk to the media, as will Armed Forces Inaugural Committee Spokespersons with the military stand-ins for the President-elect, Vice President-elect, Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden.

DRESS REHEARSAL FOR THE 2009 PARADE

Following the rehearsal for the swearing-in, more than 3,000 people, including stand-ins for the president- and vice president-elect will march in the Inaugural Parade rehearsal. The participants will consist largely of the military personnel who will march in the Inaugural Parade.

PIC and Armed Forces Inaugural Committee spokespeople will be on hand at the parade rehearsal to answer questions.

Media wishing to attend the parade rehearsal should check in at Freedom Plaza at 13th and E Streets NW at 8:15 a.m.

RSVP INFORMATION

Media who plan to attend the swearing-in ceremony rehearsal must RSVP to the appropriate credentialing authority by 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 8:

DOD Media contact AFIC: 202.691.2059

Senate Daily Press Gallery: 202.224.0241.

Senate Periodicals Gallery: periodicals@saa.senate.gov

Senate Radio/TV Gallery: 202.224.6421

Senate Press Photographers Gallery: Press_Photo@saa.senate.gov

Members of the media who plan to attend the Inaugural Parade rehearsal should RSVP by 6 p.m., Thursday, January 8 to:

Adam Elkington at aelkington@pic2009.org, or Timothy Skoczek at tskoczek@pic2009.org

Source: David Apperson, LIFECLOUD.ORG

PLEASE VOTE 4 MY IDEA on CHANGE.ORG

darlene matthews — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:09:38 EST

im homeless multi disabled but with potential.

please help give me a voice.

first please contact your fed rand local reps on inclussion of physically disabled in the 2009 homeless count today .

then please help vote to create this office.

thanks.

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/white_house_office_of_diversity_policy_-covers_all_agencies

President Obama Please!!!

Randy — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:28:47 EST

Please raise all taxes and tariffs on all imported cars, planes, and trains everything this is the only thing that will give our Country a chance. Think about it the Japanees live on an island and there running our auto industry (if it smells like fish it must be fish). Other countries treat there people like s----- and we reward then by buying there products. Just the taxes that we would get would get us out of this recession. I BELIEVE that other countries would pay and pay to be able to sell over here but we better do something before we lose all of our buying power.

Merry Christmas

Randy

RICK WARREN

WISE OWL — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:42:27 EST

PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA IS INDEED WELCOMING 'CHANGE'.
IT WAS A WISE DESCISION TO INVITE RICK WARREN TO DELIVER THE PRAYER AT THE INAUGURAL CEREMONY. 'CHANGE' ALSO MEANS UNITING AMERICANS FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS AND OPINIONS. IT MEANS CHERISHING THOSE ABOUT WHOM WORKED FOR HIS ELECTION, REMAINING LOYAL, AS WELL AS EMBRACING THE LOYAL OPPOSITION...

Will President-Elect Obama act like President Abraham Lincoln?

ARK — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 03:08:23 EST

The world certainly hopes that President-Elect Obama will act like President Abraham Lincoln, GOD BLESS HIM. By being the first African American president of the GOOD OLD USA, he has already become a pioneer. Mr. & Mrs. Obama will also be some of the most highly educated couples at the White House. AND by supporting dialogue and the rights of every day people throughout the world and foremost with the grace of GOD; I am sure President Obama will serve two full successful terms in the White House.

God Bless all those who would promote peace and prosperity throughout the world.

Obama please find out where our money went!!!

Randy — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:53:05 EST

Remember a year or two ago they said that they lost 100 million dollars of re-costrustion money in transport from here to Iraq. After you are sworn into office Sen. Obama I would like you to create a website where the general public can go and find out where we are spending our tax dollars. We as Americans have a right to know. I saw on the news the other day that a German company called Seimans I'm not sure if that is spelled right was found guilty and had to pay a bunch of money in fines for bribeing people with suitcases of money to get goverment contracts. Who are these people? All I'm trying to say is that in the last decade our goverment has spent trillions of dollars and on what. I am sure that I'm not the only one who wants to know where this money went. Are we going to let Bush and his CRONIES get away with the biggest crime in the in the history of the United States. I guarentee that if we took a closer look we would find all kinds of wrong doings going on in Washington. I mean lets be real look at the people that ran for President, all we could find was a handfull of people with a clean enough record. Nothing against Obama I have been on Baracks side from day one. But you would think that in the U.S. we'd have thousands of people Qualified to run for President. just like this latest scandal going on, on wall street right now how does one person have the ability to rip off 50 billion dollars from everyone. I THINK THERES A WHOLE LOT OF GUILTY PEOPLE OUT THERE. And I think it's time to end this mess even if it means we have to start all over again cause this game is over!!!!!

Merry Christmas!!! Randy

PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

WISE OWL — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:44:00 EST

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO ATTENDING THE PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION. I HOPE THAT OTHER SUPPORTERS WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND ALSO. THIS IS TRULY AN HISTORIC PERIOD IN OUR NATION'S HISTORY. I PLAN TO WEAR AN OBAMA BRACELOT ABOUT WHICH I DESIGNED - GREEN, WHITE AND RED, HONORING MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER. I AM PROUD OF MY DIVERSE HERITAGE.
I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND HOLIDAY GREETINGS TO EVERYONE. SEE YOU AT THE INUAGURATION !!

Barack Obama's Birth Certificate!!!!

Randy — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 14:51:42 EST

Does anyone know why the Supreme Court is looking at Barack Obama's Birth Certificate. I heard that there is a group of people out there, it might even be the Bilderbergers that are BEHIND THE HOLE THING. They are trying to proove that Obama wasn't born in the U.S.A. AND THAT WOULD MEAN THAT HE COULDN'T BE PRESIDENT. Because the law states you have to be born in the U.S. to be president. Does anyone have any info?

And just for your own info look-up the words bilderberger, trilateral comission and the commitee for foriegn relations and see what you think.

Were not done yet Randy

Republican Governors in a Box

Llysse Smith Wylle — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:56:04 EST

From the WaPo:

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty -- passed over by Sen. John McCain for the No. 2 spot on the presidential ticket and one of nine GOP governors who preside over states won by Barack Obama -- offered a summary of his party's predicament at the governors' opening lunch.

"We cannot be a majority governing party when we essentially cannot compete in the Northeast, we are losing our ability to compete in Great Lakes states, we cannot compete on the West Coast, we are increasingly in danger of competing in the mid-Atlantic states, and the Democrats are now winning some of the Western states," Pawlenty said. "That is not a formula for being a majority governing party in this nation."
As if that weren't enough, he ticked off a few more challenges.
"Similarly we cannot compete, and prevail, as a majority governing party if we have a significant deficit, as we do, with women, where we have a large deficit with Hispanics, where we have a large deficit with African American voters, where we have a large deficit with people of modest incomes and modest financial circumstances. Those are not factors that make up a formula for success going forward."

Hm. Hm, hm hm.

This... well, it makes a certain amount of sense. What strikes me, though, is that Pawlenty seems more concerned with competing, with winning. Lookit: he repeated the word compete over and over again. There is nothing there that indicates he's actually interested in addressing the concerns of women, hispanics, African Americans, and people with modest incomes. He's just interested in winning their votes.

Wait... what?

Yes. And further, McCain adviser and former ebay exec Meg Whitman had a similar focus when she explained that

"Republicans are losing market share at an alarming rate," mentioning young voters and Hispanics as particular concerns.

Okay... granted that this is the time--after an election cycle--when everyone and his mother divides the electorate into segments to see who won what, so it may be sort of easy to get sucked in to thinking of all those little people out there simply as targets for party marketing. Still, it does seem a bit odd, I must admit.

Maybe this is where my third party registration shows through. I'm registered neither a Democrat or a Republican, and I tend to vote independently, so I find it sort of hard to think in terms of a party wanting control of the government just to be able to say "I won, I won, Woo-hoo! You were so pwned!!!1!" I mean, I thought the idea was to convince the voters that you or your policies will make for better governance. That's naive of me, perhaps, but frankly, that's why I thought the GOP's campaign was so terrible. Their candidates didn't really talk about any issues at all, instead trying the I-am-not-Obama platform. They also tried, rather unsuccessfully, to run on the I-am-not-Bush platform.

According to Pawlenty, the GOP "cannot compete" here, "cannot compete" there, and "cannot compete" much of anywhere. I suspect this is because the GOP has run on a platform of not liking green eggs and ham. It is limiting itself to its shrinking, little "real America" space, and will not eat eggs in that box, nor with a fox. It does not like them in a train or in the rain, either, Sam I Am.

I don't know that the GOP will "get it" until their campaigns become less about doing anything to win an election and more about trying helping American citizens.

Canvassing on Election Day in Marietta, Ohio

Llysse Smith Wylle — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:04:25 EST

I canvassed in Marietta, Ohio on Election Day, having voted a couple weeks ago. I somehow doubt I was the most effective of volunteers. I was on foot, so I walked and knocked. I'd never done this before, and seeing as how I hate to be bothered by this sort of thing myself, it made me rather uncomfortable to do it to someone else. However, I did look carefully for no trespassing or no soliciting signs, and I didn't find any at my assigned houses. I left at 10 am and only returned to headquarters by a little after 2.

I was not really surprised by the amount of activity that was going on in the field office. Apparently, that amazing energy is endemic to Obama campaign offices. As I recall, the total number of volunteers I saw posted "on the big board" later in the day was 64. That's rather a lot for a small town like Marietta. The amount of food donated to and by the volunteers was staggering, and it occurred to me that in some ways the funds raised for the campaign were probably higher if you were to factor in all the quiches and ham sandwiches and hummus and pizza and fruit and everything else that must have been donated to all the folks working such long hours to get Obama elected.

Luckily, it was a beautiful day in Southeastern Ohio on November 4, and that heartened me... not just because I was myself outside working, but because I was given to understand that good weather favors democratic turnout, and Ohio was important. I had logged in to the Obama-Biden website to see if there was anything local in West Virginia to volunteer for, but the closest thing I could find was in Ravenswood--too, too far. Plus, I knew Ohio to be one of the most important states. McCain was focusing on Pennsylvania, but he really had little chance of winning it. According to Nate Silver of 538, if McCain lost Ohio, the model showed a 0% chance of his pulling off a win.

With that in mind, I couldn't bear the idea of sitting at home on election day only to hear later that Obama lost by only a few votes if I could have made a difference. (As it turned out, of course, the vote was close in Ohio, but not THAT close.)

At any rate, I rode into town with my husband (who works in Marietta), and presented myself at the field office. There was a short training session, and we were out the door with a list of registered democrats we were to encourage to get out to vote. We should make certain they knew where their polling place was, as apparently these had changed, although how recently I don't know. I get the impression it wasn't too recently, but if these are voters that don't get out to vote too often, I suppose they could be confused. We even had a hotline number to call if they needed a ride to the polls. The lines in our area seemed to be short.

I started my "turf" near the downtown along the river. The neighborhood was a poor one, but pretty in the way things can be in a river city like Marietta. Not long ago the whole area was flooded. Was that three years ago? Most of downtown was under water, so this area would have been, too. There were quite a few empty lots, and I wondered if there had previously been houses there that had been taken down.

In the distance, dogs barked, and I was occasionally showered with the leaves of sugar or silver maples. I couldn't locate the first address; many of the houses here had no numbers. I guessed and knocked several times, but there was no answer. I left the hanger on the door. It showed the polling times and the democratic slate of candidates. Several dogs peered at me warily through curtains.

The next place was a townhouse; an older gentleman politely informed me he had already voted for McCain. I was here to speak with his wife. "She's not well enough to vote," he said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I responded, and left, wishing him a good day. I marked the conversation down on my slip of paper.

I was wearing on Obama shirt with a button of my own I had purchased in Chillicothe at the rally; they'd also given me a "Canvasser" button with the O logo. I had a clipboard and a manila envelope full of collaterals, as well as a little map of the territory, and my script. I suppose I was as official looking as one could get.

The next stop was a garage apartment, decked out for halloween. I knocked the door, and an old man with rheumy eyes opened the door. He wore an oxygen mask, and generally looked to be in poor health.

"Are you the nurse?" he asked in a weak voice.

"No," I said. I gave him my name and explained I was volunteering with the Obama Campaign for Change in Marietta, according to the script. He was not the person I was there to see; I was looking for a woman of approximately my age. I explained who I was there to see and asked if she was available.

"Yes," he said, and asked me in, ushering me past several tiny barking dogs into a tiny room. I carefully stepped over the tubes that hooked him to his oxygen, although it seemed to me the dogs just barrelled across. There were two worn and lopsided armchairs, and he motioned me into one.

"Im waiting for the nurse," he repeated in a shaky, friendly voice. I had rather expected him to call for his daughter--I presumed it was likely his daughter's name I had. However, he seemed a little confused. Poor old guy.

The smell of the house was reminiscent of the my Grandpa Shock's house, when he was ill with parkinson's disease. A WWII hero, he'd lived alone in his little house in Webster Springs for years, visited quite loyally by his sister Columbia. Occasionally, the family would hire people to come in and help him, but this always turned out badly. He had things stolen many times, unable to even get out of his wheelchair on bad days. Grandpa Shock.

I looked into the eyes of the old man in front of me, and he reminded me of my grandpa in some indefinable way. His skin was greyish, and I glanced at his nails, but I couldn't see how cyantotic they might be. I hoped the nurse would come.

I smiled encouragingly. "Do you have a way to get to the polls and vote?" I asked.

He did, he said. He rattled off a rambling list of all the things that would be happening today. He mentioned the nurse again, twice more.

"Oh, my! Sounds like you have a full day!" I remarked. I felt awkward. Maybe I should ask if his daughter was available again.

From the room behind me, the refrigerator kicked on, loudly. I looked back, and there was a woman at a little table pushed up against a wall, sitting at a computer. I raised my voice to ask if she was the person I was looking for, and she said she was.

I smiled again and stood, repeating the introductory remarks of my script in a casual way.

"I can tell you now you're in the wrong house," she said with an edge to her voice. "I'll never vote for a nigger." She pronouced it "nagger," and stood looking at me with crossed arms and challenge on her face.

As I said, she was approximately my age. White, as you may have guessed. She was overweight, and her long, fine hair was straight and dirty blonde, pulled casually back from her face with some plastic contraption that its silkiness would doubtless always have it slipping out of, as it was now. My hair is the same way. Her shirt had a hole in the shoulder; many of mine have holes. There are just other things to spend money on when the holes are small enough.

I was surprised by my lack of reaction, to be honest. Normally such things would have me fuming with outrage, but instead I was just instantly sorry for her. I instantly felt TRUE and DEEP pity. I'm sure it must have shown on my face, and it wasn't what she was expecting either, because her confident, belligerent stance faltered.

"I'm sorry," I said honestly.

She tossed her head, not meeting my eyes, and a lank piece of hair escaped its clasp. "I'm not voting for McCain either. I've been a democrat all my life. I don't have no one to vote for this year. I'm not voting," she asserted.

"It's all right," I said. Her father said he had a little oxygen tank he could take with him in the car.

I cleared my throat. "If you change your mind and decide to vote, the polls close at 7:30, and if you're in line by then, they have to let you." I made sure she knew where her polling place was, and wished her well.

The old man rose to let me out, and his jumble of tubes jumbled, and the dogs all jumped and barked, and the television in the little room blathered on with some sort of talk show. One dog got stepped on as the woman tried to step aside and it yelped and ran in a circle, upsetting some papers. I gave it a pat, wished them a good day, again, and left.

It was sunny outside, but I had the illusion of clouds. She had no intention of voting for Obama, even to help her poor, ailing father, whose greatest concern was apparently when his nurse would come.

Well, I think [health care] should be a right for every American. In a country as wealthy as ours, for us to have people who are going bankrupt because they can't pay their medical bills -- for my mother to die of cancer at the age of 53 and have to spend the last months of her life in the hospital room arguing with insurance companies because they're saying that this may be a pre-existing condition and they don't have to pay her treatment--there's something fundamentally wrong about that.

Perhaps I should have argued with her, or pointed out that the healthcare plan could help them. However, I don't think so. My job was to get people who were voting for Obama to the polls, not to try to convince non-supporters. However, it made me sad.

On Greene Street, perhaps an hour or so later, some random hater threw a stone at me from a car. A few minutes beforehand, someone had driven by, screaming "McCain!" I have to think the same vehicle circled back to throw the stone, although I didn't really see it either time. With the screaming, it wasn't really worth my while. With the stone, I have to say I was just a bit stunned, and it took me thrity seconds or so to realize what had happened. That doesn't really sound like a long time, but really it's long enough to drive away and lose yourself in traffic seeing as how I wasn't on the ball enough to be paying attention.

I am presuming the stone came from the same car that screamed at me. They were so close together. And after all, not many people drive along with stones in their cars, so it would have to be sort of premeditated. I would guess they drove off to an alley or whatever and came back to throw it. It seems like it was only a few minutes apart.

In any case, they didn't come close to hitting me, and frankly I wasn't so much scared as flabbergasted. It landed in front of me, and I thought, "Where did that fall from?" not connecting it with the screeching tires and laughter from the passing car. By the time I realized what had happened and thought to look for the car, it was either gone or I just didn't know which one it was amonst the various cars that had passed. (In fact it rather reminded me of the episode of The Andy Griffith Show called "Opie and the Spoiled Kid," in which Barnie is berating a "civilian" for not being able to identify which little kid it was that knocked her off her feet riding his bike on the sidewalk when he himself is knocked down by the same kid. All Barnie can exclaim is "Garsh, it happened so fast!")

I had to walk by McCain headquarters twice--it's located not far from Obama headquarters in the downtown. The forst time was 10-ish when I left, and there didn't seem to be anyone there, although the door was open. (I am presuming there were people working inside.) The second time, there were two old guys standing outside, and they smiled kindly at me. I smiled back.

There was a McCain standee. Strangely, the photo used for this life-sized prop wasn't very flattering. He looked like a sort of hunched up old guy with a vague-ish smile on his face. I've seen heroic-looking photos of JM before. What was with that? It looked to be "official" campaign stuff. Whose fault was that photo? I don't get it. I don't think the collaterals were managed very well.

I had lunch at the field office, and went back out after, this time with a driver, as I was going further afield. My legs ached. I never ran into another racist, or another stone-throwing McCain supporter. Of course, it helps to be with someone, too. And in a car.

I did speak to several other people who were enthusiastic in their support, and received for the most part lots of smiles and waves and beeps of (what I presumed to be) appreciation. I take short beeps to be appreciative. They seem more polite than laying on the horn. Mostly I got smiles and waves and thumbs up.

At one McMansion, however, there were three laborers outside roofing the house. The yard had an Obama sign in it, but the residents were out. Perhaps they were voting, or they could have been at work. There was still literature on the door from the first pass at the house (we were making three passes at each house until we got an "I voted" or an "I'm not a supporter" or a "Moved," for example).

As we were leaving to go to our next area, I smiled at the folks working there and made some comment to the effect that it was a nice day for working outside.

"We're not from around here," one guy said forcefully, giving his pants a yank up, "but we're planning on voting several times on the way home since we registered through ACORN."

"Gosh, you have a fake passport or fake drivers licenses that will pass muster with ALL those election officials for THAT many identities?" I asked pleasantly, and he looked confused. He didn't say anything else. Evidently he was a low information voter.

At the end of the day, I was exhausted, and my husband actually treated me to Las Trancas on the way home. I love Mexican food. When we got home that evening it was already dark. I felt sorry for the chickens, who had spent the entire day locked in the coop. It was for a good cause, ladies. Also, I suspect Robin has been hiding her eggs somewhere, so I don't suppose it will hurt to try keeping her in the coop one day to encourage her to use the nests again.

We tuned in the TV that night, since the I-net has been frustratingly out. NEVER GET WILD BLUE. It was staticky, but as I have mentioned before, we should be able to get a channel (weakly) until February.

Then we watched as the electoral votes rolled in for Obama.

I loved when Ohio was called. I screamed. I squeezed Alan's hand too hard. He gave me a dirty look, and I didn't care. Matt called. I screamed, "I know I justsaw canyoubelieveitohmygodsIwishI couldcheck538!"

I didn't understand why they didn't call it then. I understand that on Fox news, Karl Rove was in the middle of explaining how McCain would have to win Ohio, and was interrupted with the information that Ohio had gone to Obama. Rove, Buch, McCain, Palin: that moment is courtesy of all of those people you don't care about--all those people whose civil liberties you were so anxious to take away. Did you feel your heart drop? That wasn't our aim, I assure you. We were trying to get Senator Obama elected. However, please do think of us in the future, as it may save you further heartache.

And please think of that poor, sick old man on the oxygen tanks in that little garage apartment near the Ohio River. Even if his daughter didn't vote for President-Elect Obama, I hope they still benefit by what he brings to this country... and I hope that in four years she can see that she has someone to vote for after all.

It occurred to me that I encountered the McCain campaign in its fullness in just that one day in Ohio, in microcosm. I encountered the racism your campaign was drumming up, the crazy ACORN charges, the terrorism fears and violence (which I associate with the stone throwing)--it ran the gamut. I also encountered Obama supporters who were excited, who talked about change, who ranged in age from just 18 to retired and poor to rich. Most of the people I spoke to had already voted, but I hope I was able to help remind some to vote that perhaps would not otherwise have bothered.

One lady was so excited nabout voting for Obama that she even took me next door to show me the homemade sign her neighbor had made and put in his yard.

"It's so pretty," she said. And it was. It simply said "Barack Obama." The letters were simple and black, but the background was all the colors of the rainbow.

"He did that himself," she said.

We all did. Yes, we did.

http://www.youtube.com/v/jxmw7-8F1QQ&hl

Gatekeeper

Bill in HI — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:37:00 EST

Someone should do a political cartoon of Rahm Emanuel holding the likes of Lindsey Graham by the ankles and shaking him up and down with all sorts of silverware pouring from his pockets and the caption is: “When we invited you to the table, we didn't mean you could rob us blind!”

Congratulations, Please Donate to a Worthy Cause Tax Deductible

Jacob Fran�ois — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:00:54 EST

We are currently mobilizing funds for our projects in Haiti, if you can, please make a donation. If not, forward our request to your lists on our behalf.

Project 2000 International, Inc. has its core service as education. We believe that if people are educated, opportunities will result. We have now began to grow beyond our core service by providing health services, agricultural education, micro-credit and training schools in order to develop a sustainable entrepreneurial revolution in Haiti. Please, help us in securing funding for our programs.

We are a 501c3 organization; your donations are tax deductible

http://www.project2000international.org/eng_agriculture.htm

http://www.project2000international.org/eng_credit.htm

Yes, we can!

Patrick Frank — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:12:32 EST

This momentous event--Obama's landslide victory--brought tears to me and millions of others, in the United States, and around the world.

A media person asked "What will become" of Obama's army of grassroots workers. I'll tell you what I firmly believe will become of us: we will remain engaged in the political process in a way that has not been seen before in American history. We will strive for a full realization of our creative potential. Finally, we will rededicate ourselves to responsible participation in our families, community, state, and nation.

Thanks to Obama's inclusive vision, this campaign has always been about us. Now it is our turn to reach out to our fellow citizens in such a way that their quality of life is enhanced.

I believe that people from all walks of life and political persuasions will be drawn together in a unique way. And our nation will move toward a greater healing of the wounds of the past, stemming from slavery and other atrocities that have been committed on our soil.

All of this will come about because we adopted Obama inspirational imperative..."yes, we can!"

Patrick Frank
Box 1283
Kingstree, SC 29556
(843) 372-8851
patrickgfrank@yahoo.com

To my e-mail (Obama supporter) friends!

K teacher from WV — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:14:32 EST

I just want to tell my young and old friends on here that I have thoroughly enjoyed the friendships that I have made as an Obama supporter. I have looked forward to coming home from teaching school and reading some of the research that followers have done and blogging on blogs in support of Obama. Never, in my life have I ever been so excited about a political campaign. This campaign has touched my life. Today, I wear my Obama shirt, and button. My daughter put on hers. The Obama sign is in my front door. We don't know who the winner is yet. But, there is this great hope and the T.V. reporting sounds positive.

I will miss all of the e-mails but, it is nice to see all of the adds come to an end and maybe I can turn my answering machine back on after those robo calls. I will never forget the friends I met standing in line waiting to see Obama in person and those who have blogged with me. It has been a long campaign.

I hope we can continue to support each other and him during his Presidency! "Yes We Can"! I am so happy I cast my vote for him and I can't wait to put all the victory music on! Can't wait to see those "little ones" running around in the White House. I hope Michelle has a few more little Obama's running around. Hey, I'm a teacher keep me in business!

Love ya all!!!!

THANK YOU..THANK YOU..THANK YOU...

WV Obama Mama will be at the Capitol in D.C. for the Inauguration!!! — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:49:25 EST

to all of you, for all that you have done for Barack and Joe. This is it...the day we have been working and waiting for. It all comes down to this...my heart is racing, my stomach is doing cartwheels, and i have been on the phone today with family and friends and fellow supporters to make sure everyone has a ride to the polls. i talked with my neighbors and people in my neighborhood, to make sure everyone could get to their polling place.

i have never been so proud to be an American....this country is coming together and unifying in the name of change and it fills me with such hope, i can hardly speak the words.

tonight, i will be attending an Election Night party with my Brother and Sister. we have been on the phone today, filled with excitement and, i have to admit, my nerves are all over the place. i waited up to see the results that came in last night from NH and i saw that as a sign of things to come.

this country and this world will be a better place when Barack and Joe win tonight. i know that nothing is final until all the votes are counted, but i have HOPE! i have so much hope, that my cup is running over!

what a glorious and historic day this is...and we are all a part of it.

Blessings to you all, today and everyday.

Yes We Can!!!!!!!!!

Record Prince William, VA Crowd Last Night for Last Campaign Rally

Henry M — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:43:02 EST

It was an exciting night at the Prince William Country Fairground. I got there early enought to be close enough to the stage to see his comfortable smile in spite of the hardships of travel and the loss of his grandmother!

Barack Obama's Final 2008 Campaign Rally in Manassas, Virginia
Nov 3, 2008 November 03, 2008 C-SPAN Senator Barack Obama spoke at a campaign rally at Prince William County Fairgrounds in Manassas, Virginia.

Obama Campaigns in the Final Stretch - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2008/11/04/GA2008110401199.html

There were 70-100,000 of us. We all shouted that we were "fired up" and "ready to go."

"I'm feeling kind of fired up. I'm feeling like I'm ready to go," Obama told nearly 100,000 people gathered for his final rally Monday night in Virginia.

"At this defining moment in history, Virginia, you can give this country the change it needs," Obama said to voters in a state that hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential nominee in 44 years.
The Illinois senator's final day of campaigning was bittersweet: he was mourning the loss of his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who helped raise him but died of cancer Sunday night and never got to see the results of the historic election.

Thanks for reading this blog. I got in late last night and didn't get a lot of sleep, but it's time for me to head back to Virginia and get out the vote. I hope that some of our paths will cross at victory celebrations and on the mall in Washington for the inauguration.

Sincerely,

Henry M

Surviving Election Day

Tom - "We are here to light the candle" — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:01:32 EST

Extreme campaign fatigue. Major news overload. Must.Stay.Alert.

Just a few more hours ....

GOTV!! Whatever It Takes - Republicans Do Know How To Win Elections..

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:47:54 EST

Call 3 friends to each take 3 friends, neighbors, strangers to the polls today.

Let's WIN this thing!!

Great jpb...."Non Partisan races"

Mark Allen Goodwin — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:07:55 EST

Is it just me, or is ther an element in jonesboro pushng their agenda through "our" HQ that is definately not non-partisan and definately not "democratic".......Seems to be, on the whole the same folks who said I was not authorized to raise mney for, and not a part of the Dem. Party....Paraphrasing of coarse (pun intended for those who get it)......And I am in fact a Member in good standing with the Obama for President Grass Rooots Fundraising committee....its been hard to raise money, however, since arrow from nea sent out mass email saying I was a liar anda cheat (paraphrasing again for lack of time and patience). I have no idea of anothers'motivations other than to say some is and some aint......and there it is no wonder that the wheels seemed a year ago to have fallen off the Greene County Arkansas Political Machine (we got her back on the tracks now though by golley).

Record setting early voting in West Virginia!

WV Obama Mama will be at the Capitol in D.C. for the Inauguration!!! — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:02:08 EST

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A record number of West Virginia voters have cast their ballots early this year. According to Secretary of State Betty Ireland's office, more than 153,000 ballots were cast during early voting, which ended Saturday, and more than 13,000 absentee votes have been cast. County clerks throughout the state reported high turnout for early voting. Clerks said they're ready with troubleshooters and extra machines to address any problems that develop on Election Day.

I pray that everything goes smoothly on election day.....

Hate Speach Peddled by GoDaddy

Bill in HI — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:47:16 EST

www.goptrust.com is running smear adds featuring Rev Wright's inflamatory video clips.

www.goptrust.com is run from
nationalrepublicantrust.com, which is being hosted from

GoDaddy.com out of
Scottsdale Arizona

Any wonder??

I think it's fare to punish GoDaddy by boycotting them

Condolences and Congratualtions

darlene matthews — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:38:32 EST

DEAR SOON TO BE PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA,

LIFES IRONIES ABOUND

WHILE A GREAT MAN RISES PUBLICLY

LOSS TEMPERS THE MAN PRIVATELY.

WE SUPPORT YOU AND FEEL FOR YOU!

WITH LOVE ADMIRATION AND SYMPATHY,

YOUR TEAM.

PLEASE PASS IT ON.

BREAKING NEWS: Barack Obama says his grandmother died Monday.

Stay with ABC7NEWS.COM for more on this story:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/politics&id=6485855

condolences

peacelisa — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:05:18 EST

It has been a while since I posted on this blog. I have been unwavering in my support of Barack and have been instrumental when I could.

There is much I have wanted to say. That can all wait. I may take some time tomorrow to catch up with posts and tell my stories.

That can all wait.

Right now all I really want to do is to give my condolences to the Obama family for the loss of Barack's grandmother. From the little I know about her, she was an incredible woman. I wish she could have lived one more day to see her grandson become president. But, I am sure that her spirit will be there -- be watching him as he takes the stage.

My thoughts and prayers are with you, Barack and Michelle.

/lisa

LISA SINGH

One Sentence Summary of What is Wrong With McCain's Economic Plan

Crunchy Middle — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:10:54 EST

You can't even maintain a baseball stadium without different prices for different seats but John McCain thinks you can run a country that way.

VOTE, BABY, VOTE!!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:49:25 EST

Am I fired up?

You betcha!!

Of Single Issues, Greed and Social Justice

Crunchy Middle — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 03:03:47 EST

There is much that is tragic about the polarization of our nation. I think that one of the most tragic must be the attempt to exploit and manipulate the religious beliefs of good people for political purposes. The moment reason ceases to be an opiate religion becomes a threat.
This is the reason for simple condemnation of ones opponents. The moment that human beings begin to engage in rational discourse then people become threats. An examined faith is the foundation for social justice, for our interaction within, without and with a higher power. A faith that is unexamined will make us turn a blind eye to our own imperfections and the injustice commited against our fellow man.

Churches have reinforced and challenged power structures. Religion has hindered and helped in matters of social justice throughout the world. The abuses of faith are listed as are its triumphs but for much of our modern history there is a constant. Religion can exist outside the state and that makes it a threat.

Threats must be isolated, hence the necessity of organizations that wish to preserve any status quo that does not seek social justice to focus the attention of the electorate away from their true intent. Single issues are opiates that are particularly essential because they turn gazes from the destruction that evil men do in the name of justice. Pick your issue and you will find polarization with its goal being the isolation of our fellow human beings from liberty.

The last thing that power wants is an educated electorate filled with people that actually talk to each other. Such movements are catalysts and dangerous. We cannot have labor movements again gathering in churches so better to isolate the US from THEM. We cannot talk about the poor so best to call them those who will not work rather than those who cannot find work. We cannot talk about why there is inequality in our society so we are given promises that we will be protected from THEM. All but US are G-dless so that we will be free to cast the first stone this is the mantra that begs us join. All we must do is remember to put others before ourselves, and the mantra begins to dissolve, for we begin to know that we are not alone.

We were founded in WE not in I for our founders knew that rallying to selfishness was cowardly and not worthy of a people that would embrace courageous acts. Ours was a new vision, a new concept and greed was not a virtue championed. Ours was a legacy of challenging the greatest of odds for great change was not out of our reach if we would have the courage to honestly face our problems and address them. We can face down the enemies of our people, foreign and domestic. Hate is not an aspect of justice, its path is divergent and its handmaiden is shackled liberty. No matter what comes I know that, for me at least, this is just the beginning. The greatest gift of this election is the reinvigoration of my faith, not just in a higher power but in my humanity. It compels me to include rather than to exclude. It begs me not to stop, compels me to sacrifice and believe for the next generation till my weary life draws nigh and hopeful breath sustains my soul to gather on the next plane. Beyond that I know that I am not alone.

Hacking Democracy, beware, be united

Jacob Fran�ois — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:04:51 EST

http://www.reopen911.info/video/hacking-democracy.html

Sunrise or Sunset in America?

Consultant — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:42:18 EDT

Sunrise or Sunset In America?

Okay, here’s my prediction, and I’ve been saying this for the last few months: If Obama wins, he’ll win either small (3 to 4 points) or large (10 or more points).

In recent presidential elections, 10 or more points would be considered a landslide. If that happens, a lot of down ticket Democrats are going to win too. Recent polls indicate we’re heading in that direction. We’ll see.

If Obama wins, I hope he appoints a veteran Prosecutor as Attorney General. This totally preventable financial meltdown is hurting a lot people, and it’s going to hurt a lot more. As we descend into some very hard economic times, people are going to be mad as hell and looking for some justice. It would serve Obama and the American people if his administration goes after the tens of thousands of people who created and benefited from this vast, epic Ponzi scheme. Let’s see some perp walks!

And speaking of justice, it's not going to be served up by our mainstream press. If Obama wins, I'm thinking on November 5th the media (led by Fox), is going to back up a dump truck with all of the Bush Administration failures, and dump it on Barack. Then the media shouting will begin. Obama, fix all of this stuff. Now!! There will be no mention of Bush or Cheney. The running theme will be, if the Obama Administration doesn't cure cancer, then it's a failure.

The other thing I’d like to see from an Obama win is a national plan to rebuild passenger rail between cities, commuter rail in our top 25 metro areas along with electric powered light rail, trolleys and buses for the top 50 cities. This would be a massive undertaking that would have many benefits. It would also get us out in front of the declining oil resources that have essentially stabilized in many oil fields and are rapidly declining in most others.

We’d better try to build this transportation system soon, or one day in the not too distant future, most of us are not going to be able to get from here to there.

If McCain/Palin wins (steals this one), head for the hills (or the streets)! The unmistakeable signal to the world is that America has quit our experiment in self government. Democracy on the run.

WHY I SUPPORT OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT AND MY ELECTION PREDICTION

Jeremiah — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:16:40 EDT

I have put together a list of my ballot endorsements and predictions for various races around the country and in WV. Given the importance and historic nature of the presidential race, I will post it separately. Enjoy.

PRESIDENT:

You have heard it ad naseum for almost a year and a half that this election is important. Well, damnit, it is the most important election of our lifetime. We live in a tumultuous time, but our nation is still the greatest on earth. We have the strongest economy, strongest military and most innovative and creative citizens. We are a compassionate and practical people. We have our faults, but I am proud to be an American. Regardless of who wins or loses I will support them as President but on the flipside of that token I also retain my right to either man if I feel they are wrong on an issue. Dissent is a sacred right that we should all be more willing to exercise.

Now getting down to business, we have two very different candidates with very contrasting styles and views on how the country should be governed. When voting for President I consider three leadership qualities- intelligence, temperament and political philosophy. Barack Obama is superior in all three areas from my point of view. He is one of the most intelligent candidates we have ever had for President. Obama not only excels at understanding the issues that face the country but he understands what needs to be done in order to put our country back on track. McCain has failed to lay out his vision in this election and instead chose to make his campaign about being anti Obama.

Also, Obama is an intellectual. He is, in many respects, a post modern thinker. He understands that the world is not divided in terms of black and white or good and evil but that we live in many shades of gray. This realization allows him to consider multiple options as opposed to the simplistic nature of someone like President Bush, who appears to make decisions based on an absolutist philosophy that it is either my way or the highway. Bush prematurely follows one course in his mind and sticks to that decision regardless of whether or not it is working out. I think Obama will reflect on his decisions and if something appears to not be working out as previously planned, he will adjust accordingly.

McCain, on the other hand, is unlike either Bush or Obama. Where Obama is reflective and Bush is simplistic, McCain is a reactionary and extremely erratic. His enemies in the GOP have criticized him for this behavior for years. McCain is unpredictable and his positions do not always coincide intellectually with his other positions. In fact, McCain often makes illogical decisions out of anger. For example, McCain came out against the first Bush tax cuts because he said, and correctly so, that they moved the country’s tax burden from the upper class to the middle class. Sounds right, except McCain has always stated he believed in the fundamentals of trickle-down economics, which these Bush tax cuts were implementing. Basically, McCain was still pissed after his loss to Bush in the 2000 primary so he made a decision not based on what he thought but out of vengeance. McCain now supports Bush economic policies that he supported before he was pissed off and didn’t support. Basically, he was wrong before he was right but now he is wrong again.

In terms of temperament, Obama is far the better choice to lead our great nation. Obama has discipline, focus and is steady under pressure. This has been strikingly clear in the campaign. Whereas the McCain campaign has jumped from one theme to another, Obama has consistently delivered his policy positions and contrasted himself with McCain by showing that McCain will only continue Bush policies. You may not agree with either, but you have to admit it that Obama rarely strayed off message.

McCain first made his campaign about his biography. When he realized that he was becoming Bob Dole of 1996 he changed his theme to that of experience. Then he chose an inexperienced running mate so he had to make his campaign about change (the maverick’s mavericky maverick). Once it was obvious that the change mantle couldn’t be wrestled from Obama, McCain made his campaign about attacking Obama’s character. Once the voters responded negatively to that, he made his campaign about Democratic policies, which he calls socialism. McCain’s lack of discipline was only outpaced by his anger. As I mentioned above, McCain lurches from position to position when he is pissed and he gets pissed a lot. All of this makes for a bad leader and a poorly managed campaign.

Contrasted with McCain’s hot temper has been Obama’s calm demeanor. As nasty as the attacks against him have been in this campaign, Obama has been able to remain focused on the task at hand and had the uncanny ability to emotionally brush off the most egregious of attacks. That does not mean Obama does not respond to attacks, he has been as good as Bill Clinton in terms of counter punching, but he has done so with a grace that makes him appear above the political fray. Obama does not lurch from one position to the other like John McCain- Obama thoughtfully approaches each task and carefully constructs the appropriate response- kind of like you would want a President to do.

Finally, I support Obama because he shares my political philosophies. Obama feels that the middle class is the driving force that makes our country great and wants to make sure middle class Americans pay LESS TAXES, have health care and are protected from foreign threats. Obama also recognizes the importance of making college affordable so that our nation can remain economically and intellectually competitive. In addition, Obama will address our nation’s dependence on outdated modes of energy. Fossil fuels are a way of the past and if our country is going to remain self sufficient then we must invest in renewable energy sources like wind, solar, hydro and geothermal. Obama realizes that we cannot achieve this over night so his plan also has a contingency to bridge us to this clean and energy efficient future- he will permit environmentally safe domestic drilling, force oil and gas companies to use their millions of acres of federally leased land and common sense exploration of nuclear power options.

PRESIDENTIAL PREDICTION

This has been one hell of a long election but I do not think election night will be long. I predict Obama will blow John McCain out next Tuesday and he will do so early. Obama will get 338 electoral votes with wins in states like Virginia, Colorado, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Mexico and Iowa. We will all know that the results in the West are irrelevant after we get the results from Virginia, Pennsylvania and Florida. I think McCain will get 200 electoral votes with close wins in North Carolina, Missouri, Georgia, Indiana, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia to name just a few.

Even if McCain were able to close the gap and win in Ohio, Florida, and Virginia he would still not have 270. If McCain somehow pulled those early upsets, he would still need to come from behind in both Nevada and New Mexico or Colorado and one of those two. If McCain did manage to close the gap in the polls in the last few days he would still be up shits creek because he has been getting trounced by Obama’s far superior ground game in early voting states. McCain also lacks the election day get out the vote grassroots to get lukewarm supporters to the polls. McCain is simply too far behind. I will not go to bed Tuesday night until I know Obama has won this election but I have a feeling that I will be well rested come Wednesday morning.

If you want to play with the electoral map and see for yourself then I recommend you go to Politico’s electoral polling map to get a read on where states currently stand and then go to a really interesting interactive map I found on the net.

Politico- http://www.politico.com/convention/swingstate.html

Interactive Map- http://www.270towin.com/

VOTE, BABY VOTE!! Early If You Can To Avoid Long Lines And Challenges At The Polls

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:59:30 EDT

Yes We Can!!

Youngsters - GO VOTE!!!!!!

Unknown user — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:47:36 EDT

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??......GET OFF YOUR BEHINDS AND GO VOTE FOR YOUR FUTURE..ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remarks of Senator Obama, Indianapolis, IN, Oct. 23, 2008

Jill 4 Obama — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:41:34 EDT

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama (Indianapolis, IN) Indianapolis, IN | October 23, 2008

It is fitting that we meet today on the mall of the American Legion, surrounded by monuments to our nation's heroes. Because on this day, 25 years ago, the Marine barracks in Beirut were bombed. 241 Americans laid down their lives for this country and for the peace they were there to protect. We revere their service. We honor their sacrifice. And we keep their families in our prayers.

We will never forget them.

Indiana, in just 12 days, you'll have the chance to elect your next President. And you'll have the chance to bring the change we need to Washington. That's the good news. But we're going to have to work, and struggle, and fight for every single one of those 12 days to move our country in a new direction.

I am hopeful about the outcome. We were thrilled this weekend when a great American statesman, General Colin Powell, joined our cause. But we cannot let up. And we won't.

Because one thing we know is that change never comes without a fight. In the final days of campaigns, the say-anything, do-anything politics too often takes over. We've seen it before. And we're seeing it again today. The ugly phone calls. The misleading mail and TV ads. The careless, outrageous comments. All aimed at keeping us from working together, all aimed at stopping change.

Well, what we need now is not misleading charges and divisive attacks. What we need is honest leadership and real change, and that's why I'm running for President of the United States.

Now, more than ever, this campaign has to be about the problems facing the American people - because this is a moment of great uncertainty for America.

We're facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The Dow plummeted again yesterday, threatening the job security, retirement security, and economic security of millions of ordinary Americans. Indiana lost 4,500 manufacturing jobs in September alone. And just today, we learned that more and more Americans are filing for unemployment. Home values are falling. Foreclosures are rising. Wages are shrinking. And the cost of health care and college tuition has never been higher.

And that's what this election is all about - because John McCain and I have real differences about how to get us out of this economic mess. You see, Senator McCain thinks the economic policies of George W. Bush are just right for America. In the Senate, he's voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Said earlier this year that we've made "great progress" over the last eight years. And while Senator McCain says now that he's different from President Bush, you sure couldn't tell by the policies he's proposing.

Just yesterday, Senator McCain strongly defended the Bush policy of lavishing tax cuts on corporations that ship American jobs overseas. He made the peculiar argument that the best way to stop companies from shipping jobs overseas is to give more tax cuts to companies that ship jobs overseas. More tax cuts for job outsourcers. That's what Senator McCain proposed as his answer to outsourcing.

He said that's - quote - "simple fundamental economics."

Well, Indiana, my opponent may call that "fundamental economics," but we know that's just another name for the Wall Street first, Main Street last economic philosophy we've had for the past eight years - and that's fundamentally wrong.

If Senator McCain wants to defend tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, that's his choice. But I say, let's end tax cuts for companies that ship American jobs overseas, and give them to companies that create good jobs right here in Indiana - in the United States of America.

If he wants to defend free trade agreements designed to protect the profits of multinational corporations and a trade policy that lets countries like China tilt the playing field against our workers, that's up to him. But I say, we need a trade policy that protects the dreams of hardworking Americans.

If he wants to defend a tax code that's more than 10,000 pages long and filled with loopholes written in by corporate lobbyists like the ones running his campaign, he's got every right. He has every right to defend offshore tax havens that let companies avoid paying taxes here in America. But I say, it's time to close corporate loopholes, shut offshore tax havens, and restore balance and fairness to our tax code.

By the way, did you know that there's a building in the Cayman Islands that supposedly houses 18,000 corporations. That's either the biggest building or the biggest tax scam on record. And I think we know which one it is.

That's the system my opponent defends. That's the system he wants to preserve. Well, Indiana, we've tried it John McCain's way. We've tried it George Bush's way. And we're here today to say enough is enough. We can't afford four more years of their "fundamental economics." That's why I'm running for President of the United States of America.

You see, I have a different notion of fundamental economics than my opponent. Because where I come from, there's nothing more fundamental than a good-paying job. There's nothing more fundamental than being able to pay your health care bills, put your kids through college, or retire with dignity and security. There's nothing more fundamental than the American dream - and that's the dream we can reclaim if you stand with me on November 4.

I know we can do this. I know we can steer ourselves out of this crisis. Because I believe in you. I believe in the American people.

We are the United States of America. We are a nation that's faced down war and depression; great challenges and great threats. And at each and every moment, we have risen to meet these challenges - not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as Americans. With resolve. With confidence. With that fundamental belief that here in America, our destiny is not written for us; it's written by us. That's who we are, and that's the country we need to be right now.

But Indiana, I know this. It will take a new direction. It will take new leadership in Washington. It will take a real change in the policies and politics of the last eight years. And that's why I'm running for President of the United States.

It's time to turn the page on eight years of economic policies that put Wall Street before Main Street but ended up hurting both. We need policies that grow our economy from the bottom-up, so that every American, everywhere, has the chance to get ahead. Not just the person who owns the factory, but the men and women who work on its floor. Because if we've learned anything from this economic crisis, it's that we're all connected; we're all in this together; and we will rise or fall as one nation - as one people.

The rescue plan that passed the Congress was a necessary first step to easing this credit crisis, but if we're going to rebuild this economy from the bottom up, we need an immediate rescue plan for the middle-class - and that's what I will do as President of the United States.

Nine months ago, I called for a stimulus plan to provide immediate relief for states, along with tax rebates to get money directly to middle class families and a foreclosure prevention fund to help people keep their homes. Senator McCain's advisors openly mocked the stimulus plan before Congress - one referred to it, and I quote, as "borrowing money from the Chinese and dropping it from helicopters." Another dismissed it as "junk."

Just this week, after nine straight months of job losses, when our Federal Reserve Chairman supports another stimulus to get our economy moving, Senator McCain said he doesn't think we need to pass this stimulus immediately. Well, the working families who've been hard hit by this economic crisis - folks who can't pay their mortgages or their medical bills or send their kids to college - they can't afford to go to the back of the line behind CEOs and Wall Street banks. They need help right here, right now - and that's why I'm running for President of the United States.

I've proposed a new American jobs tax credit for each new employee that companies hire here in the United States over the next two years. And I'll help make sure the fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow are built not just in South Korea or Japan, but right here in Indiana.

Few have been harder hit by our credit crisis than the workers who make our cars and the companies that supply their parts. Now, when it came to rescuing Wall Street, Washington didn't waste a minute. But now that auto-workers are suffering, Washington's put on the breaks. It turns out it could take a year for the auto industry to get the loan guarantees we passed a few weeks ago.

Well, the workers who are being laid off and the companies that are seeing their sales drop - they can't afford to wait a year, they need help right now. That's why I've called on Washington to fast-track those loan guarantees and provide more as needed - because that's how we'll secure our auto jobs and save our auto industry.

I'll also help small businesses by eliminating capital gains taxes and giving them emergency loans to keep their doors open and hire workers. I'll put a three-month moratorium on foreclosures so that we can give homeowners the breathing room they need to get back on their feet. And I will create a Jobs and Growth fund to help states and local governments save one million jobs and pay for health care and education without having to raise your taxes.

These are the steps that we must take - right now - to start getting our economy back on track. But we also need a new set of priorities to grow our economy and create jobs over the long-term.

It starts with tax relief. There's been a lot of talk about taxes in this campaign. And the truth is, my opponent and I are both proposing tax cuts. The difference is, he wants to give a $700,000 tax cut to the average Fortune 500 CEO. I want to put a middle class tax cut in the pockets of 95% of workers and their families. My opponent doesn't want you to know this, but under my plan, tax rates for middle class families will actually be less than they were under Ronald Reagan.

It's true that I want to roll back the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans and go back to the rate they paid under Bill Clinton. John McCain calls that socialism. What he forgets is that just a few years ago, he himself said those Bush tax cuts were irresponsible. He said he couldn't "in good conscience" support a tax cut where the benefits went to the wealthy at the expense of "middle class Americans who most need tax relief." Well, he was right then, and I am right now.

Let me be crystal clear: If you make less than a quarter of a million dollars a year - which includes 98% of small business owners - you won't see your taxes increase one single dime. Not your payroll taxes, not your income taxes, not your capital gains taxes - nothing. That is my commitment to you.

For the last eight years, we've given more and more to those with the most and hoped that prosperity would trickle down to everyone else. And guess what? It didn't. So it's time to try something new. It's time to grow this economy from the bottom-up. It's time to invest in the middle-class again.

If I am President, I will invest $15 billion a year in renewable sources of energy to create five million new, green jobs over the next decade - jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced; jobs building solar panels and wind turbines and fuel-efficient cars; jobs that will help us end our dependence on oil from Middle East dictators.

I'll also put two million more Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling roads, schools, and bridges - because it is time to build an American infrastructure for the 21st century. And if people ask how we're going to pay for this, you tell them that if we can spend $10 billion a month in Iraq, we can spend some money to rebuild America.

If I am President, I will finally fix the problems in our health care system that we've been talking about for too long. This issue is personal for me. My mother died of ovarian cancer at the age of 53, and I'll never forget how she spent the final months of her life lying in a hospital bed, fighting with her insurance company because they claimed that her cancer was a pre-existing condition and didn't want to pay for treatment. If I am President, I will make sure those insurance companies can never do that again.

My health care plan will make sure insurance companies can't discriminate against those who are sick and need care most. If you have health insurance, the only thing that will change under my plan is that we will lower premiums. If you don't have health insurance, you'll be able to get the same kind of health insurance that Members of Congress get for themselves. And we'll invest in preventative care and new technology to finally lower the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the entire economy. That's the change we need.

And if I'm President, we'll give every child, everywhere the skills and the knowledge they need to compete with any worker, anywhere in the world. I will not allow countries to out-teach us today so they can out-compete us tomorrow. It is time to provide every American with a world-class education. That means investing in early childhood education. That means recruiting an army of new teachers, and paying them better, and giving them more support in exchange for higher standards and more accountability.

And it means investing in agricultural education. From seeing all those blue corduroy jackets in the crowd, I know there's a Future Farmers of America convention here in Indianapolis. And I want you to know that if I'm elected President, I will fight for you - because America's farmers are America's future. And it's time we had a President who understood that.

We need to make sure every American who has the drive and the will but not the money can go to college. My opponent's top economic advisor actually said that they have no plan to invest in college affordability because we can't have a giveaway to every special interest. Well I don't think the young people of America are a special interest - they are the future of this country. That's why I'll make this deal with you: if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford your tuition. No ifs, ands or buts. You invest in America, America will invest in you, and together, we will move this country forward.

Now, make no mistake: the change we need won't come easy or without cost. We will all need to tighten our belts, we will all need to sacrifice and we will all need to pull our weight because now more than ever, we are all in this together.

At a defining moment like this, we don't have the luxury of relying on the same political games and the same political tactics that are used every election to divide us from one another and make us afraid of one another. With the challenges and crises we face right now, we cannot afford to divide this country by class or region; by who we are or what policies we support.

There are no real or fake parts of this country. We are not separated by the pro-America and anti-America parts of this nation - we all love this country, no matter where we live or where we come from. There are patriots who supported this war in Iraq and patriots who opposed it; patriots who believe in Democratic policies and those who believe in Republican policies. The men and women from Indiana and all across America who serve on our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.

We have always been at our best when we've had leadership that called us to look past our differences and come together as one nation, as one people; leadership that rallied this entire country to a common purpose - to a higher purpose. And I am running for President of the United States of America because that is the country we need to be right now.

This country and the dream it represents are being tested in a way that we haven't seen in nearly a century. And future generations will judge ours by how we respond to this test. Will they say that this was a time when America lost its way and its purpose? When we allowed the same divisions and fear tactics and our own petty differences to plunge this country into a dark and painful recession?

Or will they say that this was another one of those moments when America overcame? When we battled back from adversity by recognizing that common stake that we have in each other's success?

This is one of those moments. I realize you're cynical and fed up with politics. I understand that you're disappointed and even angry with your leaders. You have every right to be. But despite all of this, I ask of you what's been asked of the American people in times of trial and turmoil throughout our history. I ask you to believe - to believe in yourselves, in each other, and in the future we can build together.

Together, we cannot fail. Not now. Not when we have a crisis to solve and an economy to save. Not when there are so many Americans without jobs and without homes. Not when there are families who can't afford to see a doctor, or send their child to college, or pay their bills at the end of the month. Not when there is a generation that is counting on us to give them the same opportunities and the same chances that we had for ourselves.

We can do this. Americans have done this before. Some of us had grandparents or parents who said maybe I can't go to college but my child can; maybe I can't have my own business but my child can. I may have to rent, but maybe my children will have a home they can call their own. I may not have a lot of money but maybe my child will run for Senate. I might live in a small village but maybe someday my son can be president of the United States of America.

Now it falls to us. Together, we cannot fail. And I need you to make it happen. If you want the next four years looking like the last eight, then I am not your candidate. But if you want real change - if you want an economy that rewards work, and that works for Main Street and Wall Street; if you want tax relief for the middle class and millions of new jobs; if you want health care you can afford and education that helps your kids compete; then I ask you to knock on some doors, make some calls, talk to your neighbors, and give me your vote.

In Indiana, you can vote early right here, and right now. To find out how, just go to voteforchange.com. And if you stand with me, I promise you - we will win Indiana, we will win this election, and then you and I - together - will change this country and change this world. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless America.

Barack-The Hero

Dr. Barbara Palmer — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:41:46 EDT

You be the judge. No position on http://www.snopes.com/ http://tinyurl.com/3en2hu A Stranded Stranger The Norwegian newspaper VG has reported a truly amazing story about a newly-wed trying to get to Norway to be with her husband, and the stranger who helped pay an unexpected luggage surcharge. The blog 'Leisha's Random Thoughts' has translated the story. It was 1988, and Mary Andersen was at the Miami airport checking in for a long flight to Norway to be with her husband when the airline representative informed her that she wouldn't be able to check her luggage without paying a 100 surcharge: When it was finally Mary's turn, she got the message that would crush her bubbling feeling of happiness. -You'll have to pay a 103 dollar surcharge if you want to bring both those suitcases to Norway, the man behind the counter said. Mary had no money. Her new husband had travelled ahead of her to Norway, and she had no one else to call. I was completely desperate and tried to think which of my things I could manage without. But I had already made such a careful selection of my most prized possessions, says Mary. As tears streamed down her face, she heard a 'gentle and friendly voice' behind her saying, 'That's okay, I'll pay for her.' Mary turned around to see a tall man whom she had never seen before. He had a gentle and kind voice that was still firm and decisive. The first thing I thought was, who is this man? Although this happened 20 years ago, Mary still remembers the authority that radiated from the man. -He was nicely dressed, fashionably dressed with brown leather shoes, a cotton shirt open at the throat and khaki pants, says Mary. She was thrilled to be able to bring both her suitcases to Norway and assured the stranger that he would get his money back. The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper that he gave to Mary. She thanked him repeatedly. When she finally walked off towards the security checkpoint, he waved goodbye to her. Who was the man? Barack Obama. Twenty years later, she is thrilled that the friendly stranger at the airport may be the next President and has voted for him already and donated 100 dollars to his campaign: He was my knight in shining armor, says Mary, smiling. She paid the 103 dollars back to Obama the day after she arrived in Norway. At that time he had just finished his job as a poorly paid community worker* in Chicago, and had started his law studies at prestigious Harvard university. Mary even convinced her parents to vote for him: In the spring of 2006 Mary's parents had heard that Obama was considering a run for president, but that he had still not decided. They chose to write a letter in which they told him that he would receive their votes. At the same time, they thanked Obama for helping their daughter 18 years earlier. And Obama replied: In a letter to Mary's parents dated May 4th, 2006 and stamped United States Senate, Washington DC, Barack Obama writes: I want to thank you for the lovely things you wrote about me and for reminding me of what happened at Miami airport. I'm happy I could help back then, and I'm delighted to hear that your daughter is happy in Norway. Please send her my best wishes. Sincerely, Barack Obama, United States senator. The parents sent the letter on to Mary. Mary says that when her friends and associates talk about the election, especially when race relations is the heated subject, she relates the story of the kind man who helped out a stranger-in-need over twenty years ago, years before he had even thought about running for high office. Original Norwegian newspaper article: http://tinyurl.com/3g59z6

Viral spread before Nov 4:enclosed information that is not circulating enough in the US media: Hagel, Palin, McCain articles: Moving beyond [Who is really spreading the wealth around here America?] Looking at [Rep. Chuck Hagel's wise consistent counsel on

Johnathan Waters | Advocacy4change — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:22:26 EDT

A substantive viral spread before Nov 4:enclosed information that is not circulating enough in the US media: Hagel, Palin, McCain articles: Moving beyond the question [Who is really spreading the wealth around here America?] and finding answers. Looking at [Rep. Chuck Hagel's wise consistent counsel on Obama vs. McCain] Avoiding the [Detour media coverage on campaign finance by CNN; and the continuous distractions of marxism economics vs. conservative generosity vs. capitalism]

The following articles below contain truthful accounts from individuals such as [Republican Chuck Hagel] that are absent in some in the media as well as throughout America's news cycles. Some of media like (CNN) still wants to talk about campaign finance instead of substantive issues. The following articles should make us think twice when selecting McCain/Palin at the voter booth this October/November. These articles, particular the one about Chuck Hagel, is one of the best articles I have saw throughout this whole election cycle.

The Hagel article in November's issue of The New Yorker is eye opening; non-bias, vivid with much need lucidness in the midst of our times now. Please take time to read them and past them along to any undecided voter. Chuck Hagel, is a self-controlled, wise individual who echoes the strong relevant leadership need to help counsel America right now, he has consistently stood by Barack Obama side, went with him to vist Iraq, and wants the best [change] for this country no matter which party brings forward the winning formula. He is not a people pleaser, but an American servant.

We need a president, who is not satisfied with the state of America now and understands like JFK and RFK once believed and said,”I think this country, America, can be better than it is now, I think the best is yet to come, if we come together and work together". We are looking at our next president, Barack Obama; Joe Biden is running faithful shotgun with him all the way! :)

Articles To Read and Spread:

In The New Yorker, November 3, 2008 issue: Chuck Hagel senior Republican criticized McCain’s choice of Palin as his running mate. http://tinyurl.com/6e7k6o.5 hours ago

(New Yorker, Hertzberg,2008,p.1) Alaska, which Palin governed has 0 income R sales tax. Instead, it imposes huge levies on the oil companies that lease.

New Yorker, Hertzberg,2008,p.1) Palin helped enabled checks issued to every man, woman, and child in her state amounting 2 four-figure annual sum.

Let's continue to get it done, continue to press forward, run out the election clock, let McCain keeping foul us and foul us and lets hit the free throws for change and bring this victory home on November the 5th! An America that fails to stand for something, will fall for anything, we as Americans must decided [this time] not to be puppets on McCain's unstable string :)

Thank you for listening:)

Johnathan Waters

Sarah “Shake-N-Bake” Palin

Bill in HI — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:02:32 EDT

Google “palin alaska shares wealth”. You will get 1,200,000 hits! Here is an example.
1 Didn't Palin Redistribute Wealth in Alaska?
2 Palin The Wealth Spreader: Gov. Imposed Oil Windfall Profits Tax To Allow Alaskans To ‘Share In The Wealth’
3 Palin Interview: Alaskans 'Share the Wealth'
4 Palin Supported "Share In The Wealth" Programs In Alaska
5 Tucker Bounds: When Palin Shares The Wealth, It Isn’t Socialism — It’s ‘Unique’
Admit it, Sarah Palin thinks you are stupid. When she spreads the wealth around it is doing the right thing. When someone else does it, they are a Socialist or even Communist – 'BAD'! Too bad she was born in Alaska. Had she been born in Chicago or New York she could have become a deadly commedian. But John McCain picked her name out of the 'phone book'.
You becha sarah, you keep shakin' it up.

OBAMA - I HAD A DREAM - THE TRUE AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL VIDEO

Unknown user — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:02:40 EDT

Hi fellow brothers and sisters....fellow Obama supporters, this is my last video for Obama till election day. The recent events of threats of violence.....discrimination...racism and just flat out lies drove me to make this video. I'm 49 and white and thoroughly disgusted by what is happening. At this moment as Obama would say, we can't stop working, america has too much at stake. At this moment I don't even believe McCain deserves a senate seat let alone be a president. Watch the video, rate it and comment if you can. It's in our hands now.....let's get the vote out.....let us take that one day off to help elect Obama......the future of our country.....it's unity...it's compassion is at stake!!!

In just less than one week our dreams will be fulfilled and by working till the bitter end WE WILL SUCCEED!!

GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND A HEARTFELT THANK-YOU TO ALL THE GREAT VOLUNTEERS WHICH HAVE GOTTEN US THIS FAR.......VOTE FOR CHANGE....FOR HOPE....FOR UNITY.....FOR OUR BRIGHT FUTURE WALKING HAND IN HAND WITH BARACK OBAMA!!!!!! PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd6jif-8DFM

Reproductive rights, life, and the Church

Ken from Frederick, MD — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:05:36 EDT

There are certainly many in the Catholic Church fighting to prevent Barack Obama from being elected. However, we have seen a shift in Catholic support towards Barack.

I am a lifelong Catholic and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. I don’t consider myself a theology expert, but I feel I have some idea of what the essence of the Church’s teaching is. Certainly, it is not to be focused exclusively on one issue (abortion) while ignoring all others. The potential damage of a McCain presidency in terms of new wars (perpetrated by a lack of diplomacy), neglect of our nation’s poor, neglect of the health care system, neglect of the humanitarian crises around the globe, etc outweigh his pandering on abortion.

Since many of the folks who oppose Obama are looking exclusively at the abortion issue and McCain’s claim to be in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade, let’s look at that issue. Here’s some things to consider:

First, it is important to understand that overturning Roe v. Wade will not make abortion illegal. The case was as much a states’ rights case as it was an abortion case. If it is overturned, then it will put the decision on whether or not to make abortion legal into the hands of the individual states. Obviously, at that point, some will make it illegal, some will keep it legal and abortions will continue.

Furthermore, this will create an even greater problem because people of means will have no problem traveling for an abortion of they live in a state where it is illegal while lower income folks will not have that option. Then we will begin to see more instances of self-induced abortions or other risky, non-medical procedures being performed. Some of these folks will certainly decide to carry the child to term, but will then be faced with the economic realities of caring for an actual child. Economic issues and problems associated with people in poverty (things that sometimes get brushed under the rug) will be put back into the national spotlight as children in the US face problems of not having proper shelter, food, education, etc. The real solution to addressing the issue (which is what Barack Obama is focusing on) is twofold:

Reduce unwanted pregnancies. This means expanding birth control education (I know it’s not the Catholic way, but it is essential if we want to address the issue), expanding sex education (not just abstinence-only education), and developing a culture that promotes individual responsibility.
Providing assistance for mothers who decide to carry the child to term. This means providing economic assistance, educational assistance, health care assistance, etc, etc. (I believe Senator McCain calls this “socialism”). It also means providing resources for those who deliver but are unable to care for the child and end up choosing adoption. This may mean doing things that seem counterintuitive like supporting Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is not just an abortion factory like some people think - it provides extensive health care resources for low income women. Supporting them helps mothers which allows those mothers to help their children.

Here is some of the info from the Dem’s platform:

“But we must also support parents as they strive to raise their children in a new era. We must make it easier for working parents to spend time with their families when they need to. We will make an unprecedented national investment to guarantee that every child has access to high-quality Pre-K programs, and access to Head Start and Early Head Start and we will help pay for child care. We will ensure that every child has health insurance, invest in playgrounds to promote healthy and active lifestyles, and protect children from lead poisoning in their homes and toys. Improving maternal health also improves children's health, so we will provide access to home visits by medical professionals to low- income expectant first-time mothers. We must protect our most vulnerable children, by supporting and supplementing our struggling foster care system, enhancing adoption programs, and protecting children from violence and neglect.”

“We will support fathers by providing transitional training to get jobs, removing tax penalties on married families, and expanding maternity and paternity leave. We will reward those who are responsibly supporting their children by giving them a tax credit, crack down on men who avoid child support payments, and we will ensure that payments go directly to families instead of bureaucracies.”

“The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to affordable family planning services and comprehensive age-appropriate sex education which empowers people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions. The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs.”

Life Issues - Resources and Viewpoints

Ken from Frederick, MD — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:25:56 EDT

This is a thorough list of reference material on life / reproductive rights issues

(I will continue to update this list as new info is released so you may want to bookmark it)

http://theenlightenedpatriot.blogspot.com/2008/10/are-you-concerned-about-issue-of.html

Veterans' Issues - Resources, Records, and Opinions

Ken from Frederick, MD — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:24:12 EDT

A thorough list of reference material on vets’ issues

(I will continue to update this list as new info is released so you may want to bookmark it)

http://theenlightenedpatriot.blogspot.com/2008/10/veterans-issues-resources-records-and.html

John McCain Has Nothing To Run On But Fear Itself

Crunchy Middle — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:07:40 EDT

We were attacked in 2001 and the policies of John McCain and George Bush have made us less secure. We are less capable of clothing and feeding our nation. We give more money to dictators than ever before. We have cut money to our schools and the policies of cutting money from education have left all our children behind. Over three million factory jobs are gone and John McCain's response to the American people is that he values the contribution of American workers. John McCain wants to kill my daughter's future, kill my unborn son's future and he's coming for your kids next.

Since John McCain began his over a quarter of a century in DC government we have lost steel mills, textile mills, auto plants, ship yards, and Budweiser is no longer an American tradition. Industry upon industry has left one small town after another. Small shops have closed up and our neighbors have boarded up their homes. The tax code is structured to give big business and the wealthy loopholes which keep them from paying taxes so small businesses and ordinary people suffer. One small town after another has watched its sons and daughters leave. Cities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and all over America have watched the loses of manufacturing jobs get only worse since 2001. All of this has happened while the richest in this country have a concentration of wealth that rivals the nobles of pre-revolutionary France while McCain voted for less and less regulation.

Many of the companies that were built by strong hard working people in places like Scranton, Bethlehem, Detroit and Cleveland still live but those workers had to watch their jobs leave after they poured their lives and towns into companies that they trusted. Once upon a time a room full of executives with no American workers was called the unemployment office, now its called maximizing shareholder value. We are but the serfs left behind on the gutted landscape dotted with the profits of big business and big oil.

I have a college degree, my father was a military officer, his father was a military officer, his father was a laborer. Never forget where you came from. I was never ever allowed to forget the contributions of the American worker. A soldier is only as good as the person who makes his boots. An unfed soldier is a fallen soldier. John McCain has abandoned the social contract that just government is supposed to maintain with its people by leaving behind the many for the benefit of the few. The theory of the social contract was what inspired our founding fathers. It inspired Paine, Jefferson, and Washington. John McCain talks about fighting but he has never fought for the farmer or the factory worker. He will fight for the wars of the future but he has abandoned the land and peace that its solace gives to our people. It doesn't matter if an American is in a big city or in a small town, John McCain has abandoned all our children for victory.

John McCain conjures up the promise of being rich to people who are losing their homes, have no healthcare, bad schools, no good jobs to look forward to, and no savings to hold onto. John McCain has shouted about the scars that he has while ignoring the scars that he has left upon the American people. John McCain's campaign has ignored the suffering of our citizens, incited fear, and appealed to base, self-interested, greed as if it were a virtue. Barack Obama has challenged us to believe in ourselves, to believe in America once again. John McCain has no choice because everything that John McCain has championed over the last 8 years has lead us here. John McCain has no choice because John McCain has nothing to run on but fear itself.

Barack Afternoon Buzz-10-26-08

Barack Daily Buzz - Victory2008.net — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:09:55 EDT

Barack Afternoon Buzz-10-26-08
On to Victory on November 4th

(1) Prepared Text of Obama's Speech in Denver
Rocky Mountain News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/rockymountainnews/20081026/pl_rockymountainnews/preparedtextobamasspeechdenver_1229359080

(2) "New Subject"-Obama Ad Attacks McCain's Attacks
Ed O'Keefe-Washington Post-The Trail
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/26/obama_ad_attacks_mccains_attac.html?hpid=topnews

(3) Obama and McCain Fight to Win Western Swing States
Associated Press
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TjbfHFkAtk&eurl=http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=Barack+Obama&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=news_group&resnum=1&ctiurl=http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/-TjbfHFkAtk/hqdefault.jpg

(4) Obama Heads to Colorado
Maria Gavrilovic-CBS News-From The Road
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/10/26/politics/fromtheroad/entry4546123.shtml

(5) In the West, Obama Back on Trail-McCain Downplays Smaller Audiences
John McCormick and Jill Zuckman-Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-campaign_5soct26,0,2445504.story

(6) Obama and McCain Fight over Wild West
Agence France Presse-AFP
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5haCsYSB--NCuluHJK-sXOJrdD_gw

(7) Obama Woos Latinos and Attacks McCain on Immigration
Kim Chipman and Hans Nichols-Bloomberg
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20081026/pl_bloomberg/aw8_edqsxbg_1

(8) Obama Hopes to Win Big in Vegas
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7691994.stm

(9) Bill Clinton to Campaign with Obama in Florida on Wednesday
CNN Politics
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/25/campaign.wrap/

(10) Obama Opens Wide Lead in New Hampshire over McCain
Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5juburdSSdigTLtmCg6Ez87e67L_gD9428FG01

(11) Obama for President-Palin's Rise Captivates Us But Nation Needs a Steady Hand
Anchorage Daily News
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/567867.html

(12) Des Moines Register Endorses Obama
KCCI 8 News
http://www.kcci.com/news/17805043/detail.html?rss=des&psp=news

(13) Obama for President
Star Tribune-Editorial
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/33243864.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:UthPacyPE7iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

(14) Obama Says Pray for Jennifer Hudson
US Magazine-Celebrity News
http://www.usmagazine.com/news/barack-obama-please-pray-jennifer-hudson

(15) McCain Shrugs off Plunging Polls in White House Race
Agence France Presse-AFP
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gir6_0sXBpVRkbOja4QJ2KoV_3fw

(16) In Iowa, McCain Dismisses Sour Poll Numbers
Mike Glover-Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iE2JCSH5p9r2GBkQWS9TWAMzmuvQD94287280

(17) If McCain Loses, What Next for Conservatives?
Ed Stoddard-Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed2/idUSTRE49P1SE20081026

(18) GOP Party at War as Palin "Goes Rogue"
Geoff Elliott-The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24555047-2703,00.html

(19) Change We Need Rally with Obama in Canton, Ohio-10-27-08
Canton Memorial Civic Center-1101 Market Avenue North
Doors open at 10:30 AM-Event begins at 12:30 PM
Event is free and open to public-Tickets required
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/ohbocanton/

(20) Change We Need Rally with Obama in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-10-27-08
Mellon Arena-66 Mario Lemieux Place-Doors open at 3:00 PM
Event is free and open to public-Tickets not required-RSVP strongly encouraged
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/pittsburghBO

(21) Early Vote for Change Rally with Joe Biden in Greenville, North Carolina-10-27-08
East Carolina University-Mendenhall Student Center-Brickyard
Doors open at 9:00 AM-Event begins at 10:00 AM
Event is free and open to public-Tickets not required-RSVP strongly encouraged
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/ncjbgreenville

(22) Early Vote for Change Rally with Joe Biden in Greensboro, North Carolina-10-27-08
Price Bryan Performance Place-200 North Davie Street
Doors open at 1:00 PM-Event begins at 2:15 PM
Event is free and open to public-Tickets not required-RSVP strongly encouraged
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/ncjbgreensboro

(23) Early Vote for Change Rally with Joe Biden in New Port, Richey, Florida-10-27-08
Sims Park-Grand Boulevard and Bank Street-Gates open at 5:30 PM
Event is free and open to public-Tickets not required-RSVP strongly encouraged
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/newportricheyJB

(24) Change We Need Rally with Obama in Chester, Pennsylvania-10-28-08
Widener University-Main Quad-One University Place
Doors open at 8:00 AM-Event begins at 10:00 AM
Event is free and open to public-Tickets not required-RSVP strongly encouraged
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/pabochester

(25) Change We Need Rally with Obama in Harrison, Virginia-10-28-08
James Madison University-Convocation Center
Doors open at 3:15 PM-Event begins at 5:15 PM
Event is free and open to public-Tickets not required-RSVP strongly encouraged
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/harrisonburgBO

(26) Change We Need Rally with Obama in Norfolk, Virginia-10-28-08
Harbor Park-150 Park Avenue
Doors open at 7:00 PM-Event begins at 9:30 PM
Event is free and open to public-Tickets not required-RSVP strongly encouraged
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/norfolkbo

(27) Early Vote for Change Rally with Joe Biden in Ocala, Florida-10-28-08
Dancing Horses Farm-8711 West Highway 40
Gates open at 9:00 AM-Event begins at 11:00 AM
Event is free and open to public-Tickets not required-RSVP strongly encouraged-
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/ocalajb

(28) Early Vote for Change Rally with Joe Biden in Melbourne, Florida-10-28-08
Sims Park-Grand Boulevard and Bank Street-Gates open at 4:30 PM
Event is free and open to public-Tickets not required-RSVP strongly encouraged
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/melbournevote

(29) Early Vote for Change Rally with Michelle Obama in Las Vegas, Nevada-10-28-08
HIstoric Old Town Plaza-Plaza Street
Doors open at 11:00 AM-Event begins at 12:15 PM
Event is free and open to public-Tickets not required-RSVP strongly encouraged-
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/lvNM

(30) Early Vote for Change Rally with Hillary Clinton in Manchester, New Hampshire-10-28-08
Southern New Hampshire University-Athletics & Recreation Complex-Field House
Doors open at 2:00 PM-Event begins at 2:45 PM
Event is free and open to public-Tickets not required-RSVP strongly encouraged
No bags, signs or banners permitted for security reasons

Music for Victory Night!

John from WillObamaWin.com — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:19:48 EDT

Hi, Friends,

I would love you to pass this on for me...

WillObamaWin.com has existed since way back in the Spring! The only site on the whole Worldwide Web where there are FIVE songs for Barack Obama, all written & composed by myself, (artist name) John Lord.

Look at these great titles:-

Change We Can Believe In.
This Is Our Moment.
Will Obama Win?
ObamaRamaLamaLammaLoo. (!!!)
Hey, Yes We Can! (Radio Mix).
Hey, Yes We Can! (Barack Mix).

Go to http://willobamawin.com/getmp3s.htm and you can download the MP3s or even the audio files to make your own CD for Victory Night! Don't forget - just imagine playing my song "This Is Our Moment" as the winning votes come in. WOW!

This is exclusive, the only site to let you make your own audio CDs so easily. Nothing in it for me, simply saving America with Barack.

And I'm not even American...

P.S. If you're having a watch party for Barack's half-hour TV show on Wednesday (CBS and NBC, 8.00 pm Eastern), you'll need Obama music! You'll *love* these songs, and they're FREE...

Campaigning on the ground in Charlotte

Patrick Frank — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 05:57:50 EDT

The energy level here is amazing. Canvassing, everyone for Obama but one, but even she was friendly and polite. I have the feeling that NC is going blue. I have met some great people here already. The lady I canvased with and I stopped by an art fair at an African-Amercan church and also campaigned for Obama there. The creativity on display was awesome. I see a burst of creativity in the country. I think that creativity has been stirred by Barack.

Creativity has been stirred, hope has been stirred. A sense of responsible engagement has been promoted.

Win or lose (I am confident we will will win), I perceive American culture being transformed by this campaign. That is why it is often said that Obama is a "transformational figure."

A great movement for positive change is unfolding. The following two quotes convey the spirit of this movement...

"Act as if everything you do matters." William James

"It is always the right time to do what is right." MLK

We intend to surmount racial and cultural barriers.

We intend to push back against extreme right-wing politics.

We intend to remain engaged, after November 4th.

Patrick Frank

Grassroots obama

(843) 372-8851

patrickgfrank@yahoo.com

SOME OBSERVATIONS TEN DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION

Jeremiah — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 13:27:42 EDT

SMOKIN JOE BIDEN IN CHARLESTON

The smoking gloves in Charleston Friday weren't that of Joe Frazier but Barack Obama's formidable running mate, Joe Biden. In the campaign's first major appearance in West Virginia since the primary, Senator Biden spoke to a crowd of around 2,000 enthusiastic supporters.

I took some annual leave from work to volunteer for the campaign, and I am glad I did. It was a great event. I showed up at around 6 am and was put to work immediately. I didn't have the most glamorous tasks- picking up food for Senator Biden out at Famous Daves; collecting volunteer sheets from the crowd and directing them through the Secret Service metal detectors; and folding up chairs, tables and crowd barriers at the end. I did, however, have a really good time. I was able to witness the organized chaos that is a major campaign event. I left around 4 pm after a long day's work.

In terms of the event itself, it was excellent. The speakers did a great job warming up the crowd. The best moment of the day took place when Senator Byrd spoke to the crowd and told everyone that Biden was an honorary West Virginian via his upbringing in the coal and steel town of Scranton, PA. Byrd also lauded the skills of Senator Obama. Byrd's support of Obama brings his career full circle and represents, in my mind, the passing of the torch from the old Democratic Party to the new Democratic Party, which respects the ways of the past while moving the country into a progressive future.

Senator Biden's speech was the type of firebrand stump that is one of his best attributes. Biden is the type of guy that people can relate to. Biden's background is similar to many West Virginians and he is one of the Senate's only non millionaires. This comes through when he is talking as he seems genuine in what he says. There were a lot of union folks in the crowd and Biden's was the type of speech that really fires up the unions. Biden's oratory skills are a mix of union leader, statesman and factory worker. Biden can get emotional when he talks about the issues facing average folks and he can build toward peaks in his speeches in a way that gets the blood boiling. He did a great job and I am more than happy that Senator Obama chose him as his running mate.

OBAMA HAS NOT WON YET

*Breaking news! Senator Obama has not been elected yet! I realize Obama's lead in the polls look insurmountable but Obama supporters cannot get complacent in the final days of this long journey. If this election is close it gives Republican operatives an opportunity to steal it and they will. If you don't believe me just look at Cuyahoga County, Ohio in 2004 and the shenanigans in Florida in 2000. Let's finish strong and take our country back!

THE HOAX THAT BROKE THE ELEPHANT'S BACK

*Many conservative news organizations reported earlier this week that a lady in Pittsburgh had been attacked by a large BLACK man for having a McCain sticker on her bumper. Photos of the woman showed a large backward B carved into her face, which was supposed to signify Barack Obama. Police have now declared the attack a hoax and the woman that portrayed it is likely to be charged with giving false statements to authorities.

It is shameful the way that conservative news outlets like Drudge and Fox News picked up the story as they emphasized the man's race and called it political mutilation. The underlining current on this story was that a white woman was attacked by a black man supporting Obama, which many feel would have slight political implications for southwester PA. For everyone's sake, thankfully this was all made up. It is embarrassing though as a Fox News VP stated that this hoax might have just sealed the deal for a McCain loss in PA. Even if some lunatic had committed this crime why would it in any way be used politically against Obama? We all know why and it is a four letter word that many desperate conservatives are willing to use against Obama to win this election- RACE. There is simply no place for that kind of politicking in the United States. Here is a link about the story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/24/rick-sanchez-calls-out-me_n_137679.html.

THE PALIN WAR WITHIN

The McCain campaign is beginning to fold under the pressure of recent polls that have them down nationally by huge margins. One camp within the campaign places most of the blame for their current predicament on the choice of Sarah Palin as VP. They cite her inexperience, naivety and poor performances in national interviews and the debate as major factors that have driven folks to Obama.

The other camp represents strong Palin supporters who feel the VP candidate is becoming the scapegoat of a poorly organized campaign. This contingent also feels that Palin was horribly managed by her handlers and that her image nationally has suffered greatly because of it.

Alas, there is a third camp and this one probably represents the few realists at McCain HQ. These folks think that Palin was highly unqualified and ill prepared for the national stage and that her weaknesses were emphasized by her handlers. Here is a link with more about the infighting:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14929.html

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY 2012

The question remains whether or not Sarah Palin has a political future in the GOP if the McCain-Palin ticket is molly whopped on election day. It is my prediction that many in the GOP base will blame McCain for holding down Palin and not vice versa. Remember, most of these folks are only lukewarm on McCain anyway so throwing him under the bus will not be a problem. That being said, I think Palin is the favorite for the 2012 Republican nomination. Her two main competitors will be the almost as folksy but slightly more substantive Huckabee and the always well financed Romney. I also imagine some foreign policy figure will rise to the occasion to vie for the military and neo-con vote. It will be another interesting primary season and hopefully divisive as hell for the GOP.

We continue to work hard: The Evidence in pictures

Dave — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:34:53 EDT

We must pray for Obama so that he wins this US Election. God bless his campaign.

I just voted for Barack!!

Debbie — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:04:51 EDT

I voted early today in West Virginia. It was a touch screen and I know that there have been reports of switching of votes. I did not have any problems and neither did my husband. No vote switching and there is a paper trail inside the machine so you can view the vote you just made.

I felt such pride in voting for Barack today and I can barely imagine the thrill it will be to see him when he is inagurated on 1/21/08.

BTW, while I was voting the woman at the voting site was asked how the early voting was going and she told this man that as of today there were 638 early voters, which is the total of all voters in the primary election. I live in a small county in WV so this is very good news, I hope, for Barack.

Our Hearts Go Out to Barack

Bill in HI — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 03:55:14 EDT

Our prayers go out for your grandmother.

Project Implicit

Bill in HI — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:28:02 EDT

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research/sepom.htm
This is a summary of your performance on the IAT for this session. Below is a brief report on IAT results for Democrats and Republicans from the last session.

My results were:
Your data suggest little to no automatic preference between John McCain and Barack Obama.
Does that mean I have been unbiasedly FOR Barack for 2 years?

Get Out the VOTE!

Real America--Grab a Tissue

akmk — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:01:58 EDT

This just came around from down south.

"I Didn't Vote For Obama" by kentuckyscott
Monday, October 20, 2008

"I'm a middle-class white guy living in Jacksonville, Florida. I've got a wife and two kids. Because the kids had no school today, I took a vacation day from work, and took the kids downtown to vote early. Fifty-nine minutes later, two smiling children and I proudly sported "I Voted" stickers. But I didn't vote for Obama.

I voted for my ancestors, who believed in the promise of this country and came with with nothing as immigrants. I voted for my parents, who taught in the public schools for decades. I voted for Steve, an acquaintance of mine from Kentucky . (Killed by an IED two years ago in Iraq ). I voted for Shawn, another who's been to Iraq twice, and Afghanistan once, and who'll be going back to Afghanistan again soon -- and whose family earned eleven bucks a month too much to qualify for food stamps when the war started. I voted for April, the only African-American girl in my high school -- it was years before it occurred to me how different her experience of our school must have been. I voted for my college friends who are Christian, Jewish, Mormon, and yes -- Muslim. I voted for my grandfathers, who worked hard in factories and died too young. I voted for the plumber who worked on my house, because I want him to get a REAL tax break. I voted for four little angels from Birmingham. I voted for a bunch of dead white men who, although personally flawed, were willing to pledge their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, and used a time of great crisis to expand freedom rather than suspend it. I voted for all those people and more, and I voted for all of you, too.

But mostly, I voted selfishly: I voted for two little kids, one who has ballet in an hour, and one who has baseball practice at the same time. I voted for a world where they can be confident that their government will represent the best that is in this country, and that will in turn demand the best of them. I voted for a government that will be respected in the world. I voted for an economy that will reward work above guile. I voted for everything I believe in. Sure, I filled in the circle next to the name Obama, but it wasn't him I was voting for -- it was every single one of us, and those I love most of all."

Larry David on Waiting for the Election

Jeremiah — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:11:22 EDT

I am not one of these trampoline bloggers that simply bounce what others have written out into the webosphere. However, I feel compelled to repost Larry David’s relatable commentary about the upcoming election. Laughter is the best form of therapy and we could all use a good session given the nastiness and emotion of this election. I hope you all enjoy.

Waiting for November 4th

I can't take much more of this. Two weeks to go, and I'm at the end of my rope. I can't work. I can eat, but mostly standing up. I'm anxious all the time and taking it out on my ex-wife, which, ironically, I'm finding enjoyable. This is like waiting for the results of a biopsy. Actually, it's worse. Biopsies only take a few days, maybe a week at the most, and if the biopsy comes back positive, there's still a potential cure. With this, there's no cure. The result is final. Like death.

Five times a day I'll still say to someone, "I don't know what I'm going to do if McCain wins." Of course, the reality is I'm probably not going to do anything. What can I do? I'm not going to kill myself. If I didn't kill myself when I became impotent for two months in 1979, I'm certainly not going to do it if McCain and Palin are elected, even if it's by nefarious means. If Obama loses, it would be easier to live with it if it's due to racism rather than if it's stolen. If it's racism, I can say, "Okay, we lost, but at least it's a democracy. Sure, it's a democracy inhabited by a majority of disgusting, reprehensible turds, but at least it's a democracy." If he loses because it's stolen, that will be much worse. Call me crazy, but I'd rather live in a democratic racist country than a non-democratic non-racist one. (It's not exactly a Hobson's choice, but it's close, and I think Hobson would compliment me on how close I've actually come to giving him no choice. He'd love that!)

The one concession I've made to maintain some form of sanity is that I've taken to censoring my news, just like the old Soviet Union. The citizenry (me) only gets to read and listen to what I deem appropriate for its health and well-being. Sure, there are times when the system breaks down. Michele Bachmann got through my radar this week, right before bedtime. That's not supposed to happen. That was a lapse in security, and I've had to make some adjustments. The debates were particularly challenging for me to monitor. First I tried running in and out of the room so I would only hear my guy. This worked until I knocked over a tray of hors d'oeuvres. "Sit down or get out!" my host demanded. "Okay," I said, and took a seat, but I was more fidgety than a ten-year-old at temple. I just couldn't watch without saying anything, and my running commentary, which mostly consisted of "Shut up, you prick!" or "You're a fucking liar!!!" or "Go to hell, you cocksucker!" was way too distracting for the attendees, and finally I was asked to leave.

Assuming November 4th ever comes, my big decision won't be where I'll be watching the returns, but if I'll be watching. I believe I have big jinx potential and may have actually cost the Dems the last two elections. I know I've jinxed sporting events. When my teams are losing and I want them to make a comeback, all I have to do is leave the room. Works every time. So if I do watch, I'll do it alone. I can't subject other people to me in my current condition. I just don't like what I've turned into -- and frankly I wasn't that crazy about me even before the turn. This election is having the same effect on me as marijuana. All of my worst qualities have been exacerbated. I'm paranoid, obsessive, nervous, and totally mental. It's one long, intense, bad trip. I need to come down. Soon.

Palin Cuts Wastefull Spending!

Bill in HI — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:00:51 EDT

Oh Really? Where can I sign up?

Hold On - With Obama you'll never walk alone!!

Unknown user — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:27:15 EDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tj9MRLFFkw

An inspirational video with music and photos dedicated to Obama, his supporters and volunteers. Dedicated to a great man who inspires fairness for all and who will bring unity not only to the citizens of the U.S. but to all nations across this world who believe in freedom, equal rights and decency. Insults and lies are being thrown around...they say Obama is a socialist....if he is one then what should we say about the Republicans and McCain?....what would you call a government that actually goes out of it's way to suppress citizens from voting and who's policies create a two class nation - rich or poor....you know what that is called?....Dictatorship or Communism - look it up and you will see I am right.....but it's time to stop attacking each other, I have strong ties with the U.S. even though I'm Canadian and living in a province (Quebec)...we have had a separatist government in power a few times and on 2 occasions held referendums which terribly divided us and took years to repair....the ugliness which took place during the last referendum was very hurtful...deep down I think in some people the hurt in some way will always remain.....I plead to all Americans to put an end to all the ugliness and to unify as one great nation who will be the model that all democratic nations across the world will look at and strive to follow it's example. The world looks to the U.S. for strength and guidance into the future....the challenges we all face in the 21st century. "That One" man I believe with all my heart and soul is Barack Obama who my family in Ohio and North Carolina support 110%!!! This is not to say that McCain is a bad person, I respect him and honor him for his sacrifice for freedom, his will to fight to the bitter end...it is a trait to admire.....but having said that I believe that our youth will guide us into the 21st century and Barack Obama inspires so many people...not only in America but across the world...his vision for the 21st century is exactly what America needs....what the world needs!!!!!

Thank-you,
Nico from Montreal.

McCain-Palin: A Risk America CANNOT Afford To Take

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:30:14 EDT

Fired UP!!

Feeling Sorry For McCain?

Kentucky Woman — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:59:56 EDT

Some of you are ready for a change but feel sorry for the war hero McCain, don't. He has 13 cars, 7+ house, healthcare, a job as a U.S. Senator and two Pageant girls ( Cindy and Sarah ).

What you should feel sorry for is your wallet, your recent layoff, your crappy mortgage/foreclosure, your reposed car/high car payments, your high interest credit cards, your lack of healthcare and your spouse in the same Target Clothes that they bought on sale last year. Let's face it, you would like to feed you family healthy organic food, but healthy food is to expensive. Feel sorry about that and vote today. Vote Obama and improve your wallet.

Woman quits job at call center over script

WV Obama Mama will be at the Capitol in D.C. for the Inauguration!!! — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:24:36 EDT

WESTON, W.Va. -- Chaylee Cole, a student at Fairmont State University, lost her part-time job in Weston last Friday after refusing to make telephone calls attacking Barack Obama.

McCain-Palin 2008 and the Republican National Committee were paying for the calls, according to a "work paper" handed to Cole and her co-workers at the Weston offices of 1.2.1 Direct Response, a company based in Philadelphia.

"I was working at the call center," Cole said. "We got a campaign ad talking about how Obama had been part of terrorist attacks on the Capitol, the Pentagon and a judge's home and had ties with Bill Ayers.

"Last Thursday, I told them I did not want to read it," Cole said. "They said, 'Either you read it or you go home.'

"I told them I wasn't going to read it. They made me go home without pay for the rest of the day."

The "work paper" told callers to say:

"Hello, I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers [airs], whose organization bombed the US Capitol, the Pentagon, a judge's home, and killed Americans.

"And Democrats will enact an extreme leftist agenda if they take control of Washington. Barack Obama and his Democrat allies lack the judgment to lead our country.

"This call was paid for by McCain-Palin 2008 and the Republican National Committee."

Cole said, "We were just supposed to read that message and hang up. One of my other issues working there was that someone told me it didn't matter who picked up the phone, whether it was a 5-year-old or a 95-year-old. We should read the message."

Cole, who started working at the center a few months earlier, returned to work on Friday.

"I talked to one of our 'coaches,' which is what our supervisors were called. I said I was unhappy with the situation and I quit," she said Tuesday.

Asked about the claims about Ayers and the "extreme leftist agenda," no one from the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C., returned telephone calls on Tuesday. Neither did Gail Gitcho, regional spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign, based in Alexandria, Va.

Russell Andrews, a spokesman for 1.2.1 Direct Response, did not return several telephone calls made to his Philadelphia office on Tuesday.

1.2.1 Direct Response helps private companies and other organizations with fundraising, media coverage, advertising, marketing and publicity, according to its Web site.

That Web site reports that the company employs more than 550 people to make telephone calls, including 220 in Weston, 210 in Parkersburg, 170 in Media, Pa., and 150 in Philadelphia.

The McCain-Palin campaign has repeatedly tried to tie Ayers, now a professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago, to Obama. When Ayers was associated with Weather Underground, Obama was 8 years old.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton released a statement about Obama and Ayers reported by The Washington Post on Feb. 19.

"Sen. Obama strongly condemns the violent actions of the Weathermen group, as he does all acts of violence. But he was an 8-year-old child when Ayers and the Weathermen were active, and any attempt to connect Obama with events of almost 40 years ago is ridiculous," Burton said.

Numerous other publications - including The New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, The New Yorker and Time magazine - have also noted that Obama and Ayers never had a close relationship.

Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 348-5164.

When I Think of Real America

Crunchy Middle — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:36:41 EDT

Sarah Palin spoke to America today. She spoke of "real America." Representative Hayes spoke today, he spoke of how, "liberals hate real Americans." Words matter. All too often words are the only means in which we may enshrine our hallowed dead. All too often words are the catalysts of action. Words unite nations and divide them. Words contain hate, love, faith, and encapsulate our will.

On September 11th my wife was supposed to be working in the Capitol. She hoped online after the first plane hit the World Trade Center and messaged me, "Is this real?" Real America is evident to me. My wife is here because of the sacrifice of men and women from all parts of America. My daughter is here because of the sacrifice of those from red and blue states. The next time a Republican talks about "real America" I want them to pause and think about the field in rural southwest Pennsylvania where United Airlines Flight 93 came to rest. I want them to think of the son of Oakland California. I want them to think of the son of San Francisco. I want them to think of the son of New Jersey and the son of Greenwich Connecticut and the daughter of Hawaii along with so many others. I want them to think of them coming to rest in that field in Pennsylvania and I want all of America to not call into question the patriotism of their sacrifice by diminishing the sacrifice of those who have died for our country by speaking contemptuously of the streets that they will never walk again.

Words are all I have to offer to the fallen. I am not so arrogant to pretend to know the political affiliations of the dead based on where they lived and thus I have excluded their names out of respect. When it comes to the sacrifices of fallen Americans, from all over America, I honor the lives of those who have given so much to me. I am humbled by them. I honor them everyday when I kiss my wife, every night when I tuck in my daughter and pray for my unborn son. We are Americans, our nation was born of defiance. I defy those who offer naught but cruelty in their contemptuous denegration of so many of the people that both liberals and conservatives have died for. We are real Americans, deserving of recognition for our contributions, if you have any doubts then you have cast aside the bonds of liberty for the shackles of hate.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/22/0429/8575/352/638318

Stable and prosperous china

Dr. Barry Mishra — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:16:29 EDT

Treasury Secretary Paulson said

"A stable prosperous and peaceful China is in the best interest of the Chinese people, the American people and the rest of the world,"

I wonder if he is interested in a stable and prosperous USA.

Wrong heraded trade policies and letting china suck away all the jobs from US by undervaluing the Yuans has created an unsatable America (no middle class left) at home as is evident from thiscrisis.

I suggest that our first priority should eb stabel and prosperous USA not China.

Obama & Warner Together Tomorrow In Richmond & Leesburg

Shawn O'Donnell — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:31:46 EDT

Obama & Warner Together Tomorrow In Richmond & Leesburg

Why Obama, a Teaching Tool for Obama

Jill 4 Obama — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:23:35 EDT

Here is a great Obama tool to pass on to others.

Try using this "To the Point" video on You Tube for a simple Obama teaching tool:

Why Obama:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydiaaThq2LE

http://whyobamafilm.org/sources.html

Show 1 Reader Comment

Is Canada a Socialist country???

Unknown user — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:53:36 EDT

Hi, I'm Canadian and would like to know if anyone out there when they hear Canada mentioned think we are a socialist country? I have never in the past heard Canada as being socialist......we are one of the most democratic countries in the world yet over the past week or so we have been insulted by the McCain/Palin campaign for our healthcare and medi-care programs......as though we are socialists.....it is of extreme concern to us that a lot of U.S. citizens view us(a truely democratic country) in this fashion. It is fair for a government to provide healthcare and medi-care to each and every single citizen.....regardless of color, religion......regardless of income you make.......it's a right that everyone should have. Our banks are government owned and thus whatever money anyone has in the bank is protected. Anti-american sentiment is growing at an alarming pace here and the government you've had in place for the past 8 years is mostly to blame. The McCain/Palin campaign is the most disgusting, insulting campaign we've seen in recent memory. The country which calls itself the model of democracy is the model of hypocrites.......not only is the McCain/Palin ticket dividing the U.S.....it is with it's actions stirring up hatred, racism, division.........it is also dishing out lies at an alarming pace....it is not condeming threats of violence which have taken place at their rallies and today we here of a dead bear cub in North Carolina with Obama signs drapped over it........tell me.....is this the United States of America?......is this acceptable to you?.....do you want the world to view you in this way?.......do you expect democratic nations across the world to respect and embrace the United States of America?.........the country of racism and division?...the country which insults whatever is not american?......the country which treats other democracies as socialists just because we differ on the rights people should have as far as healthcare and medi-care is concerned? Does the Unites States of America expect Canada to continue sacrificing it's solders in Afganistan for the war on terrorism when we are insulted and ridiculed?......Is this the way your allies should be treated?.....Do you expect support across the world when all we see is the most evil of evils taking place within your country?....CNN is broadcasting to all corners of this world and what we are seeing makes us want to throw-up......after reading all this you should now know why Obama is my candidate for President.........actually out of 8 democratic countries which CNN polled concerning who they would vote for President, Obama won by a landslide in "ALL" eight countries!!!.......I sure hope you can pass this along...for your own sake and remind people of one thing when they enter that voting booth.....picture waking up one morning within the next 4 years and hearing that Sarah Palin is now your President?.....then picture waking up and hearing Joe Biden is now your President.......once these two scenarios are carefully taken into consideration cast your vote.

We love Obama!!!

God Bless you all.

Email to USA Today

Patrick Frank — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:51:37 EDT

The Republicans and some in the media drawing a negative inference from Biden's remark that Obama will be tested by a crisis in the first six months in office, like JFK, is another example of the distorted message being delivered by those on the right, along with the superficial analysis of far too many pundits and broadcast journalists.

I notice that the concluding point Biden made is ignored..."and it will be clear that Barack Obama has a spine of steel, as he responds to such crises." (paraphrasing)

Biden's prediction of an early crisis is probably accurate, and his assessment of Obama's readiness to respond--the strength of character he will bring to the Oval Office--is immensely reassuring, and accurate as well.

Patrick Frank
Grassroots Obama volunteer
Box 1283
Kingstree, SC 29556
(843) 372-8851
patrickgfrank@yahoo.com

Colin Powell Just ENDORSED Barack OBAMA... YES WE CAN!!!!!

Unknown user — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:19:44 EDT

Obama Family,
Colin Powell endorses Obamahttp://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/19/colin.powell/index.html
(CNN) -- Former Secretary of State Colin Powell announced Sunday that he will be voting for Sen. Barack Obama, citing the Democrat's "ability to inspire" and the "inclusive nature of his campaign." "He has both style and substance. I think he is a transformational figure," Powell said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "Obama displayed a steadiness. Showed intellectual vigor. He has a definitive way of doing business that will do us well," Powell said. Powell, a retired U.S. general and a Republican, was once seen as a possible presidential candidate himself.
Powell said he questioned Sen. John McCain's judgment in picking Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate because he doesn't think she is ready to be president. He also said he was disappointed with som e of McCain's campaign tactics, such as bringing up Obama's ties to former 1960s radical Bill Ayers. Powell served as secretary of state under President Bush from 2001 to 2005. The notion of a Powell endorsement has been rumored for several months. On August 13, Powell's office denied a report on Fox by commentator Bill Kristol that Powell had decided to publicly back Obama at the Democratic National Convention. Several sources said at the time that Powell had not made a decision about a possible endorsement.
"As always, he is holding his cards close and waiting for more information," one adviser told CNN's John King in August. Powell himself brushed off queries on any potential presidential nod but told ABC News on August 13 that he would not be going to Denver, Colorado, for the convention.

"I do not have time to waste on Bill Kristol's musings," he said. "I am not going to the convention. I have made this clear." In Febr uary, Powell told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he was weighing an endorsement of a Democratic or independent candidate. "I am keeping my options open at the moment," Powell said. "I have voted for members of both parties in the course of my adult life. And as I said earlier, I will vote for the candidate I think can do the best job for America, whether that candidate is a Republican, a Democrat or an independent," he added.
Powell has offered praise for Obama, calling him an "exciting person on the political stage." "He has energized a lot of people in America," said Powell, who briefly weighed his own run for the White House in the mid-1990s. "He has energized a lot of people around the world. And so I think he is worth listening to and seeing what he stands for." Powell's adviser has said that "he likes and admires John McCain, and that would be a factor in anything he does if he decides to get more involved." Another source close to Powell said he has known the Republican nominee for more than three decades "and likes him and is looking for a reason to vote for him. He hasn't found it yet." The former general, who has largely steered clear of politics since leaving the Bush administration, noted that the next president will need to work to restore America's standing in the world. Powell gave the keynote address at the Republican National Convention in support of George W. Bush in 2000. "I will ultimately vote for the person I believe brings to the American people the kind of vision the American people want to see for the next four years," he said. "A vision that reaches out to the rest of the world, that starts to restore confidence in America, that starts to restore favorable ratings to America. Frankly, we've lost a lot in recent years." Powell's adviser also said at the time that the vice presidential picks for both candidates would be a major factor in his decision, both for the quality of each man's running mate and for what sort of "signal that choice sends about the character and judgment of the candidate." He also said that a Powell decision to back Obama would not be a surprise.

RSVP "YES WE DID" CELEBRATION 11.04.08 below at:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gs79r7

Thank you for your support,

Preston L. Harden,
Georgia's 7th Congressional
District Delegate
GO OBAMA!!!!! 2008
(404) 376-6833

THE LAST BASTION OF DECEIT: SENATOR OBAMA IS BIBLICALLY CORRECT ON ABORTION.

b. l. conway — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 10:57:52 EDT

Friends: The Republicans are down to their Last Bastion of Deceit: The Abortion Issue. The rest have been artfully exposed: I.E. That their tax breaks are only for the wealthiest amongst us and they would raise taxes on the middle class; or that the Democrats want us Hill Jack’s and Red Neck’s Guns.

The Republicans are deceitfully wrong on Abortion.

You see our Lord, as he proved when he came to earth, is not about evil and hate, but rather Grace.

Our Lord is not about accusation and anger, but rather love and understanding, as i prove in the OP.ED. below.

This Last Bastion of Deceit must also be refuted if We are to obtain the landslide We The People so richly deserve in 2008.

Attached is the piece in Word. Please print it and share it.

Please send it to your local editors and urge them to publish it.

Please have your workers pass it out during their canvassing.

This is not the time to rest. TX bl

SENATOR OBAMA IS BIBLICALLY CORRECT ON THE ISSUE OF ABORTION.

My name is B.L. Conway. I am a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Kentucky and a 1986 Graduate of its’ terrific Law School. I reside in tiny Abingdon Virginia where I enjoy the practice of law. I am a history buff and a Christian that was trained in a Purpose Driven Church (The fastest growing Christian Movement in the World given to us without strings by the wonderful Pastor Rick Warren). My purpose is to serve others gladly freely by providing the truth in light, which is all I am trying to accomplish here.

The Conservative Right label and accuse Senator Obama and the Democrats of murder for being pro abortion. This is simply not true. Mr. Obama has said plainly that he is not for abortion and he will work to see that it is limited and that women fully understand that there are better choices. This is the Biblically Correct approach.

Jesus taught against strict enforcement of religious law because we humans are not capable of being perfect. We see this portrayed constantly in the gospels during Jesus’ conflict with the religious leaders. For example, the Pharisee accused Jesus of sin for healing on the Sabbath and he rebuked them. John 5:1. They also accused Jesus disciples of sin for gathering grain on the Sabbath and Jesus rebuked them. Matthew 12:2. Jesus said of these hypocrites in Matthew 23:3 and 4 that we should not follow their works for they say and do not perform and they lay heavy burdens to grievous to be born by men, yet they do not abide by them.

This is a central problem for the so called “Conservatives” of today that have sold the public this litmus test of Abortion. They command others to a standard that they are unwilling and unable to perform personally. We cannot legislate morality. As Pastor Rick Warren teaches, this occurs from the inside out with the help of our Savior.

Now let me discuss, Jesus’ position on Abortion. It is Sin and it is Murder. I do not know why the Democrats dance around the issue. There is no question about it and Jesus condemned it and any other harm to a child. However, it is not the job of those on the Right to judge their sisters, nor do we need big brother in the bedroom, be it in the hospital or otherwise. They do not know their sisters circumstances or how she came to that terrible decision to sin.

But rest assured that JESUS CAN, WILL AND HAS FORGIVEN HER. Jesus forgave many “harlots” in the bible.

Please look at what that means. Prostitution was rampant in ancient Rome and its’ territories as has been shown by archeology. Contraception was non existent. This means the harlot were bearing children. They have found mass graves of infants below the Roman Brothels throughout their Empire. See E.G. Determining the Sex of Infanticide Victims from the Late Roman Era through Ancient DNA Analysis, Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 25, Issue 9, September 1998, Pages 861-865.

This is called infanticide. It was more heinous than abortion as THE CHILDREN WERE FULLY BORN!

Now consider that and read John 8:1-11. This was a trap sewn by the Religious leaders. They lead the harlot, caught in the act, before the people with Jesus preparing to teach them in the Temple. They cited the requirement of the Law from Lev. 20:10 and Deut 22:22 (death by stoning) and asked our Savior what to do, to try and trap him.

Jesus did not blink or avoid the issue. He knelt down to the ground and began to write in the book of life and said let he that has not sinned cast the first stone. Well, that scattered the hypocrites.!!!!!!!!!!! Jesus then stood up and said “Woman where are they? Has no one condemned you? No one sir, she said. Then neither do I condemn you; Go now and leave your life of sin”.

Oh!!!!!!!!!!! What a wonderful blessing our Lord gave this woman. His grace knows no bounds!

There were many of these “harlots” that followed, supported and cared for Jesus. Mary Magdalene for example, was deranged and possessed by demons. Luke 8:1-3. These women anointed Jesus feet, cared and fed him. Luke 7:36- 50 and see John 12:1-8 and Mark 14:3-9. Jesus cured them and forgave them their many sins which no doubt included infanticide.

These Women loved Jesus and stood right with him during the crucifixion. Jesus told the religious leaders: "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots shall enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.” (Matthew 21:31b, 32)

Friends, I pray you know that sin is despicable in God’s view. Secondly, Abortion is clearly a sin, but there are not levels of sin. The Bible teaches that we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of god. None of us would have a prayer for eternity, but for the awesome sacrifice of Jesus who paid with his blood our terrible just punishment.

However Friends, please also see that we are not to judge our sisters that commit this heinous act of Abortion. We cannot legislate morality. We need to teach it by getting our kids in good church and by expanding the Kingdom.

I do not think and I pray that no one commits the sin of Abortion frivolously. I also pray that they see their error and repent.

We however, do not need Government in this decision making process. This is to say that we should not condemn our sisters or cast the first stone. We are not without Sin.

Lastly, this is not the role of Government. As a citizen we enjoy a right of privacy and a refuge from the tyranny of the masses in personal decisions of this nature that our ancestors fought and died for. Let Our Wonderful Lord and Savior deal with us Sinners. He does a better job than our fallible human Courts.

What if McCain Ran on his record - Part Two - Florida

Crunchy Middle — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:55:04 EDT

It's great to be here in Miami. Florida is a must-win state on November 4th, and with your help, we're going to win Florida, and bring change to Washington, DC. We had a good debate this week. You may have noticed that Barack Obama stuck mainly to the issues and answered the questions directly. The issues don't look very good for me, a nobel prize winning economist basically said that if people listen to me the economy would go down the crapper and the economists who backed me early on have all but said that my mortgage plan would be a big taxpayer handout to the private lenders that got us into this crisis so I'm going to talk about Joe.

Now I know that Senator Obama and his campaign haven't attacked Joe, who I honestly can't call a plumber anymore, but I'm not going to let that stop me. The fact of the matter is that it is highly annoying to me that the the press keeps questioning the credibility of anyone that I try to use to boost my campaign and use to ignore the facts. How dare they vet these people after I didn't vet them! How dare they!

The question Joe asked about our economy is important, because if I can distract you then you might notice that Senator Obama is going to give the middle-class a break on taxes and his economic plan will make it easier for small business to compete against larger businesses. People we can't let that happen. I don't want to close the loopholes that make it easier for big firms to crush small family owned businesses. After years of handouts to mega corporations I want to level the playing field so that the only thing your kids will own is a pink slip on the American dream.

Senator Obama says that he wanted to spread your wealth around. Now I know that he's not talking about your money but I'm going to say that he is. The fact of the matter is that most of you poor people have no money. I mean you have to have decent paying jobs to have money right? I know that Senator Obama didn't and doesn't want to make your lives harder and that his plans will make it easier for small businesses to compete.

I know that I'm just like George Bush and so do your neighbors, but I'm going to talk straight to you. I don't care about them. I know my history lessons and I know that Herbert Hoover, just like George Bush, thought that a technological solution existed to solve all the social and economic policies. I know that he relied on volunteers to make things better and took a hands off approach. Guess what me too. I'm talking about getting the tax rates on the wealthy right where they were before the great depression and not doing much of anything. Then, right when we start to go into another great depression, I'll promise you now that, unlike Hoover, I won't change course when things get really bad and try to fix things at the last minute. If I'm elected I'll leave it for Democrat to clean up after me. Just like Hoover.

I know that many of the founding fathers viewed inherited wealth as a threat to our democracy. I know that Adam Smith said that regulation that favors the workers is usually just. I know that Teddy Roosevelt was distrustful of of wealthy businessmen and fought for regulation of industry. I know we have a concentration of wealth in the hands of just the few that rivals france just before the revolution but the good news, my friends, is that here cake is cheap. I know that in the great depression the wealthy stepped up and accepted a marginal tax rate of 90% and that most of them thought it was necessary. I know that after General Butler blew the whistle on the attempt of the most powerful to turn us into a dictatorship (the business plot) that the rest went along with it too.

America didn't become the greatest nation on earth by redistributing wealth; we became the greatest nation by consolidating the wealth in the hands of just a few. We don't have to listen to people like Thomas Jefferson who said "I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government in a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country." I mean calling rich people who hand money down from one generation to the next and rule over the ignorant peasants aristocrats? That's just crazy talk.

We can't ask the wealthiest citizens to give more money to help pay for these wars or help us out of this mess? Constantine tried that and the wealthiest Byzantines refused because as good Christians they knew that wasn't right. They might have regretted it when they were sold into slavery and their nation ceased to exist but that's not the point. The point is, my friends, that this time around the wealthy don't have to worry about that. This time we will be able to leave you behind and fly away just like your jobs.

I'll stop illegal immigration to this country by making sure their are no good paying jobs to cross the borders for. I'll solve the healthcare crisis by giving sick, dying, old and poor people, which will be all of you after I'm done, not enough money to pay for healthcare and no where to turn to if the big insurance companies screw them over. If enough of those people die then we won't have high unemployment in this country any more and the percentage of Americans with good coverage will go up because all those lazy poor people will be dead.

I'll freeze government spending and put even more people out of work because the only way to get away with this is to get you all even more desperate and fighting each other. Don't give up hope. Be strong. Have courage. And fight. And when I'm elected president I'll take that from you too. Now lets get out there and get more of our Country's money into the hands of the same people who helped elect George Bush.

Palin is at it AGAIN

Llysse Smith Wylle — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:39:33 EDT

Sarah Palin is at it again.

Apparently she loves to visit "pro America" parts of the country. This is because she says, "... it's easy to get a little bit discouraged, when, you know, when you happen to turn on the news when your campaign staffers will let you turn on the news. Usually they're like 'Oh my gosh, don't watch. You're going to, you know, you're going to get depressed.'"

Well, the poor thang. Someone bring her a bonbon. Lucky campaigning will not be as stressful as, say, the Cuban Missile Crisis or some other furrin policy thang she might have to, you know, handle or deal with in the future as VP or (gasp) just P--you betcha. It'll be okay, though. They'll just tell her to turn off the TEEvee 'causen she jes might git the vapors.

Take off yer bustle, miss. Loosen yer corset.

So where is, er, pro-America America?

According to our Belle, "We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation."

Garsh!

My town has fewer than 300 people in it, Guvnah, and I'm certainly patriotic and pro-America.

That's why I voted for Barack Obama today.

WE SEE THROUGH YOU.

That's why you don't want to turn on the news. It's embarrassing to be exposed.

Having any of those naked-in-public dreams lately, Guvnah?

Is it 1928, 1960, or NOW?

Tom - "We are here to light the candle" — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:13:51 EDT

The speeches at last night's Al Smith Memorial Dinner--both McCain's and Obama's--were a funny, welcome pause for reflection as the 2008 Presidential campaign winds down to its close. For me, it also brought back a fond memory from 48 years ago: the speech of young U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy at that very same event on October 19, 1960.

I make no apology for the primary reason I got involved in this campaign: Barack Obama is my JFK, reborn. As to many other aspects of my life, I have much to apologize for. For example, in 1960, I was a Nixon supporter. My candidate lost, in one of the closest elections of the 20th century. But I was young, and the American people were wiser than I. It took the better part of two decades for me to realize the dangers posed to our republic by people like Richard Nixon and those with whom he surrounded himself.

We are all fortunate, however, to have access to redemption. Like most others, I was inspired--and my early life shaped--by the thousand days during which we were privileged to enjoy the leadership of President Kennedy. And for me--as for many others--November 22, 1963 began a very long and very dark period of struggle and disappointment. On that dark period, the sun appears ready to shine its bright light once more.

At the 1960 Al Smith dinner, the Kennedy wit was abundantly evident.

But I think the worst news for the Republicans this week was that Casey Stengel has been fired. [Laughter.] It must show that perhaps experience does not count. [Laughter and applause.]
On this matter of experience, I had announced earlier this year that if successful I would not consider campaign contributions as a substitute for experience in appointing ambassadors. Ever since I made that statement I have not received one single cent from my father. [Laughter and applause.]
One of the inspiring notes that was struck in the last debate was struck by the Vice President in his very moving warning to the children of the Nation and the candidates against the use of profanity by Presidents and ex-Presidents when they are on the stump. And I know after 14 years in the Congress with the Vice President that he was very sincere in his views about the use of profanity. But I am told that a prominent Republican said to him yesterday in Jacksonville, Fla., "Mr. President, that was a damn fine speech." [Laughter.] And the Vice President said, "I appreciate the compliment but not the language." And the Republican went on, "Yes, sir, I liked it so much that I contributed a thousand dollars to your campaign." And Mr. Nixon replied, "The hell you say." [Laughter and applause.]
However, I would not want to give the impression that I am taking former President Truman's use of language lightly. I have sent him the following wire:
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I have noted with interest your suggestion as to where those who vote for my opponent should go. While I understand and sympathize with your deep motivation, I. think it is important that our side try to refrain from raising the religious issue. [Laughter and applause.]
John F. Kennedy
October 19, 1960

You can read the entire speech here:
LINK

In 2008, this nation faces challenges no less grave than those it faced at the height of the Cold War. The times call for extraordinary leadership. My prayers now are for our nation, and for Barack Obama.

Joe the Plumber? Hah!

Bill in HI — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 01:20:21 EDT

He is more Joe the Tax Dodger! You will find guys just like him on talk radio. They need to get a life and become a real citizen instead of this bomb thrower. He is a shill, mouthpiece and if McCain really knew about him might be forced to denounce him. What is most ironic is that he would save far more under Barack Obama than John McCain. Care to estimate what percent of the American population identify with this embarrassment?

Editorial Page Endorsements of Obama>>> Part I >>>The Best of the Best, from the Editorial Pages of America

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:22:44 EDT

Recent newspaper endorsements of the presidential candidates, selected for the quality of their writing and the depths of their insights

___

Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times endorsed Democrat Barack Obama on Oct. 5:

We now face a future fraught with difficulty. It is no time to fear, but rather to change directions and unite behind a dynamic, thoughtful and progressive leader, Democrat Barack Obama.

He has stirred hope among millions of Americans, many of whom were alienated from politics or marginalized in society. He has restored a sense of idealism and promise that American values will again be our respected guide in the world, that the American dream is still very much alive in our nation, and that what is wrong can be fixed.

Sen. Obama's opponent, Republican John McCain, has long served his country, and as a young man, at great personal sacrifice. But he is not ready to lead America in the 21st century. His view of the world is outdated and unduly restricted by a military lens.

___

The Durango (Colo.) Herald endorsed Obama on Oct. 12:

The United States faces a pivotal choice in this presidential election, and
the alternatives are clear. What is needed in that decision, as in our markets and our dealings with the world, is to act like Americans and approach the future with optimism. Voters should reject the politics of fear and elect Barack Obama.

Obama offers what America now needs: Confidence without swagger,
intelligence without condescension, a mind unencumbered with the baggage of the '60s, and an optimistic outlook eloquently expressed.

After the feckless leadership of the last eight years, the offer of hope is
beyond appealing. It is essential. We need to restore this country's
position as a bastion of human rights and re-establish respect for the
United States government at home and abroad. We must reinvigorate and
restructure our economy, revive the idea that children will be better off
than their parents, and face the 21st century with confidence.

John McCain cannot do that. He is intellectually and emotionally trapped in
a bygone era. And since his 2000 run, the maverick McCain has been replaced by one with a wet finger in the wind.

Obama, however, offers a clear and certain break with the past. And that is
absolutely necessary. It is taking a chance, of course, but that risk is
less than that of continuing Bush's work.

___

The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., endorsed Obama on Oct. 16:

American adults are asking a terrible question as Nov. 4 approaches: Will my children have the opportunities that I was afforded in my youth?

The times call for a steady hand, a confident voice and a messenger who
delivers hope rather than fear.

While the country negotiates some of the most treacherous waters in the last 50 years, (Obama) is the candidate most capable of leading it to a safer shore.

-----------

COLUMBIAN, WASHINGTON STATE
In Our View: Obama for President
As voters consider unprecedented change, this race hinges on leadership and judgment
Thursday, October 16 | 1:00 a.m.

Americans face what is arguably the nation's most historically significant presidential election ever. Either the first black president or the first
female vice president will be elected Nov. 4.

But this election also is a milestone for a reason unrelated to race or
gender. For the first time in 20 years, the next president will not be a
Bush or a Clinton. Never have just two families occupied the White House for so long. Today's typical college freshman has never lived under a president by any other name. It's time for a change.

So it's no surprise that John McCain and Barack Obama are campaigning as
agents of change. All the more reason for voters to participate. In Clark
County, ballots were mailed yesterday.

Any successful reformer must excel in leadership and judgment. In the past
several months, Obama has distanced himself as the superior candidate in
those two areas, and today he receives The Columbian�s endorsement for president. Two quick reminders:

Our opinion is only that, refuted by many, carrying no distinguishable
impact. Our opinion is offered more to stimulate conversation than to change minds.

No candidate is perfect, as evidenced by our 2004 endorsement: Bush,
Reluctantly

Obama carries baggage we consider unsightly, such as the unfair advantages he would grant labor unions. We also are wary of a few past relationships he's had with controversial figures. McCain carries that same baggage, to a lesser degree.

But as we examined leadership qualities of both men, we saw Obama's massive strides in uniting his own Democratic party, even reaching beyond his party to speak to all Americans. McCain, in stark contrast, continues to slog through a fractious Republican Party that often is his worst enemy.

It takes strong leadership skills to enlist record numbers of volunteers and
to continually explore new heights in the polls, as Obama methodically
demonstrates.

As for judgment, Obama chose a running mate who neither hurt him in the
polls nor diverted the spotlight from the main man on the ticket. McCain's
choice has done both. McCain tries to masquerade this recklessness as the
virtue of a maverick. Would he use that same recklessness in appointing
Supreme Court justices and Cabinet members? Which candidate in recent weeks has shown a presidential demeanor? Which could best restore worldwide respect for the U.S.? Which man has tried to soothe not stoke rancor in the homestretch of this campaign? Clearly, that man is Obama.

On the issues, Obama and McCain share similar views on immigration, Social Security and Medicare. Their differences on how to repair the economy are
not overly contradictory. On the Iraq War, Obama prefers a quicker
withdrawal of troops than we would like, but his proven leadership and solid judgment indicate he can resolve the Iraq dilemma collaboratively, certainly not by waving a white flag as McCain repeatedly claims. Both men urge public investment in science and technology. On health care, Obama believes it is a right; McCain believes it is a responsibility. Obama would raise taxes on the rich but not the rest of us, while McCain wants to make permanent the Bush tax cuts of 2003.

Beyond these issues, let's review two popular but empty charges against
Obama. His supposed lack of experience, history reveals, is a red herring.
His 12 years in elected office are more than Abraham Lincoln, Teddy
Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan each brought to the presidency. Too young at 47? Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton were younger. (Also on the
subject of age, is McCain too old at 72? Certainly not.)

America's comparison between the upstart reformer and the venerable war hero inexorably returns to the qualities of leadership and judgment. Obama wins that comparison, and his message of partnerships at home and abroad seals the deal for us.
--------------
THE TENNESSEAN

This newspaper believes Obama would be an inspiring choice at an
extraordinary time for the nation. The country needs a fresh, energetic face
in the White House. Every race for president is important, but the current
confluence of events, including the war on terror, mountainous challenges in the economy and a growing strain upon the nation's health-care system make the current race a call for vigorous new approaches and enthusiasm.

Obama has managed to put a tone of optimism in his campaign at a time it
would be very easy to be downhearted, worried and pessimistic. That
characteristic alone goes a long way in demonstrating the kind of leadership the nation needs.

Obama has made the case effectively that his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, represents too much of the same failed policies that have plagued the nation during the Bush administration. McCain, it must be said, is a genuine military hero and an honorable candidate. His years of service both in the military and in Congress are traits any American should admire. But at this time, at this juncture, McCain does not embody the motivational leader Americans deserve for such crucial issues.

There is no question the economy is foremost on the minds of many Americans today. People are witnessing a financial system in chaos, and they are seeing their personal lives in upheaval because of the problem. People are fearful about their jobs, their retirement, their ability even to meet day-to-day needs. At the moment, the nation is still trying to get a handle on exactly what is happening in its economy, as some of the best economic minds in the country try to sift through possible solutions. Obama offers no magic wand, but he has been effective in linking the crisis to failed economic policies, and he expresses a keen understanding of how the crisis is creating hardship on American families....

Further, Obama demonstrated sound judgment in selecting as his running mate Sen. Joe Biden, whose experience and knowledge of foreign policy prepare him to step in if need be as chief executive. McCain's selection of Gov. Sarah Palin, by comparison, may have shown political savvy, but at the expense of offering a vice president the country could rally around....

The nation could ask for no more. Obama has the opportunity to lift the
United States at a time when its burdens are heavy. His campaign has carried a theme of "Yes We Can," which is exactly the message the nation needs to hear most now.

THE POST-GAZETTE PITTSBURGH

In three weeks, Americans will be called upon to make an exceptional
judgment worthy of the times. The forces of history appear to invite
boldness and the Post-Gazette believes they should be heeded by voting for the only authentic, fresh agent of change in this race, Barack Obama....

Despite the recent nastiness of his campaign. Sen. McCain is essentially a
good man, but he is yesterday's man. His campaign takes its core text from
the "Wizard of Oz": Don't mind the man behind the curtain. That man is
George Bush, the failed magician who cannot be spoken of lest the American people be reminded of what he has wrought and what party he belongs to.

To make their trick work, Mr. McCain and his running mate, Gov. Palin, trade
heavily on being mavericks -- too heavily to be believed.

It is true that Mr. McCain has a capricious streak that has made him a thorn
in the side of his own party on various issues. Yet while he has not joined
the know-nothing brigade in climate change denial, he has picked a running
mate who is a diva in the drill, baby, drill chorus of fossil-fuel adulation. Mr. Obama, while he has recognized the need for more drilling, has put more emphasis on new sources of alternative energy, the only real hope for the future.

On Iraq, Mr. McCain did needle the Bush administration to put in more troops and he makes much of the fact that he backed the surge. That the surge was a success to the point that it reduced bloodshed does not vindicate the wrong decision in the first place to invade a country that was not behind the 9/11 attacks and did not have weapons of mass destruction; Iraq has been a huge diversion from Afghanistan.

All of this Mr. McCain, despite his vaunted experience, got wrong at the
start when Barack Obama recognized the folly. That fundamental error is
still costing the nation $10 billion a month, funds desperately needed at
home, yet Mr. McCain sees the surge as more reason to stay than to plan now to leave and put the war in the hands of the only people who can ultimately win it: the Iraqis. That is what Mr. Obama wants to do in stages and what Mr. McCain only hopes for over the rainbow.

On health care, Mr. McCain's insurance plan is straight from the George Bush playbook, with its heavy reliance on private competition to give Americans
coverage. His $5,000 tax credit for families is a pittance that won't solve
America's national shame, the millions in the ranks of the uninsured. Mr.
Obama's health-care plan will address that directly -- and, no, it won't be
socialism. Americans will still have their choices.

On the economic meltdown, Mr. McCain famously said "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" shortly before it collapsed. Although he has admitted that economics is not his strong suit, he foolishly suspended his campaign briefly to interject himself into a situation that he did not understand and where he was not wanted.

Mr. Obama doesn't have all the answers either, but he does acknowledge what former champion of deregulation John McCain can't: While there's blame to go around both parties, the economic crisis is the final verdict on the failure of the Bush administration.

In this and much else, Mr. McCain is not the steady hand he purports to be,
and nothing proves it more than his reckless selection of Sarah Palin, whose lack of knowledge to take over as president has becoming increasingly
obvious and embarrassing. If Mr. McCain had chosen one of the many
accomplished women in the Republican Party, his candidacy would have the
stamp of seriousness. Instead, it bears the superficial imprint of pandering
populism.

But this election is not just about the shortcomings of Mr. McCain and Ms.
Palin and the failed legacy of a philosophy that they seek to perpetuate
under the hastily erected banner of maverick.

It is about the strengths of Barack Obama, whose rise to prominence is not a fluke or national infatuation but the consequence of his remarkable skills --a keen intellect, noble intentions and the wit and grace to express them in
ways that have inspired millions across the country. He has a rare gift
exactly suited to the fearful times -- he knows the language of reassurance
and hope.

If his were just empty words, this would be just another cheap political
gift. But what he says is carefully considered. In the debates and on the
hustings, Mr. Obama has been the voice of moderation, combining common sense and compassion on issue after issue. When the subject turns to foreign policy, supposedly Mr. McCain's strong suit, Mr. Obama gives no indication that he will have to learn on the job.

That the argument about issues has been essentially won by Sen. Obama is plain from the scurrilous attacks now being launched against his character --
increasingly by Ms. Palin -- alleging guilt by association, unpatriotic
behavior and worse.

This closing blizzard of slime is another attempt to spread the wizard's
curtain further: Don't look at how the economy has impoverished you while a Republican has been in the White House, look at Mr. Obama's passing
acquaintance with an old radical who did bad deeds almost 40 years ago,
because that is more important.

Yes, they apparently do think the American people are that stupid.

On Nov. 4, we believe Americans will heed the better angels of their nature
and recognize that the election of the eloquent Barack Obama -- whose story is a quintessentially American one of impossible odds overcome -- will best answer the pressing call of history.

_______________________

Obama’s ‘Diplomacy’ Wins a Republican Endorsement
By Adam Graham-Silverman, Congressional Quarterly Staff
The ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee parted ways with his party’s presidential nominee Wednesday by endorsing Democrat Barack Obama ’s approach to diplomacy.

In a lengthy speech at the National Defense University, Indiana Sen. Richard G. Lugar weighed the benefits of talking to foreign leaders, including U.S.
enemies, against other actions, such as military force. The issue marks one
of the sharpest divides between Obama and John McCain , who has called the Democratic nominee naive for suggesting that he would sit down with leaders such as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Lugar, however, praised Obama, noting that isolation often does not resolve contentious issues.

“He correctly cautions against the implication that hostile nations must be
dealt with almost exclusively through isolation or military force,” Lugar
said in a prepared remarks released before his speech. “In some cases,
refusing to talk can even be dangerous.”

Lugar, however, said McCain is right to warn that “there are times when
diplomatic approaches to rogue regimes have little efficacy.” But he cited
North Korea, which was just removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of
terror, as a diplomatic success story and urged more contact with Syria and
Iran.

This is not the first time Lugar and Obama have seen eye-to-eye on foreign
policy issues. Lugar noted back in July that he was “pleased” to have worked with Obama on nuclear proliferation issues after an Obama ad ran mentioning Lugar by name.

Lugar also used his speech to underscore his concern that U.S. foreign
policy has become too reactive.

“If most U.S. foreign policy attention is devoted to crises fomented by
hostile regimes, we are ceding the initiative to our enemies and reducing
our capacity to lead the world in ways that are more likely to affect our
future,” Lugar said.

___________________________________________

EDITORIAL: Obama for President: We believe the senator from Illinois is the
right man to lead our country in a new direction

The Lufkin Daily News, PULITZER PRIZE WINNING NEWSPAPER IN TEXAS

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Today through Sunday, we're making our endorsements for the 2008 election. Our endorsements are not partisan — we supported George Bush in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004. Our choices reflect whose policies and strengths we think, after careful consideration, will mean a better, stronger economy and way of life for Angelina County, Texas and the United States.

To that end, the choice for this year's president is clear: Barack Obama,
senator from Illinois.

His strength has been to appeal to a broad range of people, including the
vital youth who are tomorrow's leaders. After watching an inflexible
president go overboard in a $700 billion bailout on loyalty for his nominee,
Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, we think it's time for a changing
of the guard.

The East Texas economy is fundamentally doing well, and we're not hitting
highs and lows like other areas, some local leaders have said. But it
remains a fact that while the rich battle it out over billions, poverty is
barking louder than ever at our rural doors. As a litmus test, consider the
Christian Information Service Center, our largest area food bank. It has had
more people than ever through its doors — including more elderly and middle class than ever before.

Hundreds of local families have been impacted as fuel and utility costs
skyrocket, and job losses mount as major employers have circled the drain or gone down altogether. It's hard to remember the fundamentals when you're deciding between buying your medication or keeping the lights on.

Those people who think what's happening nationally has had little effect on
East Texas haven't checked their 401(k)s, or more likely aren't among the
many whose worry is about surviving until the end of the month, let alone
retirement.

It's the working class that are the backbone of this country, and we need
someone to help us share the wealth while still encouraging a free market
economy. We believe Obama has shown more interest in helping the middle class, and has proposed plans to make that happen.

Another consideration is that we should elect a president whose vice
president would be ready to lead if, heaven forbid, the president were to
die in office. We think Joe Biden's experience overwhelms Sarah Palin's
limited appeal as a candidate who would instill confidence during a national
crisis.

At the end of the day, it's about how you and your family will fare — while
still caring how your neighbor and the needy guy down the block is doing.

We're making our voice heard. We hope you'll go to the polls Nov. 4 and do
the same.
____________________________________

HUNTINGTON WEST VIRGINIA:
The Herald-Dispatch editorial board met today. We spent a lot of time
discussing the presidential endorsement, which comes out Sunday.

First, a bit of history. As best I remember, The Herald-Dispatch has
endorsed every Democratic candidate since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Before then, I have no memory. So going by those elections, the HD is 3-5 in agreeing with the American voter.

I can't say here who gets our endorsement, but I can say that the discussion was calm at times and less sedate at others. The thing was that no one was really excited about either candidate.

But we were all over 50, and we have seen too much to be too excited about candidates. None of us sees anyone running as a Messiah who will lead us to the promised land.

________________________________
UNATTRIBUTED, BUT KEEN INSIGHTS:

My own prediction: Obama will win, and Democrats will control both houses of Congress. In 2010, Republicans will regain control of one house, and the
Republicans will win back the White House in 2012. Whether they regain
control of both houses of Congress I cannot say, but I seriously doubt it.

This assumes the Republican Party acts with more intelligence and foresight
than it has shown since 2004.

This year, the Democratic Party had two strong candidates in the primary.
The GOP really had none. For a party that is supposed to be conservative,
the GOP had no strong conservative with wide appeal in the primaries. McCain won almost by default, and if he surprises a lot of us and wins the election this year, it will be more a vote against Obama than a vote for McCain. I have talked with several Republicans, and very few are voting for him. They are either voting for Palin or against Obama. Or they are voting for the Republican candidate, whoever it may be. I know of no one who is voting for McCain because he is John McCain.

You can't do well in the long run if that's your base. But it's what the GOP
did to itself.

____________________________________

Fidel Castro Endorses Obama -- Again
By Humberto Fontova
The American Thinker

Barack Obama's Kenyan cousin Raila Obinga did well in naming his son Fidel Castro Odinga. From Havana this week, Obama's nephew's namesake issued his 2nd Barack Obama endorsement.

"The only thing that abounds in McCain are years" wrote the Stalinist Cuban dictator in his regime's official paper. "His (electoral) adversary far surpasses McCain in intelligence and serenity. And his health is not guaranteed."

So a major concern for Castro is,

"that the lady with the rifles, the inexperienced ex-governor of Alaska, could became U.S. President. We observe that she knows absolutely nothing about anything."

Castro's favoritism towards Democrats is nothing new. "We'd better hope Kennedy wins this election," Fidel Castro confided to a subaltern in 1960. "If Nixon wins our revolution won't last." the Bay of Pigs and Missile Crisis betrayals (of free Cubans) vindicated Castro's foresight a thousand times over.

I admit to imprecision when labeling Fidel Castro a "Stalinist dictator." For the record: the Castro-Che incarceration of political prisoners actually surpassed Stalin's. In her authoritative book, Gulag, Anne Applebaum documents that, all-told, 18 million people passed through Stalin's prison-camps. At any one time 2 million were incarcerated. That was out of a Soviet population of 220 million. Cuba's population in 1960 was 6.4 million. According to Freedom House, 500,000 Cubans (young and old, male and female) have passed through Castro and Che's prison camps. At one point in 1961, 350,000 Cubans crammed Castro's Gulag. Do the math.

"A profound racism exists in the U.S.," continues Fidel Castro in his Obama-endorsement. "It's a miracle that the Democratic candidate has not suffered the fate of other Americans who dreamed of equality and justice like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King."

For the record: Fidel Castro, forcibly overthrew a black Cuban head of state (Fulgencio Batista) and replaced his government with one where only nine percent of the ruling Stalinist party is black and where the prison population is 80- 90 percent black. He jailed the longest suffering black political prisoner of modern history (Eusebio Penalver who suffered longer in Castro's dungeon's than Nelson Mandela suffered in South Africa's.) He sentenced other blacks (Dr Elias Biscet, Jorge Antunez) to 20 year sentences essentially for quoting Martin Luther King Jr. in a public square.

"(Obama) has a habit of looking at his adversary with serenity and laughing at the verbal gaffes of an opponent who looks blankly into space," continues Castro's chucklesome article, where he proceeds to denounce McCain as "a habitual liar, who lacks an ethical code and is an instrument of the "Miami Mafia" (overwhelmingly Republican Cuban-Americans.)

Castro laments the "brutal measures" the U.S. is adopting during "this capitalist crisis," because these "will provoke more inflation, more devaluation and more loss of markets." Thus a McCain victory would be economically disastrous, because, "he was one of the worst students ever at West Point and knew nothing about mathematics, and knows nothing about economic complications."

For the record: Fidel Castro converted a nation with a higher per capita income than half of Europe, the lowest inflation rate in the Western hemisphere, a larger middle class than Switzerland, a huge influx of immigrants and whose workers enjoyed the 8th industrial wages in the world into one that repels Haitians. And this after being lavished with Soviet subsidies that totaled almost ten Marshall Plans (again, into a nation of 6.4 million) -an economic feat that defies not only the laws of economics but seemingly the very laws of physics.

Actually, Castroites have been associates of Obama's associates for decades. "I have been affiliated with the Cuba Council of Churches since the 1980s," boasted Rev. Jeremiah Wright in a sermon on July 16, 2006. "I have several close Cuban friends who work with the Cuba Council of Churches and you have heard me preach about our affiliation and the Black Theology Project's trips to Cuba. The Cuban Council of Churches has been a non-partisan global mission partner for decades. I have worked with them for two decades."

"Non-partisan," Reverend Wright? Not according to Cuban intelligence defector Juan Vives, who from hands-on experience reports that the Cuba Council of Churches is in fact an arm of Cuba's ICAP (Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos) itself an arm of Cuba's DGI, Cuba's secret police, founded and mentored by the KGB and East German STASI. The ICAP's long-time chieftain was Rene Cruz Rodriguez, perhaps one of Reverend Jeremiah Wright's "friends."

Rodriguez' meteoric rise through Cuba's Stalinist bureaucracy was facilitated by his diligence as an early executioner, often beating out Che Guevara and Raul Castro themselves in his zeal to shatter the firing-squad victim's skull with a coup d' grace from his .45.
____________________________________________________

About 100 Napa County-based Barack Obama supporters showed up Monday afternoon on the front steps of the Napa Valley Register building in downtown Napa to protest the newspaper's Sunday endorsement of John McCain for President.

____________________________________
SAN DIEGO CITY BEAT:

Seems kind of pointless to run through a litany of policy areas in which Barack Obama is a far superior choice over John McCain, what with California already signed, sealed and delivered for the Democrat, but we’d like to run up the score and make it a landslide, so we’ll say, briefly, that Obama has shown himself to be the more thoughtful and, dare we say it, more presidential candidate. He’s the guy in whom we’d have far greater trust on the economy, energy, healthcare and foreign policy.

As for McCain, we can go into his past and detail his fondness for industry lobbyists. We can go into his neoconservative, imperialist views on foreign policy that would absolutely be a continuation of the past eight years. We can cite our concerns about how he was once rightly against the Bush tax cuts before he was wrongly for them.

But we’ll simply point to a couple of recent decisions his campaign made. The first was his choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate. It was a cynical move to shore up the conservative Republican base, and it showed no regard for real-world possibilities—such as, What if McCain were to die or be incapacitated while in office? The second was the desperate, disgusting decision to portray Obama as a terrorist sympathizer, which is the kind of thing you do when you have nowhere else to turn, when you know you can’t capture votes on serious policy issues facing Americans.
McCain would likely win this election four years ago—before the public realized how wrong the invasion of Iraq was, before the Republican Party imploded amid scandal after scandal (Cunningham, Foley, Abramoff, DeLay, Craig, Stevens, et al.), before the current president became radioactive and before the economy descended into unimaginable crisis.

So, it’s the right time for you moderate Republicans and you independents to give our guy a chance. McCain’s thinking is no different than Bush’s in the key areas—costly military interventionism, trickle-down economics and free access for lobbyists—and if you really think about it, you’ll realize that it’s unsustainable. Please vote for Barack Obama.

________________________________________

NEBRASKA REPUBLICAN SENATOR'S WIFE ENDORSES OBAMA

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The wife of Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel plans to endorse Democrat Barack Obama.

Lilibet Hagel has scheduled a 10 a.m. news conference in Alexandria, Va., on Tuesday with Susan Eisenhower, the granddaughter of Republican President Eisenhower. Susan Eisenhower also is an Obama supporter.

Hagel, R-Neb., has made no endorsement. Lilibet Hagel said in an Associated Press interview that her decision was independent of her husband. She said she didn't know whether he would make an endorsement or whom he would support.

"You'd have to ask him," Lilibet Hagel said.

She said it will be her first endorsement of a Democrat and that perilous world conditions were a factor.

"The fact is we're in two wars, two of the longest we've ever been in. We've run up a third of our nation's debt in just the past eight years. We're in the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression," she said.

The Hagels know John and Cindy McCain, and she said her endorsement was not meant to slam them.

"This isn't anti-McCain. This is pro-Obama. I'm just convinced he's the right person," she said.

The Hagels vote in Nebraska, but they have lived in Washington's Virginia suburbs since Hagel won his first Senate term in 1996.

A moderate Republican and veteran wounded in combat in the Vietnam War, Hagel has been a fierce and credible critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policies. During the summer, he accompanied Obama and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island to Iraq and Afghanistan. He was briefly the object of speculation as a possible surprise Obama running mate selection.

The first compendium of the best endorsement editorials from many states, & the top 3 papers in Tennessee! & one by Fidel Castro & the Republicans Lugar and Hagel endorsements

Rubin or Stiglitz, Does It Matter?

Bill in HI — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:44:15 EDT

It would be presumptuous to speculate on who might be Barack's chief economic advisor, but it is not too early to do so. Now that George Bush has embraced Keynesian economics, you might think that the era of Reaganomics is finally dead. Well, John McCain and his sidekick Sarah, are intent on resurrecting that vampire. Few realize that the similarity is more than casual since Vlad the Impaler had also been considered a heroic defender of his country and had spent a sizable part of his life as a prisoner. What we need is the modern Matthias Corvinus.
The similarities abound, but I digress. The question is whether we will wander in the direction Bill Clinton followed with Robert Rubin, or whether we might choose an alternative. Heaven knows, it doesn't take much to realize that we all don't share the same information. I think history will lament that Sarbanes-Oxley(SOX) was a huge waste of effort at doing the impossible; interfering with people's favorite pastime of deceiving their neighbors.
The real question is how economically conservative is Barack Obama. Is he really as conservative as Warren Buffett and Paul Volker or is he just too circumspect to let on that he is open to new ideas like Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz. Stiglitz is not alone with his ideas. Even conservative like Kevin Phillips have similar views. The only difference is the question of how markets really work and how to go about setting up the rules without making them Byzantine and onerous.

Barry the Carpenter

Bill in HI — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:23:55 EDT

Barack needs to meet Barry the carpenter. Except the light will go on for Barry, that he hasn't been getting a fair shake. The big guys have been muscling him out, but now that he has figured where the nail really is, he is going to be pounding it home every time on the first swing! Vote Obama.

I'm Not Bush?

Bill in HI — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:12:25 EDT

John McCain is not an evil man, he is just what he looks like. An angry hateful man who has a score to settle and he doesn't much care who gets hurt in the process of settling it. Just like George Bush wanted to teach Saddam Hussain not to try and assassinate his father. You may not be Bush, but explain to me what exactly is the difference? Plausible deniability, I live it.

Say it ain't so, Joe (the Plumber)

Llysse Smith Wylle — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:38:13 EDT

Joe the Plumber: we loved you once.

When we found out you weren't registered to vote, we were a bit disappointed.

When we further discovered that "rich" as you claimed to be, you hadn't paid your taxes, we were a bit MORE disappointed in you... but, okay. You're not a tax expert. You're a plumber.

It was a little tough for me to take that someone making $250,000 a year in profit wouldn't be willing to pay $900 extra on his taxes so I and 95% of your neighbors could have a break, pay for gas, keep a little more of our income when we need it so much. My family struggles for groceries... but okay. What are we to you, after all? (Some of us are you five or ten years ago, but forget that... and especially forget that some of us could be you a few years in the future.)

Then we found out you weren't even a plumber. Wait, what?

Lastly, we discover that you, Joe the Plumber, are possibly even related to Charles Keating, one of McCain's cronies from the Keating Five scandal. No wonder you're calling Senator Obama a socialist and suggesting he's "tap dancing like Sammy Davis, Jr." Hm. We suspect in others, as the saying goes.

At least you won't be voting for McCain, seeing as how you didn't bother to register. All my Ohio friends are voting Obama, by the way.

I made this.

Michael F. Koon — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:00:51 EDT

I was checking out the BO Myspace when I saw these great images that wrapped around a user's photo saying "I'm Voting" and incorporated the Obama logo. I loved them but couldn't find where I could download and use it myself.

I voted today as well so technically I needed one that said "I Voted"...

Since I couldn't find one here, on the myspace, or through a google image search I decided to make my own.

Here it is!

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm293/shtankeh/ivoted2.jpg

If you vote early, please feel free to use it. Post it on your myspace, post it on your friends myspace (I have been all morning in between phone calls to friends telling them to go vote!), your facebook, your email, print it and post it on your forehead! The key is you cannot USE it UNTIL YOU VOTE!!!!

So go. now. do it. Vote Barack and put a smile on!

Reports seem to suggest you may be coming to WV, Senator Biden

Llysse Smith Wylle — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:23:20 EDT

Joe Biden has made West Virginia a promise:

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio -- Biden was campaigning in Ohio, but had West Virginia on his mind late this afternoon, making a bold promise to win a state that has gone Republican in the past two elections.

"Which way is West-By-God-Virginia?" Biden asked the crowd Ohio University Eastern Campus, about 10 miles west of that state's border with Ohio. "I want to send a message to West Virginia -- we're going to win in West Virginia! ... We're going to shock the living devil out of y'all!"

Some reports suggest that the campaign will simply be purchasing advertising, but there are rumors suggesting campaign stops, too.

Joe, can you bring Richard Trumka with you to speak if you come? I can guarantee you West Virginians will love him as much as we will love you.

Early Voting! (Be careful!)

Unknown user — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:39:53 EDT

I called CNN on your behalf to make them aware of the problem with the electronic voting machine......so CNN is looking into to it.......Please.....if anyone has a problem call CNN at 404-827-1500.....talk to someone and they will make note of it and look into it.................pass this along to everyone....it's very important that all our hard work goes down the drain because of thieves trying to steal this election!!!!!!!!!! You can also call during the evening show live on CNN......number is: 1-877-553-6227

I just went to early vote with my husband a few hours ago. (I'm in Martinsburg, WV.)

At first I was going to click off each candidate on the touch screen individually in each race (instead of straight ticket). When I pressed "Barack Obama" - it checked off "John McCain"!!! ... The touch screen seems to be slightly off and if you're not careful it selects the wrong one. I de-selected and instead of taking any chances I chose straight Democratic ticket rather than go through the whole thing and have any mistakes. At first I gave the machine the benefit of the doubt and thought maybe I had just been clumsy but my husband confirmed that he had the SAME EXACT THING happen to him. (He was on a different voting machine, voting at the same time I was.)

I don't know if this needs to be officially reported as something "fishy" or if the touch screens are just normally fussy like this.... But I just wanted to let everyone know to make sure you double check everything before you hit that final button!

Third Debate - If McCain had referred to his record

Crunchy Middle — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:00:20 EDT

Schieffer: Why is your plan better than his?

McCain: Americans are hurting right now, and they're angry. They're hurting, and they're angry. And they have every right to be angry. The fact of the matter is that I have focused on these types of issues since day one of my political career. There hasn't been a time where deregulation has come to the forefront that I haven't championed it. Just this past March I told the Wall Street journal that I was always in favor of less regulation. Now some people, might be a little concerned about that fannie mae regulation that I jumped on board with in 2006. You know the bill that loon Hagel, who likes to pal around with Barack Obama, sponsored. Come on now we know that was just smoke and mirrors because Fannie was in the papers that week. If I really thought it was that important I would have backed it again in 2007. Support Hagel? Come on! I mean the guy's wife just announced her support for Barack Obama.

Obama: Answers coherently

Schieffer: All right. Would you like to ask him a question?

McCain: No. I want to completely ignore what he had to say because he's appealing to the people who don't know what to do with money. Now my plan is to give big checks to the lending industry. Those are the people who kept this economy moving. Those are the people who really know how to get every last drop of money out the economy and look at all those jobs they created in the process. So what if those jobs are now disappearing faster than you can say foreclosure? That's just part of the unregulated market.

Obama: Answers coherently

McCain: You know what Senator Obama wants to do? Spread the wealth around. That's my job! I've spread American jobs and American wealth all over the world. I've got a long record of deregulation and helping big companies find loopholes so they can leave this country and never look back. I've fought time and time again to keep the tax loopholes open so companies with great big accounting firms can forget about paying taxes and listening to things like elected government. I mean just look at how opposing funding for alternative energy for 26 years has spread the money to petrol dictators. Mr. Obama compared to me you know very little about giving American money away.

Obama: Answers coherently, Warren Buffet is mentioned.

McCain: (laughs) Can we please stop talking about people who know something about economics? I already told everyone earlier this year that I would have to play catch up in that area and I'm not quite done.

Obama: Answers coherently. Says that he doesn't much like taxes either.

McCain: Listen, I understand what you are saying. I myself called it irresponsible to lower taxes in the middle of a war. It was a bad idea. But like that whole confederate flag think in South Carolina now is the time to change my mind for political gain. Lets face it I can only get money from really rich people and if I don't promise to cut their taxes they are going to get angry with me. I mean if I go along with what you want I'll be raising my wife's taxes and I hate sleeping on the couch.

Obama: I don't mind paying a little more.

McCain: Listen I know that independent groups keep pointing out that your plan will cut people's taxes a lot more than mine and that it will result in less of a deficit but those are just facts and I don't like those very much. Of course you don't mind paying more but I grew up going to private schools in Washington DC with an influential daddy. I know the importance of a buck, how could I not? I married a rich beer selling cheerleader. Score! Your problem is you still remember what it was like to be poor.

Schieffer: All right. Let's go to another topic. It's related. So if you have other things you want to say, you can get back to that. Give us some specifics on what you're going to cut back.

Obama: Coherent Answer

McCain: Well if you look at my record I'm not afraid to make that hard choices. I eliminated catastrophic insurance for the elderly. I voted against money for rural schools that were on hard economic times. I mean if I get elected they won't last much longer anyway so what's the point? I voted time and time again against veterans benefits. I've voted against money for rape kits and against funding healthcare plans that were designed to reduce abortions. I've proven over and over that I'm willing to clear the dust out the wheels of this economy so we can keep this big machine rolling.

Schieffer: Do either of you think you can balance the budget in four years? You have said previously you thought you could, Sen. McCain.

McCain: Sure I do. I've never let reality or facts stand in my way. I mean I'm the guy who said General Petraeus could drive around Iraq in an unarmored vehicle. I mean it was completely made up but it got my point across.

Schieffer: You can still do that?

McCain: Haven't you figured it out yet? I'm John McCain I can do whatever I want and as long as I keep saying I'm fighting for the little people it doesn't matter what else I've said or done.

Schieffer: In four years?

McCain: If I don't get cancer again then yes I think that in four years people will still think I'm a Maverick. The great thing about being erratic and all over the place is its hard for people to pin you down. I mean I got a zero last year from the League of Conservation Voters. A zero! And people still buy that I'm an environmentalist.

Schieffer: Barack.

Obama: Well, there's a lot of stuff that was put out there, so let me try to address it. First of all, in terms of standing up to the leaders of my party, the first major bill that I voted on in the Senate was in support of tort reform, which wasn't very popular with trial lawyers, a major constituency in the Democratic Party. I support...

McCain: It's not all about me right now and I don't like that so I'm just going to interrupt.

Obama: Continues with a coherent answer

Schieffer: All right...

McCain: Let me just say, Bob.

Schieffer: OK. About 30 seconds.

McCain: Now anyone who has watched meet the press knows that I have strongly agreed with the Bush Administration. I've said over and over again that I support George Bush's policies. I've done a few good things to throw the public a bone, yes, but only so I can stand up in front of crowds of American workers and tell them that they aren't capable of picking lettuce even if I pay them $50 an hour. I know that price was a little high but hell Cindy is worth $175 million dollars. I don't think I've had to buy lettuce since I was married to my first wife and I certainly have no idea how much you pay people to pick it. If I really wanted reform of the system I wouldn't have such bad records on civil rights, education, and healthcare, just to name a few.

Obama: John are you feeling OK?

McCain: How dare you question my physical fitness!

Schieffer: All right. We're going to move to another question and the topic is leadership in this campaign. Both of you pledged to take the high road in this campaign yet it has turned very nasty.

McCain: If I can interject I think I can see where you are going with this and I don't like it. The fact of the matter is even if I did like ACORN in the past that right now they are working for Barack Obama so I have to bring them up. Also lets face it if I don't lie about Obama's connections then people might start looking at the fact that I called fire bomb planning unrepentant Liddy a great American. Or that I appointed one of Saddam's lobbyists to by campaign. I can't have that. I know that people are hurting out there but I have not economic policy other than deregulating markets so I have to distract everyone. I don't care if my running mate is stirring up people into frenzied hysteria or what it will do to the country. I need every vote I can get. I'm trying to win here.

Obama: Answers

McCain: This past Sunday I turned on the television and every ad I saw talked about how bad my healthcare plan was. I now its bad but we have to start trusting big insurance companies the way we did Wall Street. I mean right now people have all these laws in these states that are getting in the way of my handing checks to the insurance industry. Don't those silly state and local governments know that regulations should have to go through DC so I can stop them?

Schieffer: All right. Let's go to the next topic and you -- we may want to get back into some of this during this next discussion. I want to ask both of you about the people that you're going to bring into the government. And our best insight yet is who you have picked as your running mates.

Obama: Joe is awesome if I weren't running I would hope that I would be voting for him.

McCain: Dumb mistake. Idiots wouldn't let me pick Joe Lieberman and now I'm saddled with this. Everyone knows if I die then the country is screwed so can we move on?

Schieffer: Let's go to -- let's go to a new topic. We're running a little behind.
Let's talk about energy and climate control. Every president since Nixon has said what both of you..

McCain: Stop right there. You are talking about pumping taxpayer dollars into special projects like alternative energy so we can be safe. Trust in the free market! I said it earlier this year let the market figure it out. I know that the dutch and germans are far ahead of us in these areas because of heavy investing but that shouldn't matter we should leave it to the free markets.

Schieffer: All right. Can we reduce our dependence on foreign oil and by how much in the first term, in four years?

Obama: Coherent answer

Schieffer: Senator?

McCain: We can do it, but my record is clear. I'm not going to put any money into alternative energy. I voted against money to improve security at nuclear power plants and you think I'm going to advocate paying for this stuff! I'm just paying it lip service and my record shows that.

Schieffer: All right, let's go to a new topic, health care. Given the current economic situation, would either of you now favor controlling health care costs over expanding health care coverage? The question is first to Sen. Obama.

Obama: Coherent Answer

McCain: I'm going to give you $5000 dollars a year so you can go buy healthcare from anywhere you want and when something goes wrong you'll have to go to federal court because the states will have no jurisdiction. That is how you get the economy rolling jobs, jobs at big insurance companies in an unregulated market. We all know how friendly unregulated insurance companies can be.

End - Part 1

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Third_Debate_If_McCain_had_referred_to_his_record

Joe the Plumber?

Bill in HI — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:58:16 EDT

You would think that John McCain's handlers would have been aware that they should have used almost any other blue collar profession, like .... Well yes, blue collar profession is an oxymoron, but.... Ok, I will admit that our society has become so commoditized that we as consumers have little sympathy for those who provide us all the things on which we have come to depend. But getting back to plumbers, hasn't 'Moonstruck' become so iconic that plumber is synonymous with sleazy unscrupulous self-indulgent scum?
Maybe someone in the campaign should give John and Sarah snowboards and a weekend pass to Aspen so they can recharge for the final campaign push.

Enough - Waiting on the World to Change - YES WE CAN!!!!!

Unknown user — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:43:25 EDT

There was a problem with my video, I'm sorry but the video did not upload completely to youtube and thus the last minute was cut out.....I fixed the problem which was caused by a glitch on Youtube.....I'm rather disappointed on the lack of enthusiam shown towards my video.....it took time for me and with my son's help to get the video, pictures and the appropiate song with lyrics which are very meaningful for what we are fighting for......I would truely appreciate you rewarding my son and I by at least looking at the video and leaving behind a comment.....the words and pictures tell a very important message......you will realize this once you watch it........help the video become one of the most popular on YouTube.....show your support for Obama.....I'm not asking for any donations...hell I'm not even asking you to get off your chair or computer.....Show your support please and pass this along to as many friends and Obama supporters as you can......hell......pass it along to any moron backing McShame if you wish:))))))lol Link to video is at the bottom of this page!!!

Lyrics to the song in the video: Waiting on the World To Change.

Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There's no way we ever could

Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it

So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change

It's hard to beat the system
When we're standing at a distance
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change

Now if we had the power
To bring our neighbors home from war
They would have never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on their door
And when you trust your television
What you get is what you got
Cause when they own the information, oh
They can bend it all they want

That's why we're waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change

It's not that we don't care,
We just know that the fight ain't fair
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change

And we're still waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting waiting on the world to change
One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change

We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek0BvpPWW2U

Joe Biden in Marietta, Ohio

Llysse Smith Wylle — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:22:42 EDT

First let me apologize: my event photos are simply terrible. It was a beautiful night, and the full moon hung like a pearl over Front Street--so lovely that it moved Senator Biden to comment on it--but nonetheless, the darkness was not conducive to good photos with my tiny little point-and-shoot digital.

Luckily Marietta, Ohio, is relatively close to where I live--slightly less than an hour's drive away. I have friends who live in town, so I arrived at their place early, where I was unexpectedly fed amazingly good food (that it would be amazingly good was no surprise, of course, but I wasn't expecting dinner) and then we made our way toward the Ohio river, the shores from which the Armory commands a view of my home state, West Virginia.

Marietta is a river city, its beautiful downtown still living and situated right on the banks, many of the streets still brick-paved. Marietta College has a wonderful campus. I graduated college there, as did my grandfather: he, after World War II on the GI Bill, and I as an adult, after having had to leave Sarah Lawrence College without enough money to complete my study there.

There was a long line when we arrived, winding two blocks back and around a corner. Friends of ours waved us up to join them closer to the front. As much as I wanted to cut short our wait (and to see my friends!), I am just not a line-cutter by nature. We made our way to the back--and it was certainly a long wait to which we resigned ourselves.

I was surprised; in Chillicothe where I saw Senator Obama, there was no wait. We simply filed through. The reason for the difference became clear, later: in Chillicothe, though the crowd was larger (Chillicothe is a much larger town), there were six or so security stations, so moving through the checkpoints was a much faster process. In Marietta there was only one checkpoint, and it was a bottleneck. I wondered if they simply didn't anticipate the size of the crowd? One estimate placed it at more than 3000.

With the weird layout of the crowd, and my unfortunate placement right in the middle, I wasn't able to get a good photo of the whole group, but it was indeed full.

There was one small group of protesters. (I don't do them the courtesy of photographing them.) Some mother had brought her preteens and caused them to carry a "you are killing babies" sign or somesuch. I have never personally heard any politician run on such a platform, and I'm always disappointed to see that sort of simplistic reductionism displayed (and taught to those poor kids). However, I suppose a more nuanced discussion of the issue wouldn't fit on a sign very well.

I was half afraid these pitiable children might have been trained to yell out racial epithets, hold up monkey dolls labelled Obama, scream "indecent Arab!" and who knows what else... however, at the time we passed there were no exchanges of any sort, not even hostile looks. The kids looked a little bored. One yawned while I watched, and no newspaper reports seem to indicate any altercations.

Thank goodness. Perhaps the real haters just show up at the actual McCain-Palin rallies... or more likely, the loonies just stayed in tonight. Thank you, small group of local McCain-Palin supporters, for not being insane. Or at least for keeping it tightly, tightly controlled in a small dark portion of your soul, if you are.

We didn't even get "inside" the audience area in time to see any of the music--alas!, I was looking forward to seeing Marietta's mayor, Moon Mullen, perform with Todd Burge and Clay Paschal. (We did get to hear it from afar.), but we arrived in time for the speakers. To be honest, I was just about as excited to see Richard Trumka speak as I was to hear Senator Biden. Trumka is the AFL-CIO treasurer who introduced the senator; this video of Trumka has been widely circulated. I have watched it several times--I admire a good, passionate speaker.

It was interesting to see the people lined up on the risers behind the speaker's podium this time, as well: they were people I knew. I could pick out Julie, Ben, Jonathan and other friends and acquaintances. The crowd, again, cheered wildly (Trumka seems especially able to get a crowd excited!) When the Biden buses arrived, the crowd rose as one and began to applaud. There was no mistaking the long line of buses and flashing lights that came down toward the crowd while the local organizer was speaking. Sorry, local organizer. The crowd was ready for Biden--so ready that they applauded buses.

I stood at a rail, in front of which media members moved, snapping pictures with large, expensive-looking cameras. Where are those pictures today? Surely with good equipment they were able to get something better than I.

There is only one photo of Biden from the event I can find anywhere posted--this, from the Parkersburg News and Sentinel (and Marietta AM):

It's a rather boring photo... and there don't seem to be any of Trumka, at all. There is one of a few members of the crowd, which is also not that interesting to me because it doesn't show scope. I found lost of lovely pictures of the Chillicothe rally. These, by Ryan Henriksen, were my favorites:

Alas... there doesn't seem to be anything comparable for the Biden appearance at all. Hello? Photojournalists with good equipment and media credentials, where are you?!!

This is not to say the appearance did not go well--it most certainly did. The crowd was incredibly enthusiastic, and I certainly hope that Washington County goes blue! However, there does not seem to be much photographic documentation.

There is, however, a YouTube video of Biden's entire Marietta speech, which is more than what was available for Senator Obama's apearance.

It's strange how these things work, is it not? For Senator Obama in Chillicothe, I could only find an excerpt. Almost more telling to me than anything the Senator said was the crowd reaction. It was enormous.

After the speech was over, the Senator shook hands with the crowd, but unfortunately we weren't in his path. I would have asked him not to forget about West Virginia.

The night was still warm--extremely warm for this area in mid-October. At home, in fact, I still have tomatoes on the vine, some pink Brandywines and yellow-and-red Mr. Stripeys. There are some romas, too, although they are not my favorites. In Marietta, though, a warm, fresh breeze blew across the river, and the moon was higher in the sky lighting the sidewalks with green, reflected light, making my photos appear golden in exposure.

The PolitiCarnies--that's what I call them, anyway--were hawking shirts and buttons along the street. At party headquarters, they were handling out yard signs so quickly there was a crowd of people, and I hoped they wouldn't run out. I just wanted one.

The protesters were gone. It looked as if their parents had rather responsibly put them to bed at a reasonable hour.

We walked back, and had more good food, then I drove home. Terrified I would hit a deer on the highway, I actually nearly hit one instead on my little turn off. They are thick this year. I have been having to chase them away from my azaleas in the middle of the night, which are now not much more than twiggy stubs.

Down a two lane country road, veering up a gravel road, down another gravel road, through a gate and onto a dirt trail, unmaintained... it is just a right of way.

It was good to get home.

I set up my yard sign immediately, its shadow thin in the moonlight.

If nothing else, perhaps I can convert the chickens. This morning, the sign may well mark my rural yard as our county's campaign headquarters.

Day 20: Blindly

Crunchy Middle — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:07:39 EDT

A steady hand at the tiller? Is that why John McCain keeps changing directions in his campaign? Is John McCain unable to get his boat out of the harbor so he can't take his hand off the tiller? The erratic, changes in direction are making us dizzy and his own party is calling them incoherent. I suppose he could have been talking about a soil tiller, but it would be in really poor taste for someone who keeps voting against farmers and rural communities to use that analogy. I can understand the need for a new direction because the policies that John McCain has championed for the last 26 years aren't working.

McCain says our economic suffering began with the housing crisis? If you don't live in a steel town, a textile town, a farming community or thousands of towns all over America that have been hurting from the policies that McCain has championed for his very long career as a professional politician that might be true. If you worked in any of those towns or had family in any of them, you know the truth. If you know that metal for weapons, clothing for our children, food for our tables and hard working, good paying jobs, are national defense issues that contribute to the strength of the American people then you are more aware of the truth than John McCain.

You are more aware of the truth than John McCain. John McCain wants to hand tax payer checks to the predatory lending industry that is forcing hard working people out on the street. He doesn't want to force the lenders to pay for their irresponsible behavior. John McCain wants to hand the lenders your money, let them refinance people at the higher prices they were fooled into believing they could afford, then McCain will go back to Washington and after he is elected we can start the crisis all over again.

John McCain can't turn a record of supporting big business at the expense of workers, farms, veterans, healthcare and the American people into a promise to help us. John McCain is promising the opposite of the experience he is running on.

John McCain promises more tax cuts on capital gains and dividends to get things moving. If it sounds familiar it should. Its the same big business handouts George Bush has been advocating. Its 8 years of planning to get us right where McCain wants us. Giving more money to the people paying for his campaign and more empty promises to the people who have spent the last 8 years watching the Bush/McCain economic plan bleed us dry as our jobs disappear from the streets of our vanishing towns.

"Always there has been some terrible evil at home or some monstrous foreign power that was going to gobble us up if we did not BLINDLY rally behind it." Douglas MacArthur

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Day_20_Blindly

That Woman!!!?

Bill in HI — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:11:17 EDT

I was taken aback by a woman I spoke with recently while doing phone banking. As is common in battleground states, some people adamantly refuse to say who they support. Since we identify ourselves as being from the OBAMA CAMPAIGN, it is safe to assume they do not support Barack. This woman did NOT want to talk about who she was supporting. And then added after a short pause, “..,. and I can't STAND that woman!”
I was speechless. I wasn't sure who she was referring to. And then she added, “She is TOTALLY UNQUALIFIED! I can't vote for her.” Yes, she was even refusing to say the 'evil' words Sara Palin.

Barack Missed This One

Bill in HI — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:31:43 EDT

There is a rule in the IRS code which PENALIZES taxpayers for not liquidating part of their IRA or 401k.The penalty is pretty stiff. So much so, that you are better off taking the loss than paying the penalty. The number of people affected is small, but they ALL VOTE! They are turning 71 next year. For me, that is only 6 years away.
The real problem is two fold. One, it will REQUIRE people to sell stock into a soft market. Two, the amount which will be added to income will be smaller than otherwise and thus there will be a real loss in tax revenue. This would be like with the bank bailout where the government would be forced to sell under-performing assets in say six years and thus take a forced loss rather than waiting say twelve or fifteen years and breaking even or even making a profit.
The real problem, though, is that in four years if not addressed, this will become a real issue.

FOR WEST VIRGINIA CITED: JESUS WAS DARK, LIBERAL: SO WHY FEAR SENATOR OBAMA?

b. l. conway — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:08:38 EDT

My name is B.L. Conway. I am a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Kentucky and a 1986 graduate of its law school. I reside in Abingdon Virginia where I enjoy the practice of law. I am a Christian and a history buff. I was trained in a Purpose Driven Church (the fastest growing Christian Movement in the World given to us by Pastor Rick Warren) here in tiny, Abingdon. My purpose is to serve others gladly and freely, which is what I am trying to do here.

Now, let me address the first point of the title first, because as to it there can be little argument. He was born Yeshua Ben Yoseph in the town of Bethlehem. Yeshua means salvation or “Lord who is salvation” in Hebrew while the remainder of his name refers to his lineage from his earthly father. Smith’s Bible Dictionary; The Nazerene Way of Essenic Studies internet publication entitled Yeshua or Jesus. Jesus was born into a poor Hebrew family, but one that was provided for very well by God through the Wise Men. Matthew 2:1-12.

Jesus’ family was from Nazareth, a poor Jewish enclave in the province of Galilee. Id. Nazareth was located near the Gentile cities of Tiberias and Sepphoris on the Sea of Gaililee that lies in Israel along the ancient “Via Maris” which linked Egypt to Mesopotamia. First Century Historian Flavius Josephus, Encyclopedia Britannica, Sea of Galilee available on line. This region was essentially and eastern extension of Africa due to the interaction of these peoples as has been shown by archeology and linguistic evidence. Troubling Biblical Waters: Race, Class and Family by Cain Hope Felder (New York Orbis Books 1994) at page 8 through 14 and see Professor Mark Goodacres’ internet article entitled Jesus as a Person of Color; and see BBC NEWS for Wednesday October 27 2004 article entitled So What Colour was Jesus?

Second, Jesus’ genealogy is stated clearly in the Bible and demonstrates that he was a man of color. First, Matthew 1.2-17 sets out Jesus’ lineage to King David and beyond, which interestingly contains many flawed human beings (sinners like me), but also contains at least four Afroasiatic women: Rahab, Tamar, Ruth and Bathsheba. Id. They were either Moabites or Hittites all. Joshua 2:1, Genesis 38:1, Ruth 1, Samuel 11:3.

There was also a substantial general Afroasiatic influence in Jesus’ DNA as the Hebrew in Jesus genealogy were a subjugated people that spent hundreds of years in Africa. Genesis 37 through 50, Exodus1 through 12, Troubling Biblical Waters: Race, Class and Family by Cain Hope Felder (New York Orbis Books 1994) at page 8 through 14 and see Professor Mark Goodacres’ internet article entitled Jesus as a Person of Color; and see BBC NEWS for Wednesday October 27 2004 article entitled So What Colour was Jesus? . Putting aside the probable sexual exploitation of slaves that we know from our American and Mexican experience, Moses for example had a Cushite or Ethiopian wife and Phineas, which in Egyptian means “the Nubian”, was the son of Aaron and the father of a priestly Hebrew line. Id. and see Numbers 12:1; Exodus 6:25; Jeremiah 38:17.

Third, Jesus spent his early years in Egypt where he and his family apparently blended in quite well. Matthew reports the flight of Jesus’ family to Egypt to escape Herod’s infanticide designed to kill Jesus. Matthew 2. Thus, Jesus spent his formative years in Africa and was exposed to Egyptian mysticism. Troubling Biblical Waters: Race, Class and Family by Cain Hope Felder (New York Orbis Books 1994) at page 8 through 14 and see Professor Mark Goodacres’ internet article entitled Jesus as a Person of Color; This is confirmed by non biblical resources as early Jewish critics of Christianity argued that Jesus learned his magic in Egypt. Id. citing Origen Contra Celsom, 1:28. Matthew also documents that God called his son out of Egypt. Matthew 2:15.

For all these reasons, it is clear that Jesus was a man of color. He was of mixed blood known as Afroasiatic. Cain Hope Felder, Blacks in the Bible and in Bible Lands, Sphinx (Summer 1999 on line journal) and see Professor Mark Goodacres’ internet article entitled Jesus as a Person of Color; and see BBC NEWS for Wednesday October 27 2004 article entitled So What Colour was Jesus? He like his parents was much like the darker Palestinian, Egyptian or Yemenite of today: More chocolate brown than Caucasian in appearance. Id.

What is in a name? Today in America our names have little meaning other than to identify us. This was and is not so in Middle Eastern cultures. The name Hussein which is being used to demagogue Barrack Obama because it was also the shortened name of Saddam Hussein does not actually have any evil connotation. In Arabic it means “to be good” or “to be handsome or beautiful”. Obama Should be Proud to be Named Hussein, Salon. I can only assume given those ears, that Mr. Obama’s parents were referring to the former. Whereas, the use of the Hussein name in the former dictator’s name refers to his father’s first name. The former dictator’s full name was Saddam Hussein al-Majid al-Tikriti which means Saddam son of Hussein al-Majid of the tribe of al-Tikriti. Blair Shewchuck, CBS NEWS ONLINE.

So as with most demagoguery, we find that there is no basis in fact for it, nor is there any thing for us Caucasian Americans to fear from the use of this name. Like the true name of Jesus, Barrack’s name refers to good.

By the way, Jesus’ true name changed upon Peter’s revelation that he was the Messiah to Rabbi Yeshua Ben Mashiach (Jesus Son of God). Mark 8:27 through Mark 8:33, Matthew 6:16 through Matthew 6:18, Luke 9:18 through 9:22. Jesus was called this and the crowd shouted Hosanna (God Save us) upon his triumphal entry to Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion. Mark 11:1 through Mark 11:11 and see, from the SOURCES by Eliezer Segal available online and Psalms 8:2.

Jesus was crucified because he was a liberal, indeed a radical against the religious and political leaders in Jerusalem. Immediately, after the triumphal entry, Jesus proceeded to the temple where he made a whip of cords and drove out the money changers and those selling sacrifices together with their animals screaming “you have turned my father’s house into a den of thieves”. Mark 11:15 through Mark 11:19, Matthew 21:12 through Matthew 21:27, Luke 19:45 through 20:8, John 2:12 through John 2:25, and see Isaiah 56:17, Jeremiah 7:11 and Zechariah 14:21 . This was done in full sight of the Roman Garrisons which were situated on each end of the Temple Square and the Hebrew religious leaders that no doubt had an interest in the commerce. See e.g. www.steverogers.crg to see photos of the temple.

Jesus, as he had many times before, then called these religious leaders hypocrites to their face because they misused their wealth, power and position to glorify and satisfy themselves rather than to take care of the poor, the widowed and orphaned. Mark 12:42, Luke 21:2. In his Ministry, Jesus often warned of the danger of wealth and possessions. He taught that a man’s life is not measured by possessions and that we can not serve God and money. Luke 12:15 through Luke 12:16, Matthew 6:24. Jesus said that it will be very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven. Luke 6:20 through Luke 24, Matthew 19:23,24 and Luke 12:33. He taught that we are stewards of God’s blessings and that we should use our position, power and wealth to help those less fortunate and to expand the Kingdom. Matthew 6:33, Matthew 19:21, Luke 12:33 and Luke 12:48 and Pastor Jimmie Davidson from a sermon. These are liberal principals, but it does not end there.

Jesus was and is against the Death Penalty. He taught that thou shall not kill and that if one is sinless; let him cast the first stone, as he bent down and wrote symbolically in the sand. John 8:3 through John 8:11, Luke 6:37 through Luke 6:42. Jesus changed a murderer named Saul into the most prolific apostle of them all. Acts 22:6 through Acts 22:11. Peter was the rock upon which the God’s church was built, but Paul spread the Gospel further and planted more churches than he. Matthew 6:18, B.W. Johnson, The People’s New Testament, 1891 available on line and Pastor Jimmie Davidson from one of his sermons. Paul also wrote most of the New Testament. Id. This belief in the goodness and potential of all men is a liberal principal.

Jesus taught us to be merciful. He said “blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy” and that if we do not forgive those that harm us that we should not expect to be forgiven by God. Matthew 5:7, and see Luke 10:30 through Luke 10:37.

Jesus is a Peace maker and believed in and taught Peace. He said “blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called children of god”. Matthew 5:9. He taught that we should love and pray for our enemies and that if anyone should harm us that we should turn the other cheek. Matthew 5:38 through Matthew 5:42, Luke 6:27 through Luke 6:31. You see Jesus knew that love was the most powerful force in the world and that it will conquer in the end.

We have seen this proven in our times. Just think about three of the most influential leaders of the last century: Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King and compare their effectiveness to the Arab terrorist. These were men of color on three separate continents in entirely different cultures who used love and non violence in the face of powerful entrenched government leaders and evil and hate to effect remarkable change. They were acting out liberal biblical principals in faith.

Jesus taught that Love was the most important commandment. He said love your God with all your heart body and soul and your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37 through Matthew 22:40.

I could go on and on from Jesus’ rejection of strict enforcement of religious law to separation of church and state, but I think the point is made. Jesus was a liberal two thousand years ago and remains one today; thank God for his grace.

So, West Virginia, please see that you need not fear Mr. Barack Obama because of his color or his liberalism and progressive thinking. He is less liberal than Jesus. Mr. Obama has already told us that he does not want our guns and will enforce the death penalty.

You, West Virginia, were part of Virginia at the beginning of the Revolution. See e.g. www.wvculture.org/HISTORY/. Your residents considered themselves Virginians because most of them had come to settle your beautiful Mountains from the Potomac watershed territory of Virginia. Id. Your ancestors were rebels for sure, as shown by the many Pension and Land Bounty Warrants that they filed post Victory. Id.

We like to think that Virginia is the birth place of freedom as a consequence of the leadership of her sons, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. They were liberals, indeed radicals declared criminals worthy of hanging by King George. John Adams, David McCullough, Simon Schuster Paperbacks, 2001 at 138 and 157. Patrick Henry declared “give me liberty of give me death”. Life and Times of Patrick Henry, William Wirt, 1817. Thomas Jefferson wrote our Declaration of Independence, the most liberal document of declared rights of it’s time. John Adams, David McCullough, Simon Schuster Paperbacks, 2001at 125 through 138.

West Virginia, so many of your brave sons fought and died for the liberal freedoms of America. Join us to make history once again. We must show the world that the truth and peace still matter to the Citizens of these United States and that we have progressed past petty prejudices.

I think it not a coincidence that Mr. Barack Obama, a Christian and a man of mixed black and white blood, has rose up to us as he has with such a strong belief that we can come together. We must do this. We must realize Dr. King’s dream. We will be better for it.