Soon as we got a Democrat in the White House, a bunch of Senators claiming to be Democrats rushed to show how independent they are, declaring they won’t necessarily vote in support of the President’s agenda that he was elected to enact. As a Hoosier, I’ll put Indiana’s Evan Bayh (pronounced “Bye” or “Buy”) at the top of the list.
Mr. Obama is right to allow politicians to vote their “consciences” (oxymoron is obvious). Where he’s wrong is in promising to raise money for them. I won’t give one penny to support ANY Senator who fails to toe the line and earnestly help the President do what he promised. Many promises were made. If they’re not kept because Democrats in the Senate support powerful banks and other lobbies against the people who support Mr. Obama’s agenda, then Bayh-Bayh to them come the primary.
If self-described Democrats in the Senate refuse to push through the President’s agenda, then it’s up to us to FIND SOMEONE WHO WILL. I won’t give money to or raise money for Evan Bayh or Arlen Spector or any of the approximately eight others who have declared themselves “independent” of this cause.
They want our money and votes only to betray us to the powerful lobbyists who own them. We need to start work right now finding better people to run against them in the primaries and start raising the money they’ll need to win.
We kept McCain and Palin out of the White House. We certain can put Bayh, Specter and those other eight “independent” Democrats OUT of the Senate. CHANGE is coming to America.
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Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
“Mad about The One. The US media have been captivated by Obama, at the expense of their curiosity and scepticism.”
This is the title of an article by Harold Evans in The Guardian on November 1, 2008. He resorts to the bias he decries in his one-sided column. I have reproduced it below in its entirety, along with my annotations {…} . Phrases that I comment upon are in boldface.
It's fitting that the cynicism "vote early and vote often" is commonly attributed to Chicago's Democratic boss, mayor Richard Daley, who famously voted the graveyards in 1960 to help put John Kennedy in the White House. In this 2008 race, it's the American media that have voted very early and often. They long ago elected the star graduate of Chicago's Democratic machine, Barack Obama. {Obama is a hardly a “graduate“ of the machine. What about Harvard Law, Columbia, etc.?}
I am not talking of editorials in newspapers, though Obama has the preponderance of the endorsements over John McCain. Obama certainly deserves the credit for recruiting impressive advisers and running a more efficient campaign machine than any one in the US's political history.
What's troubling to anyone old-fashioned enough to care about standards in journalism is the news coverage in mainstream media. Forget the old notions of objectivity, fairness, thoroughness, and so on. The nastiest rumours on both sides haven't been published, but the coverage has been slavishly on the side of "the one". {“Slavish”? Evans’s description.}
When people ask me why I support Barack Obama, I always feel slightly tongue-tied. I lose a little bit of confidence even though I do have some clear beliefs why he should win office. However, they always end up sounding cliché. For instance, I usually think of the word ‘change’ but how many times have you heard that from an Obama supporter? It’s an abstract truth but not a concrete reason that holds weight with candidates like Hillary Clinton, whose political experience outweighs his or John McCain who has been in politics since I’ve been born. So with this in mind, I’ve been searching for better reasons why I support the Black man with the “funny name”.
Over the last few months, I have been immersed in Obama’s campaign. I’ve read both of his books, the autobiography Dreams from My Father and the more politically driven, The Audacity of Hope, which gives me a more personal and specific look into the man’s upbringing, beliefs and political views. I have also been reading some articles from various sources about his campaign and how he’s been stacking up against his relentless, unflinching opponent, Hillary Clinton. In the evenings, after I come home from work, I sometimes watch Youtube clips from his page, hoping to gain a firmer stance on my position on the issues. I’ve also, sometimes reluctantly, watch CNN, MSNBC and even FOX News (all thanks to my brother whose sudden interest in politics may be all due to Mr. Obama himself). I’ve even volunteered on his behalf, making donations, going to rallies, making a few calls to voters, sending out postcards and agreeing to a random interview with a university as a young supporter.
Now, I will say that prior to this election, I was not into politics that much at all. I’ve never been to a rally for a candidate nor read a political book in my life. I was even a Hillary supporter at first, thinking that Obama really didn’t have a chance at winning the presidency. So I wonder, “What is it about him that makes me believe so much? Why do I feel so driven to be involved and to learn as much as I can about the issues and the candidate himself?”
I’m still in search for that answer. I’ve had some discoveries over the last few months that I will share with you and I know I will have quite a few more during the general election. In consequence, I will share my journey with you on this quest to find out the answer to this very question. I will call it, for now, “The Exploration of Hope”. Cheesy maybe but I kinda like it.
Written on May 19, 2008
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ATEPERKINS.TV: Georgia's Jennifer Brook and Friends Celebrated ...By NATEPERKINS.TV (blog-tv)(NATEPERKINS.TV (blog-tv)) Video thumbnail. Click to play Click to Play. Dear NATE -- Join a Georgia Unite for Change Team I'm excited to announce that today, the CNATEPERKINS.TV: Georgia's Jennifer Brook and Friends Celebrated ...By NATEPERKINS.TV (blog-tv)(NATEPERKINS.TV (blog-tv)) Nate PerkinsNate Perkins Live [TV] ChannelCEO Nate Perkins Enterprises 285 Centennial Olympic Park Dr Suite 2302 Atlanta, Georgia 30313 nateperkins@bellsouth.netHome : 1-770-331-4002 Work : 770-331-4002 Cell : 770-331-4002 ...Syndicate "Nate Perkins Live: IPTV Show" - http://nateperkinstvshow.blogspot.com/ ampaign for Change in Georgia is launching our Unite for Change Team program in every county and ...Queen Of Late Night Talk Show... - http://bevsmithatlanta.blogspot.com/
There is a saying (from the bible) that you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. I will like to add that "you shall say the truth and the truth shall set us free".
During the Primaries till now, CNN's new anchors (and those of other news media) chose to overplay Obama's statement that he will be willing to sit down unconditionally with our enemies and talk with them. The overplays and resulting commentaries distorted Obama's intention with the statement so much so that he was frequently forced to explain what he meant. The news media took his statement to mean that he was weak on national security and foreign affair policies.
Most media anchors especially those of CNN (permit me to exclude Larry King from the cohorts) and the Republicans pounced on that statement and produced news segments and political advertisements that questioned why Obama should dare make such a statement. They spun the statement to produce doubts about Obama's patriotism, his religion and experiences on both national security and foreign affairs.
Last week, with about six months left, the current administration in an attempt to eek out a legacy for the "likely legacyless" President Bush, decided that it would talk to the Iranian negotiators. Was it a suicidal action on the part of the Bush administration? Did they not realize the implications that this would have on the McCain campaign and the ratings-driven Media commentaries? What it madness or foolery? No. It was a mere exercise of one of the attributes of "truth": you can delay the truth; you can twist the truth; but you can never hide the truth.
Of course, rather than accept that Obama was right to talk with our enemies, the media in an attempt to save face started running commentaries on the issue with such terminologies as "talk", "negotiate" and "a one-time talk". Condeleezza Rice picked on these commentaries and did everything she could to defend the hand that feeds her.
The press (CNN top of the list) did not mention that Obama's statement was exactly that he would "sit down to talk with" our enemies and that he did not say that he would "sit down unconditionally to negotiate with them". So much for Anderson's statement that "we present facts the way we see them and leave you the listener to decide" how authentic the (CNN) reports are.
I believe that more events will occur in the days before November to prove that Obama was right in this and many other issues. What is really wrong in talking to your enemies? I guess this should quiet the critics of Obama on whether he is actually a Christian because Jesus went to the extreme to say that you should not only talk to your enemies but that you should "love and pray" for them.
Again, for those who are not clear (or pretend not to be clear) about what Obama said and what he meant, Obama said that he will talk unconditionally with our enemies (those country-leaders that do not like us) with the intent to reason with them and that he (Obama) would not concede unless there is the likelihood that there were signs that the parties would "give up of current grounds towards a compromising one".
(This paragraph was prefaced by me telling the story of my long wait in line and through security to see Barack at the PA convention center)
Being there: But once I got to hear him speak, i can completely understand why people go crazy for him. he is electric. Everything he says makes sense and he is able to not just talk about the issues but to put them in context and relate them to situations and stories that connect with people. His speeches sound like he's just having a conversation. He's very down to earth. The theme of the speech was to get involved in your community. he did about 10 minutes on the issues and how he plans to fix health care and the housing crisis. but then he told a great story about a woman in a town in greenwood South Carolina; a town of about 20 supporters. The point of the story was that every vote counts. If you can change a person, you can change a town, if you can change the town you change the state, and if you change the state, you can change the country and help make a better world. On Obama: I guess it's that kind of thinking, that kind of bold logic that grabs me. and it's not something you'll hear from any other candidate. Obama was the underdog from day one and his movement has struck enough people to where he might just win. When i think about how he's organized his campaign on the positive and raised so much money ... i can't help but root for him. Obviously i don't think I'd vote for him if i didn't agree with his policy decisions. I like the solutions he's proposed to a lot of the problems this country is facing, and there are a lot of them. I know his policies and voting records are similar to those of Clinton so for me maybe it comes down to character. Especially after seeing Obama speak in person, I believe that he is a genuinely good person with an incredible personality. I don't feel that way about Clinton. (It goes on to a little clinton bashing from which i'll spare you)
Thanks to Newsvine, I have been able to watch the American elections from close quarters, to see the progress or fall of the leading candidates and to even have my two cents worth from the hustings through my favoured candidate, Barack Obama. i have to admit that if Obama were not in the race, I would have favoured Hillary Clinton. It just so happens that there are two history-making candidates with different advantages in the frame this year and that has presented a difficult choice to their supporters who would like to see either of them win. For years, there appeared to be no other choices but white males for the public to elect and then, like busses in a row, two other choices pull up at the same time. No wonder the nation seems to be heavily divided and confused, not because Clinton or Obama is so different from each other, or better than the other, but because the election has become unpredictable and exciting for the very first time, particularly for the Democrats. For women and minorities, it is really hard to know which way to go.
However, from across the Pond, a few things haven't made sense in the selection process and I think they need to change for fairness to be seen to be done when the dust has settled.
The only time I am ever ambivalent is when I am in a French wine store and I'm trying to buy a bottle of red wine. I've gotten my French reds down to loving nice dry Cotes du Rhone, but I could also wander around for an hour just looking at labels and wondering what things taste like.
But as far as the rest of my life goes, I'm a woman who knows what she wants.
Which is why it surprised me on primary day that I was weighing out the odds between Barack and Hillary all the way into the voting booth.
In the end I chose Barack.
(Although the state went to Hillary.)
So now that the primaries are over, my ambivalence is gone. Even though my personal politics are more along the lines of social democracy, I am throwing my support behind Barack.
The results hardly mattered any more. He needed just 4 to clinch the nomination. And it was done, history was created but one thing leaves me wondering. If Barack had paid more attention to his finish game and secure more wins in the last 9 primaries maybe Hillary wouldn’t have had the contentions on which to boast. She defeated him in the number of people who voted for her and will go down in history as the candidate with the most ever popular votes. How unfortunate but still, I would not fault Barack’s decisions.
Final Primaries
Finish line was already within his grasp
It was 4 delegates needed and the nomination was clasped
Nothing could stop him, it was history
A Black man was going to be the DNC’s Nominee
Lots of votes were counted on that final night
Primaries split between them but didn’t change the fight
Republicans were hoping against it but they’ll face Obama
It was obvious even though Hillary won South Dakota
Montana was won by Obama with a great margin
Although it wasn’t critical for him to win
Reactions varied when she asked what does Hillary need
It appeared she had no intention to concede
Everyone who expected Hillary to give up that night
Shared the same shock when she invited opinions on her website
