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.
Juansaj anr
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Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
I am so glad I am alive to see this day.
I have traveled around the world.
I have visited and lived in other countries.
I had the Opportunity to meet many different People in other Countries.
I am Grateful to have experienced the Past Opportunities in LIFE.
It made me who I am today. Pragmatic.
We needed this Election more than some people know.
I see PEACE in the Future.
We are going in the right direction.
*One Snow Flake is weak.
**Thousands of Snow Flakes are strong.
(I'm thinking about all those HARD Snowballs Iv'e been HIT with...OUCH!)
An Avalanche is Powerful.
The USA has the Strength of a Blizzard;
...and the Passion as a Blanket of Snow. (Just Beautiful. Protects Plants, too!)
Today I am glad Barack Obama is OUR PRESIDENT-Elect.
"CONGRATULATIONS Barack Obama!"
The World will be a Better Place to live in.
The United States of America will certainly be a better place to VISIT.
PEACE to All,
Finally
Goodnight My Friends,
Mona Ali
I do my clearest thinking in the thick fog of my morning shower. And today, after reading the lastest poll numbers and chewing on the state of the campaign, I realized I owe Hillary a major-league thank-you.
I was an Obama girl from the first time I watched his Iowa victory speech on Youtube. And I was really, really frustrated by a lot of the attacks from Hillary's campaign, believing in the wisdom of Reagan's Eleventh Commandment, "Thou Shalt Not Speak Ill of a Fellow (Party Member)". Even worse, I thought, was her pointless and self-serving continuation of the primary battle long after her viability as a candidate was extinguished.
And yet.
Look where we are today:
Hillary's attacks flushed out Obama's closet (Ayres, Wright, etc.). Have we really heard any new attacks from the McCain campaign? Everything they raise sounds like tired old news, and has given them precious little traction.
The long, slog of a primary season required Obama to be ahead of the curve in building organizations in all 50 states. Even states which I'd never have thought he'd be competitive today. I mean, look at Indiana, North Carolina, etc...!
So even before the final result is known, I feel like saluting you, Hillary. And eating a little crow. You were a big part of making this possible. Thank you. Really.
EDITORIAL NOTE: This Post Originally Appeared At The Huffington Post / Off The Bus On September 14, 2008.
Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-foval/wisconsin-hotly-contested_b_126332.htmlto view the original post.
Wisconsin has become one of the most watched battleground states in the country, and forces on both the Democratic and Republican sides have activated their field operations and get-out-the-vote, or GOTV, efforts to woo registered Independent and undecided likely voters. Democrats have been hoping to turn this traditionally red state into a purple or possibly even blue one this year. But just before polls opened last Tuesday for Wisconsin's general assembly primary, numerous, unconfirmed allegations began to surface of a behind-the-scenes effort by the McCain-Palin campaign to manipulate the vote totals in Wisconsin and other key states this November.
On the Monday night before the primary, thousands of Wisconsin registered Independents and voters who have re-registered in the last year received absentee ballot applications enclosed in McCain / Palin direct mail pieces. The pre-printed, re-mailable absentee ballot applications appeared to be customized to the recipient's mailing address, with the addressee's local election office already on the form. Such mailers have been a tool for political campaigns, labor unions, GOTV interest organizations, and state and county election offices for a number of years. Other states reportedly saw similar mailings hit mailboxes, possibly totaling in the millions.
On the surface, the mailings appear to be a legal GOTV effort to re-register targeted recipients for the November 4 general election. But reports in the blogosphere, progressive media, and by other individual sources allege that the forms could instead be part of a larger effort to purposefully manipulate voter registrations in Wisconsin and possibly nationwide. The mailers, if true, may be a type of voter fraud because if someone receives an absentee ballot but does not send it in, he or she cannot go to the polls and vote on election day. The allegations imply that the McCain campaign is sending absentee ballots to people in the hopes that they will not send them in and when they try to vote in person will be turned away.
On Thursday's and Friday's nationally-broadcast Thom Hartmann Show, which airs on Air America Radio Network and streamed online, guest host Lee Rayburn of AAR affiliate The Mic 92.1 FM in Sun Prairie, Wisc., broke the story about the mailings and fielded numerous calls from listeners echoing their concerns about them.
In Wisconsin, the core center of government, the state capitol of Madison, is notoriously liberal. And Milwaukee, the economic center along Lake Michigan, tends to lean left. However, over the last three decades the rest of the state, proud of its independence, its agricultural and green technology industries, and religious conservatism, has proven to be moderate-to-conservative, primarily voting so-called red most of the time. In the last 12 years Wisconsin also has had its share of alleged voting irregularities, although investigations into the allegations have not yet been aggressively pursued by the state assembly or attorney general's offices.
This year, however, may be different. As the economic policies of George Bush have played out, and 3000-plus Wisconsin National Guard reservists were called up last weekend to deploy to Iraq this fall, the state's residents seem to have shifted their opinions of the Republican Party, and the presidential and vice presidential contests. As a result, Wisconsinites are scrutinizing every angle of electing their public officials at a level that has not been seen before. Members of the military who are deployed abroad, by far the largest group of absentee voters, are being courted particularly heavily by the political parties, as dissension in the ranks has swung both political contributions and absentee registrations towards the Democrats and away from Republicans in many states.
Direct mail campaigns containing absentee ballot applications from political parties and campaigns targeted at registered Independents are not new. Wisconsin is an Independent stronghold due to the popularity of Independent U.S. Senator Herb Kohl. Mail campaigns also affect the local and statewide races by activating those potential swing votes. Democrats have been active too, coordinating GOTV efforts for contested Wisconsin General Assembly seats with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). SEIU distributed direct mail pieces to thousands of households on behalf of their endorsed candidates to likely voters in Wisconsin and other states. In Wisconsin both direct mail campaigns hit mailboxes on or before Monday night, September 8, just in time for Tuesday's primary activities. The SEIU mailers did not contain absentee ballot applications, nor did they include endorsements of the national parties or the Obama-Biden campaigns.
McCain's political pitch is targeted squarely at pro-life conservatives. The headline, "A faith that sustains me...," leads to a main story starting with his POW experience in Vietnam, his adoption (with wife Cindy) of a little girl from Mother Theresa's orphanage, and delivers the pro-life position to the reader right between the eyes.
Quoted McCain lines from one of the mailers include these:
"My faith in God sustained me, protected me and gave me the strength to endure."
"That's why I have consistently fought to defend the right to life and the rights of the unborn."
"That's why Cindy and I have worked to promote adoption here and around the world as an alternative to abortion, including adopting our own daughter from Mother Theresa's orphanage in Bangladesh."
"And that's why I will appoint judges that respect the values and protect the rights established in our Constitution, faithfully applying the law without legislating from the bench."
Local party officials and labor union organizers are mixed on the effect the national efforts will have on the races at the local level, and on the results in November. Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District Democratic Party Chairman Peter Rickman, an experienced political operative and labor organizer for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), indicated in a Thursday phone interview that the national campaigns are prioritizing their efforts in Wisconsin towards GOTV efforts, but that more statewide and local media buys would be necessary to sway the voters in his district. Rickman insisted that the local candidates and parties were more focused on winning the Wisconsin General Assembly for Democrats, because local politics, he said, is where "real governing happens," and was pessimistic on whether the Obama campaign had done enough to support the entire ticket in an effort to spur the kind of change Obama spoke about in his Democratic National Convention acceptance speech.
"They're focused on their guy and getting him elected, and that's great, but the Obama Campaign could do a lot more to help out in local and statewide races, supporting the whole ticket," Rickman said. "If they really want to make change happen, it's going to have to be at the grassroots level, and although they have raised a lot of individual contributions and support from the grassroots, I haven't seen much of that money coming back in the way of paid media." Rickman did say, however, that the Obama-Biden Campaign and other national organizations are mobilizing large numbers of volunteers and paid staffers in his state and others to bolster GOTV efforts, which would go a long way to insure that likely voters are delivered on November 4.
Wisconsin Republican Party officials at the state and county levels in several areas were contacted for this report, but numerous requests for comment about the allegations surrounding the McCain-Palin mailings went unanswered. Democratic officials, including Rickman and Dane County Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Bigelow, did not mention the absentee ballot allegations in their respective interviews, but have been contacted for follow-up on this story. Efforts to contact state election officials about the allegations are still ongoing, but at press time, requests for comment have yet to be answered.
Sensitivity Training: How To Talk To Hillary's Voters
My name is Jarrett. I am a life-long Democrat who campaigned and voted for Hillary Clinton in the highly contested swing state of Florida. Once again, Florida will decide the Presidential Election for the year 2008/09.
I have now switched my support to Barack Obama because his policies and outlook are far closer to my ideals than those of John McCain. The decision was easier for me than it will be for many Hillary voters because I am more familiar with the cut-throat nature of politics.
What I've noticed, since joining the Campaign for Change, is that many long-time Obama supporters don't really know how to effectively communicate with Hillary's supporters. Without further delay, I will explain the "do's and dont's" concerning the way we should solicit support from a Hillary Clinton voter like myself:
Remember H.I.L. (Humility, Interest, Love)
Humility - Hillary voters don't want to hear about you are the best and you beat them... They don't agree. We know that Hillary Clinton actually won the popular vote in swing states that will matter later on... If Obama supporters seem unaware of this inconvenient fact, they will appear foolish and egotistical to a Hillary supporter. The best thing you can say to a Hillary voter is "We REALLY need your vote/help in this election... We can only do it with support from motivated and knowledgeable folks like yourself."
Interest - Take a moment to hear what Hillary voters have to say and brace yourself... They might want to talk about how Hillary was railroaded by the media, about how sexism prevented her from winning, or about how she had the right idea concerning Universal Healthcare. You must NOT take these statements as a threat to the Obama campaign, but rather assume that these statements are a SUPPORT for the Democrats as a whole. Show the supporter that you agree with their concerns and that is why we need to stick together... Just remember that letting a Hillary voter do the talking will satisfy them - they want to educate YOU, not the other way around. The only thing they want to hear from you is that you are against Bush/McCain.
Love - Hillary solicited votes from Women, Young People, Gays and Lesbians and African Americans by speaking gently and lovingly about how much she cherishes each and every supporter. She speaks at great length about how amazing and inspiring each and every supporter is. You probably missed this if you were watching the mainstream media - but her supporters got wonderful HTML emails expressing gratitude and gifts and warm wishes. At her rallies, Hillary spent hours waving and smiling and shaking hands, and LISTENING to others. Quite frankly, this seems missing from the Campaign For Change because we are approaching crunch time. We need to always keep in mind that these are our neighbors, grandmothers, best friends, classmates and teachers. We have waited our whole lives to see a Female President of the United States of America and we are VERY concerned about Healthcare for our loved ones. Hillary voters WANT to support Barack Obama, but any percieved insult or indifference to Hillary as a person will steer them FAR away from that goal. Do not distract us with old arguments from the past. This is the NOW and we are all friends again.A good thing to say regarding this might be, "Gosh, it's really unfortunate that they wound up running against eachother in the primary because they are both such wonderful candidates."
Hillary voters MUST be reassured of the following things:
Thank you for taking the time to read this and please forward it to only your friends who are active in the campaign so we can continue to Ba-Rock the Vote together.
- Jarrett For Obama/Biden '08
If you want to know what type of support the Clintons will extend to the Obama/Biden ticket, you ought to be looking into where her money has been coming from. There were reports last year that many of the same organizations that had poured money into the McCain race also were contributing to Hillary Clinton's campaign. It should come as no surprise that the two ganged up on Obama in the primary, and are doing it again in the general election.
With the convention ready to start, perhaps some fresh news pieces on her sources of money and connection to John McCain might cause her supporters to re-think their support of her. Elected office is supposed to be "public service," not "self service!"
Here's the link to my discussion following Obama's clinching the nomination:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stevadore/gGBy5v
Not to get down on HRC. (I did vote for her in the MD primary). But you should check out this facinating article in The Atlantic. Here is the teaser blurb from the magazine.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign was undone by a clash of personalities more toxic than anyone imagined. E-mails and memos—published here for the first time—reveal the backstabbing and conflicting strategies that produced an epic meltdown.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200809/hillary-clinton-campaign
---
Reading this piece I wondered if the reason Obama came out on top was because he needed to stick to one basic strategy to win and therefore he was able to maintain a consistant message. Thoughts?
So this August's primary was my first ever chance to vote for myself, having just turned 18 the week before. How did I spend it? Serving as a pollworker in St. Louis County. (Civic duty and all that. Okay, or just geekdom.)
According to Wikipedia, "South County is the most politically conservative section of St. Louis county, with the South County chamber of Congress reporting nearly 70% of its residents who voted for George W. Bush over John Kerry in 2004." Well, if I hadn't gotten a hang of that after helping out with various local and national campaigns over the last handful of years, I definitely would believe it after asking for ballot preferences for 13 hours. But the thing that really struck me was an overwhelming sense of a great need for improved voter education. I admire each and every single person who came out on that miserably hot August day to vote, but far too many of them didn't understand what they were voting for. Why were you there, I asked myself time and time again as voters continued to not seem to understand that this was a <i>primary</i> election and that they therefore had to declare a party. But I'd answer myself every time: civic duty, the same reason I was there.
Now, my parents are public school teachers. I graduated last May from a public high school. I know this stuff is being taught in class. But there's still a gap, one that I saw in every demographic on August 5th: the elderly, the recently naturalized immigrants, the couples in their mid-30s, everyone--even among my fellow pollworkers who had to be instructed on the nature of the election during training the week before. Therefore, I bring this appeal to all my fellow Obama supporters and everyone who's got even an inkling of desire to help turn the November election into a fruitful one: don't just pass on information about your candidate. Help make sure that your neighbors and friends understand the process as well. Explain the primary system and the conventions and the electoral college (if you can!) and the nature of any other initiatives that will be on the local ballot; being helpful and friendly goes a long way to ingratiate yourself (and thereby the information you're bringing them) to the masses.
Being a responsible political activist goes beyond just supporting our candidate, it's being an activist for the political system as well.
Obamabot Version 2.8 is a non-nuclear and land-based Defense System authorized by the Obama for America Political Campaign.
Primary Objectives are as follows:
• Detect the launch of enemy attack articles that are harmful to the Obama Campaign
• Track and Meet incoming attacks
• Run Diagnostics on how best to counter-attack or stunt attack
• Engage and Destroy offensive article and/or author
As of early 2008 the Obama Defense System (ODS) program goes beyond the original capability (C1) of earlier versions of the Obamabot architecture.
Current schematics reflect the paradigm of a general election campaign against Republican Senator from Arizona John McCain, as well as the increased necessity of defense-minded programming.
Version 2.8 offers updated defense programs in all 50 states against threats larger and more covert than the initial C1 architecture was designed to handle.
Version 2.8 includes the following updates over Version 2.7:
• ODS Threshold Requirements lowered to include more unsophisticated attacks
• Increased autonomy from leadership elements (Programming Note: Failures in earlier logic units has lead to several rogue elements and increased backlash in ODS, this version allows for the replacement and upgrading of Obamabots of all versions still in operation in the field.)
• Self-Updating Overwrite functions on logic units to reflect constant issue "clarifications" from the Obama Campaign
• Addition of a Republican Attack Machine Awareness System (RAMAS) and corresponding counter-attack functions
• Better cooperation among units involving Mass Media outlets
• Faster detection speed
• Logs of authorized, unauthorized, or accidental attacks of sophisticated payloads are now sent to HQ for better allocation of Spin and Damage-Control Procedures (SDCP)
HQ: www.barackobama.com
Obamabot RAMAS update resources:
www.redstate.com
www.theobamafile.com
www.freerepublic.com
www.littlegreenfootballs.com
Obamabot SDCP Testing Facilities:
www.politico.com
www.realclearpolitics.com
www.youtube.com
www.cnn.com
www.hotair.com
www.salon.com
SDCP resource centers:
www.dailykos.com
www.reddit.com
www.digg.com
www.democraticunderground.com
I came across this article and after reading I saw red and my eye started to twitch. I'm all for party unity and all that good stuff. I might even toss Hillary $5 bucks...actually you know what, for now scratch that idea. I'll hold out and see how she and her followers behave at the convention and after, so far I'm not impressed. She pandered to Obama supporters by saying that she will throw all her time and energy behind Obama should he be the Nominee. Instead she has gotten lawyer to work out the "Unity" details, still hasn't fully conceded, is still holding all of her delegates tight and won't call off the PUMA henchmen, all while Obama and his campiagn staff have bent over backwards and extended the oilve branch to the point of hiring some of her "top" aides....Uggh!
Okay, let me take a moment to breath, count to ten and think of my happy place because I'm getting worked up again, and I'm trying to think about party unity. But HRC and her ex campaign staff are making it extremly hard and appear to be difficult to work with entitled, selfish and toxic. I'm starting to think she might be better served getting her PUMA folks and the like to raise that money. Right now I have a bad taste in my mouth awarding people with millions for thier own bad behavior and financial mismanagment...no matter how small the donation. I really think that her "top fundraisers and donators" need to get up off thier duff fundraise for Hillary and stop using Obama and his supporters as a crutch. Especially now when the focus should be raising funds to help Obama defeat McCain. Are they really asking for the focus to be taking off of that to now foucs o n Hillary's self imposed debt? Well, I'm going to step down from my soap box and let you all read the article and provide your thoughts...thanks for letting me vent...
A prominent donor to Senator Barack Obama recently sent an e-mail plea to other supporters, asking them — for the sake of Democratic unity — to write checks to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to help retire her $23 million in campaign debt.
Some of the replies are unprintable, given the coarse language, the donor said. A sampling of others included:
“Why would I help pay off debts that Hillary amassed simply to keep damaging Senator Obama?”
“Gas prices are up, the markets are in turmoil, my kid’s fall tuition bill is coming soon. Writing checks to politicians I don’t like is not at the top of my list.”
“Not a penny for that woman. Or her husband. Or — god forbid — Mark Penn,” a reference to Mrs. Clinton’s former senior strategist, whose firm is still owed several million dollars for work that included aggressive attacks on Mr. Obama.
As Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton prepare for their first joint fund-raisers to benefit the Obama campaign, in New York City on Wednesday and Thursday, their two camps are straining under the weight of continued resentments, recriminations and feelings that remain raw since the long primary battle.
Mr. Obama has asked his top donors to help raise money for her debt, and so far they have come up with less than $100,000 (though more in pledges), Clinton campaign officials said — a “paltry sum,” in the words of one.
Several Obama donors said in interviews that they were balking at Mr. Obama’s call for help because they believed Mrs. Clinton accumulated most of her debts after she had lost any mathematical chance of winning the nomination and was hanging on only in hopes of an Obama collapse. The idea of helping her now — and lining the pockets of Mr. Penn, a reviled figure in the Obama camp — is galling to them, they said, especially at a time when they say any available money should go to defeating Senator John McCain and the Republicans in November.
While no other presidential candidate has ever amassed so much personal and campaign debt en route to losing the nomination as has Mrs. Clinton, both Clinton and Obama donors say the larger problem for Democrats is that if the Obama camp is seen as unhelpful, Mrs. Clinton, her husband and their supporters could prove something less than a force for unity.
Among the complaints from Obama campaign officials is that Mrs. Clinton’s expectation for help has been a moving target; in other words, it is unclear how much money from Obama supporters will be enough to satisfy the Clintons. Even Clinton officials and donors were at a loss to specify a number, saying only that Mrs. Clinton was helping Mr. Obama with the understanding that he would do more for her.
“There is no lack of emotion among some supporters of both candidates, but what I think the sensible elements of good will are trying to achieve is debt relief for Hillary consistent with getting Barack elected president,” said Steven Rattner, a New York investment banker and leading fund-raiser for Mrs. Clinton, who is working with both camps to help Mrs. Clinton retire her debt.
The bitterness in the Clinton camp about the primary battle is well known, but several Clinton donors and campaign officials said a deeper issue remained unsettled: The belief — or, perhaps, the perception — that Mr. Obama and his aides are half-hearted in their efforts to help Mrs. Clinton and include her top donors on his leadership team.
Some of them griped that major Clinton donors were not being invited to crucial fund-raising meetings; were not being made to feel that they would receive credit for helping Mr. Obama win in November; and were not being given titles within the Obama campaign. An Obama aide said it was still early in the integration process of the two campaigns; he also added that the Obama operation was not as title-driven as the Clinton operation, which had various donors serving as “chairs,” “co-chairs” and “Hillraisers.”
Clinton donors and campaign officials say they remain surprised — and, among some, offended — that Mr. Obama has refused to ask his entire list of donors, more than 1.5 million people, to send $5, $10 or more to chip away at Mrs. Clinton’s debt. (Obama officials said they did not want to distract their donors for the main task at hand, raising money to defeat Mr. McCain.)
“The Obama effort hasn’t yielded much, but we hope it will increase,” said Alan Patricof, a top Clinton fund-raiser and family friend.
“I think most people — I can’t say everyone — thinks that helping Barack is the best way to get help from the Obama camp to help retire her debt, which is a major source of concern for her right now,” Mr. Patricof added.
Mrs. Clinton owes an estimated $12 million to consultants and vendors, like Mr. Penn; she also lent her campaign more than $11 million. That $11 million is listed as a debt, though Mrs. Clinton has told her fund-raisers that she does not expect them or the Obama camp to repay her.
Clinton campaign officials estimated that the millions owed to Mr. Penn and his team was by far the largest part of Mrs. Clinton’s debt, though they emphasized that the money was not only going for Mr. Penn’s time but also for the services provided by his colleagues and his polling and strategy firm. Clinton officials said they could not provide a breakdown of those amounts.
“We’re focused on the vendor debts, especially the Kinkos, the truck drivers and the small-business folks who helped us along the way,” said Jonathan Mantz, the Clinton campaign’s finance director.
Orin Kramer, a leading Obama fund-raiser, said he was working with other members of Mr. Obama’s national finance team, like Frank Brosens and Alan Solomont, as well as Mr. Rattner, Mr. Patricof and other Clinton donors to deal with the debt issue.
The negotiations between the Clinton and Obama camps are so delicate that it is one of the issues being managed by Robert Barnett, the high-powered Washington lawyer that Mrs. Clinton asked to help structure a political relationship between them for the general election.
According to several Democrats who have spoken to Mr. Barnett, he has counseled the Clinton camp that honey will work better than vinegar in the debt talks. But Clinton donors say it is an open question whether the Clintons believe they should play hardball — signaling that they will not rally enthusiastically behind Mr. Obama unless he does more on the debt situation — or appear agreeable with the expectation that the money will ultimately come through.
A crucial test will come at the fund-raisers in New York this week, both sides said. Mr. Obama is expected to ask supporters there to help Mrs. Clinton, and Clinton donors said they were hoping for a great deal more money to come in from people heeding his call.
The New York events are on behalf of the Obama campaign, his aides said; Mrs. Clinton will not receive a cut of the take, but rather, in theory, benefit afterward from Obama donors who decide to help her. Mr. Obama and his wife have each already written checks for $2,300, the maximum donation, to Mrs. Clinton.
“Senator Obama and his staff and his supporters are working very hard on debt relief for Senator Clinton, and will continue to in any way that works best,” said Bill Burton, a spokesman for the Obama campaign.
***UPDATE***
So Hillary wants to keep some dough on hand for a 2012 "Senate" run...yeah right!! My gut is sreaming another presidential run and a re deaux with Obama. Well you decide... here is the link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/15/hillary-asks-to-keep-dono_n_112794.html
***UPDATE 1.1***
Hillary Campaigns memo released - http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200809/hillary-clinton-campaign
FYI:
I found the link for the GA Primaries. However, as I said in my last blog, One Blogger's Observations and Opinions on FISA Replies: Dissent and Community Activism:
...[T]his is not just an election of a President. The entire House of Representatives, 1/3 of the Senate, as well as various state and local positions are up for grabs all over the country this November. If you do not believe that your official does not have the best interests of you, your community, your state, or the country at hand, consider looking for a candidate who does have them, or even consider running yourself. I don't remember the requirements for running for office to require political experience, at least not in the Consitution. [Emphasis added]
Here is the Qualifying list for the GA primaries: http://www.sos.ga.gov/cgi-bin/qualifyingindex.asp.
Early voting: 7/7-7-11
Primary Day: 7/15
Not in GA, post your state on the blogs, too!
Good luck
EMK
It's not even close. Compare Hillary Clinton to all the names being floated for Barack Obama's running mate and the conclusion is beyond obvious Senator Obama, you are a very smart man which makes me confident you are ignoring the advice of the Washington chattering class who are strongly opposed to you putting Hillary Clinton on the ticket .
The chatterers are nice people but let's face it, most have never been involved in a campaign, know nothing about targeting, or persuadable voters, or analyzing polls beyond the match race and favorability ratings. They are people who harbor negative feelings towards Hillary Clinton formed years ago and who stubbornly ignore the evidence of her political maturation.
On the outside chance Senator you are listening to this uninformed conventional wisdom I offer the following rebuttal of the chatterers arguments and the case for choosing Clinton. For the record I did not support Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination.
* The chatterers insist she will be a drag on the ticket and bring the Republican base to the polls in huge numbers. If it is not obvious to the chatterers yet, they should pay closer attention the vicious anti Obama tirades by right wing bloggers and conservative talk radio show hosts. The Right will come to the polls all right...to vote against Barrack Obama in droves with or without Hillary Clinton.
* A drag on the ticket. Please. Hillary Clinton immediately expands the electoral map putting states in play that are currently out of Obama's reach; West Virginia, Kentucky, and Arkansas. She helps move toss up states to leaning Democrat; New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada (if Obama breaks north of 60% of the Hispanic vote he wins all three, Clinton helps get him there). Clinton helps solidify weak Democratic states including Pennsylvania and Michigan; she can bolster Obama's lead in Ohio and probably makes Florida competitive which it is not currently. Any other VP candidate that can expand the map like this? Not even close.
* Chatterers insist Clinton will be a distraction to your campaign. Exactly what does that mean? That she will be on another page and therefore step on your message? Ridiculous. There is no more disciplined, on message politician in America than Hillary Clinton. But the argument raises a question; why would she want to step on the message? If the message doesn't succeed then you don't succeed, then Hillary doesn't succeed. Why would she want that?
* Then there are the Bill Clinton arguments including his refusal to release contributors to his foundation. Fine, get him to agree to release the information but insist Cindy McCain release all her financial holdings, her separate tax returns for seven years, the amount of money her companies have paid in lobbying and pr to promote the sale of alcohol, and every position she holds in every company in which she has a financial interest or is on the board of directors. I think you will find the McCain campaign less insistent on Bill's financial disclosure.
* The Clintons are likely to make gaffes on the campaign trial the chatterers insist. Hillary Clinton has just finished running in 54 contests and got better and better with each one. Name me one of the other VP choices who can come close to matching her campaign skills. Certainly Bill Clinton made some mistakes during the nominating campaign but mostly because he took attacks on his wife too personally. He is still the best campaign horse in the stable. With Hillary on the ticket he'll campaign daily, without her only occasionally. Set Bill Clinton free in Appalachia and watch the anti Obama votes go way down.
* If you are elected Senator, so the charge goes, the Clintons will be constant problems for you. Hillary will promote her own agenda and Bill will wander the West Wing subverting your presidency. Absurd. When you get sworn in as president your stature will dwarf the Clintons. You have the Oval Office, Air Force One, and loyalists staffing the White House that wouldn't listen to Bill Clinton unless you insisted on it. I'd be surprised if he was in the White House more than a few days each year.
* As for Hillary subverting you, see above. Her political future will be dependent on your success; therefore she has every interest in promoting your agenda. The alternative (without her on the ticket) is much more problematical. She will be a huge force in the Senate with her own base and agenda. Would you rather have her out of the tent on the Hill permoting her own ideas or in your tent promoting yours? Not even a close call.
*A few other benefits of Clinton on the ticket; no one will be a more effective attack dog against McCain and the Right than Hillary. She can take the heat and defend you (something you are increasingly forced to do yourself). Every attack on McCain by Clinton will get wide coverage. No one has had more experience than Hillary on taking the Right to the wood shed and beating them to a pulp. She becomes the lightening rod, you go back to change and hope. Can any other VP choice do that? Not even close.
* By putting Clinton on the ticket you marry up the best money and organizational operations in the history of the Democratic Party. It wasn't her national organization that screwed up it was her supposed brain trust. With her money people committed, a $400 million dollar budget is very doable. Does any other VP choice have an organizational and money base like that? Not even close.
* You will sit atop the most unified Democratic Convention since the advent of television. The picture of you and Hillary Clinton together is a nightmare for Republicans. The GOP operatives are yearning for you to pick anyone besides Clinton. You scare them, she scares them, together you are their worst nightmare.
* Finally, and maybe most important of all, McCain and the Right have only one hope of defeating you Senator, and that is to make you too naïve and risky to be Commander in Chief. Your vice presidential choice must reek of experience. The argument against Clinton is she represents the past and hurts your change message. Sure the voters want change from what hasn't worked, but they embrace past success. Most voters recall the Clinton years (from a policy perspective at least) as successful. A message of change combined with a record of past success is a more comforting message than change alone. Can another VP candidate provide that level of comfort? Not even close.
Thanks for the tip, Colleen!
a N/NE Portland primary campaign office slideshow [youtube]
