Hi FriendThere is a new group that just started on Facebook that I thought Organizing for America members may be interested in joining. Please see United Against Racism -
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/354956/80588439?m=9dc74a6eUnited Against Racism
posted by David Apperson
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/07/fate_of_healthc.html
Sometimes it can be hard for volunteers in Nebraska to see how our efforts can change the outcome of a Congressional vote in Washington D.C. We tell ourselves that one person can't change anything. This mindset is a huge barrier to those attempting to organize the fight for health care reform in our state. It is hard to convince people to walk around a neighborhood going door to door, or call people they don't even know, if the volunteer can't see how there efforts matter.
This is what makes the fight for health care reform so unique and intriguing for those of us living in Nebraska. Our state does matter and our senator is nationally accepted as one of the key votes in the Senate. Ben Nelson's vote is one of two that the president himself has accepted as the key votes. The Boston Globe reported that President Obama set up private meetings with two senators that he sees as the votes he needs to pass serious health care reform. Senator Nelson was one of these two senators and his vote is accepted by many around the nation as the vote that will decide the outcome of this reform.
Nebraska, this is our chance to change the world. This is our opportunity to actually make a difference in this country. To change the way future generations think about health care. This really is our moment. Senator Nelson will listen to us if we show him that we want this reform. It is hard to put into words how monumental this moment really is for our state. Our senator could be go down in history as the key vote on a bill that literally changed everything we know about health care. Unfortunately, it could also go the other way. Nelson could be remembered as the one who stopped the change. The way history remembers him, and us, is up to us as volunteers here. We must show him we support this change.
So please get involved- call, write, knock on doors. Show the nation that Nebraska wants to see change in the way we view health care. Supporters are here, but that doesn't help the cause if we don't tell Senator Nelson that the supporters are here. He needs to see there is support across the state. We have to show him that we want change and that Nebraska really does care about the future of our country. It is hard to overstate the importance of our work as volunteering now. Can we really afford to go down in history as the state that didn't do everything in its power to influence our key senator? Do we want to be the state that killed our generation's chance to fix our broken medical system?
This is not how I want our state to be remembered. Let's go down as the state that made this happen. The state that gave our children affordable health care. The state that finally won the war for reform.
As President Obama recently related to me regarding local service; "Now is our time to work together, reaffirm our enduring spirit, and choose our better history."
It is our responsibility as Americans to vote, and vote we must. And now is the time to prepare for the next election. I invite all citizens of Nebraska to post a message on the Nebraska Election Blog.
Nebraska Election Blognebraska-election.blogspot.com
During the first 100 days of the Obama presidency we have seen outstanding leadership in tackling the many issues facing our great nation. And it seems that overwhelming poll numbers indicate that America agrees with President Obama. see THE WHITE HOUSEThe question remains; What can we as fellow Americans do to help our neighbors and countrymen? Included are nine things you can do to help the President celebrate his first 100 Days in office:1. Donate unused suits to the Salvation Army2. Donate time to Americorps3. Donate toys for children at Toys for Tots4. Donate blood at the Red Cross5. Donate a can of food each week to a Local Shelter or Food Pantry6. Donate money to Save the Children7. Donate time at local a Veterans Hospital8. Donate an hour a day to your Child9. Donate to the Make a Wish FoundationParticipation is greatly appreciated. What you do for the least of our brethren, you do for yourself -http://donate.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxWJh
Barack Obama First 100 Days posted by David Apperson
Presidential Inaugural Address Delivered by President Barack Obama on 20 Jan 2009
My fellow citizens -I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.This is the price and the promise of citizenship.This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.President Barack Obama
My fellow citizens -
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
President Barack Obama
Presidential Inaugural Speech - A message for all peoplehttp://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxHqT
source: David Apperson, webmaster
The Pickens Plan: For those who would like to become an active participant in a solution for our nations energy needs I urge you to join with T.Boone Pickens in his quest for a cleaner planet through alternative energy.
Also see Green Wave Energy: Green Wave was founded by Mark Holmes and was formulated for viable alternative energy solutions. Green Wave Energy is promoting state-of-the-art energy-saving products and services throughout the country.
Green Wave Energy understands alternative energy technology will become “main stream” when
Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.
Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
Obama-Biden PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM is giving all people a voice in the administration -
The PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM is doing a great job. Thank the Almighty Creator that this is a new day in the history of this great nation.
Internet Webmasters, Designers and Developers
If you are an independent webmaster, designer or developer and have linked a business, personal, or political website or blog to your barack obama posts or other barackobama.com web pages and would like to be recognized for your efforts let me know. Mail your contact and other pertinent information to: David Apperson, Webmaster 10336 Loch Lomond Rd PMB 105Middletown CA 95461or email contact information to yofast@gmail.com
Our campaign’s effort to win Nebraska’s second Congressional District is getting results. Anecdotally, I see it in canvassing. Since mid-September, with the economy becoming the preeminent issue in the public’s mind, and with Barack’s and Joe’s solid debate performances, I see more voters moving from undecided to Obama/Biden. The poll analysis website, fivethirtyeight.com, began doing a statistical breakout of Nebraska’s three congressional districts, since, like Maine, we allocate our five electoral votes based on the voting in each district. This breakout is not based on polling data, since there hasn’t been any yet. (We should see some poll results soon.) When the first breakout was done, the website projected McCain was leading in the second Congressional district by five percent. That shrank to 3.5 percent, and is now down to McCain by 2.5 percent in today’s breakdown. You’ll find Nebraska’s results on the right side of the screen where state results are listed in alpha order. Here’s the link: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/
We can do this! We have 20 days to make a difference. Promise yourself that you will take action to get this done. Contact your family and friends. Stop by one of the three campaign offices (343 N 76 St., 5032 Ames Ave., or on the west side of 144th St., just north of W. Center Rd., in the northeast corner of the Harvey Oaks Shopping Center) and help make phone calls, or click on the Neighbor to Neighbor tool and make a difference with your computer and telephone when you have a few quiet minutes. Click on the “Events” button on the right side of your MyBO home page and sign-up for one of the many canvasses going on in the final 20 days. Set aside some time in your schedule to help with the huge Get Out the Vote (GOTV) push that will take place from October 27 to November 4. If we all do our best, we can win this Congressional district. And, to paraphrase Barack, if we can win the second Congressional district, we can win this election; and if we win this election we can change this country and change the world!
"An Obama-Biden ticket is a very impressive and strong team," said Hagel. "Biden's selection is good news for Obama and America. "
GOP senator: A 'stretch' to say Palin is qualified 18 mins ago WASHINGTON – Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel said his party's vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, lacks foreign policy experience and called it a "stretch" to say she's qualified to be president.
"She doesn't have any foreign policy credentials," Hagel said in an interview published Thursday by the Omaha World-Herald. "You get a passport for the first time in your life last year? I mean, I don't know what you can say. You can't say anything."
Could Palin lead the country if GOP presidential nominee John McCain could not? "I think it's a stretch to, in any way, to say that she's got the experience to be president of the United States," Hagel said. McCain and other Republicans have defended Palin's qualifications, citing Alaska's proximity to Russia.
Palin told ABC News, "They're our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska." Hagel took issue with that argument.
"I think they ought to be just honest about it and stop the nonsense about, 'I look out my window and I see Russia and so therefore I know something about Russia,'" he said. "That kind of thing is insulting to the American people."
Hagel, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been a vocal critic of the Bush administration since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In July, Hagel traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Though he didn't expect to be asked, Hagel had said he would have considered serving as Obama's running mate. Palin was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, population 6,500, before becoming Alaska's governor in December 2006. Palin visited soldiers in Kuwait and Germany last year and said in an interview with ABC News that her only other foreign travel had been to Mexico and Canada. She also said she had never met a foreign head of state.
Hagel told the newspaper that other governors have been elected to serve in the White House without experience in Washington. He said judgment and character were also important for the job.
"But I do think in a world that is so complicated, so interconnected and so combustible, you really got to have some people in charge that have some sense of the bigger scope of the world," Hagel said. "I think that's just a requirement."
On the Net: Omaha World-Herald: http://www.omaha.com
Permalink: blog.luciolepress.com/2008/09/18/nebraska-republican-sen-chuck-hagel-says-it-is-a-stretch-to-say-palin-is-qualified-to-be-president-i-think-they-ought-to-be-just-honest-about-it-and-stop-the-nonsense.aspx
see also: James Fallows, National Correspondent, Atlantic Monthly, and former Chief Presidential Speechwriter for Jimmy Carter, on the Palin Interview with Charles Gibson, searingly but genteely dissecting her total ignorance of international affairs:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Palin-Interview-The-Unten-by-James-Fallows-Nat-080917-507.html
Your comments and insights are most welcome!
Conventions didn't fire you up enough?
This story ran lead in the Omaha World-Herald this morning:
An unusually large number of states remain in play. Polls show the race is tight in the traditional battlegrounds of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and even in GOP strongholds such as Nevada and South Dakota. Here's the most unusual battleground of all: Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, where the campaigns are fighting for a single electoral vote and private polling shows a close race between McCain and Obama. ...Obama, who won the Nebraska Democratic caucuses in February, has been organizing in the 2nd District for weeks. The campaign now has 15 paid staffers on the ground here, said Erin Fitzgerald, an Obama spokeswoman in Omaha. The campaign will be opening its Omaha office this week, said John Berge, Nebraska state director for Obama. Berge said the 2nd District effort is operating independently of Obama's campaign in Iowa, which includes a field office in Council Bluffs. "We're all in Nebraska, and we're going to stay in Nebraska," he said. The campaign has been canvassing Omaha-area households, trying to identify likely voters, register new voters and organize a get-out-the-vote drive. Obama volunteers were scheduled to canvass today in Bellevue and the Elkhorn area. The Obama campaign also will be involved in phone banking and early-voting events, among other activities. READ MORE
An unusually large number of states remain in play. Polls show the race is tight in the traditional battlegrounds of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and even in GOP strongholds such as Nevada and South Dakota. Here's the most unusual battleground of all: Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, where the campaigns are fighting for a single electoral vote and private polling shows a close race between McCain and Obama.
...
Obama, who won the Nebraska Democratic caucuses in February, has been organizing in the 2nd District for weeks. The campaign now has 15 paid staffers on the ground here, said Erin Fitzgerald, an Obama spokeswoman in Omaha. The campaign will be opening its Omaha office this week, said John Berge, Nebraska state director for Obama. Berge said the 2nd District effort is operating independently of Obama's campaign in Iowa, which includes a field office in Council Bluffs. "We're all in Nebraska, and we're going to stay in Nebraska," he said. The campaign has been canvassing Omaha-area households, trying to identify likely voters, register new voters and organize a get-out-the-vote drive. Obama volunteers were scheduled to canvass today in Bellevue and the Elkhorn area. The Obama campaign also will be involved in phone banking and early-voting events, among other activities. READ MORE
Even Gov. Heineman called our organization "fantastic" -- but it's only fantastic with you. This afternoon, Campaign for Change organizers are holding canvass events across the district. Click here to find your organizer, and then go to the events page to locate the nearest 1 p.m. canvass.
Last week, hundreds of you joined the campaign at Kountze Park, 20th and Pinkney, for a rally featuring the DNC's "Register for Change" tour.
Dozens of volunteers pledged to do everything they could to get out the vote for Barack and Joe over the next nine weeks -- and now the work begins.
At 4 p.m. this Saturday, right after the football game, field organizers for Barack will hold a kick-off canvass effort at Kountze Park. They'll spread out across the neighborhood to talk about the change Barack Obama can deliver, and the importance of Omaha to that effort.
They need your help! Give a couple of hours of your time this Saturday, bring friends and neighbors, and help spread the word!
The Weekend of Action was a big success, with more than four dozen volunteers turning out to support Barack and Joe -- and as the campaign moves forward, the action's just getting started.
The election is less than nine weeks away, and the Nebraska field operation is really taking off. As staffers get settled into Omaha (stay tuned for details!), they're fanning out across the area to bring everyone into our grassroot movement to change America.
This week, campaign volunteers will be signing up new volunteers at The Foundry, 60th and Maple, during the Mid-America Music Festival. You'll be able to find them between 5 and 9 p.m. every evening through Saturday -- look for the people waving the Obama signs!
The campaign is also getting down to the neighborhood-by-neighborhood work that will bring victory in November. Field organizers are holding their first canvass events this Thursday across the Second Congressional District; check out the events page for Nebraska to find one near you, meet your field organizer, and get ready for the work ahead.
Monday, the Vise-Grip plant in DeWitt, Nebraska -- a key employer here, providing hundreds of jobs in Southeast Nebraska -- announced it would close. According to the Lincoln Journal Star, Vise-Grip's parent company, Newell Rubbermaid, will outsource some of the production to China.
Sen. Obama released a statement this afternoon on the closing:
OMAHA, NE – Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement regarding the Vise-Grip plant closing: “My heart goes out to the workers and families affected by the closing of the Vise-Grip plant in DeWitt, NE. Today's news is a painful reminder not only of the challenges America faces in our global economy, but of George Bush’s failed economic policies. I refuse to accept that we have to stand idly by while workers watch their jobs get shipped overseas. That’s why as President, I will end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs over seas, and reward tax credits to companies that create good full-time jobs with good benefits for our workers right here in the United States. Additionally, I will bring good jobs to the United States by making long-term investments in education, training, and workforce development, so that as Americans we can leverage our strengths to create new high-wage jobs. Today more than ever, we need a president who knows the fight for America’s workers is the fight for America’s future. And that’s a fight I intend to have if elected President,” said Senator Obama.
OMAHA, NE – Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement regarding the Vise-Grip plant closing:
“My heart goes out to the workers and families affected by the closing of the Vise-Grip plant in DeWitt, NE. Today's news is a painful reminder not only of the challenges America faces in our global economy, but of George Bush’s failed economic policies. I refuse to accept that we have to stand idly by while workers watch their jobs get shipped overseas. That’s why as President, I will end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs over seas, and reward tax credits to companies that create good full-time jobs with good benefits for our workers right here in the United States. Additionally, I will bring good jobs to the United States by making long-term investments in education, training, and workforce development, so that as Americans we can leverage our strengths to create new high-wage jobs. Today more than ever, we need a president who knows the fight for America’s workers is the fight for America’s future. And that’s a fight I intend to have if elected President,” said Senator Obama.
And from the Lincoln Journal Star, "Vise-Grip employees ponder what's next for them":
Newell Rubbermaid, which owns Irwin Industrial Tools, will move at least some production to China. Production at the plant will continue until the end of October, though employees were given the rest of this week off, with pay.After Wednesday’s meeting, many crossed the street from the plant to R.J.’s, where they wondered aloud what lies in store for themselves and for their community.“I’m 56 years old. What am I going to do?” asked Susie Miller, who has worked at the plant for 34 years. READ MORE
Good news today - Former Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska wrote an opinion piece in the Denver Post praising Obama's plan for Iraq:
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_10035189
First Read has the story on McCain and his surrogates repeating already-disproved attacks on Obama. These attacks have been discounted by such nonpartisan organizations as FactCheck.org:
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/30/1234797.aspx
Finally, Jonathan Chait in The New Republic has a piece that asks why Democratic candidates for president are always seen as the flip-floppers (as we have seen, John McCain has done plenty of flip flopping of his own):
http://tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=bb1c215b-5350-42a5-84a3-c60059716009&p=1
Looks like the polls haven't changed much since Obama's trip abroad. What can we do to help dispel the image of Obama as an "arrogant elitist who thinks he's already President", as I've seen one news item put it?
