Posts with the tag Mississippi

UNITED AGAINST RACISM

WEBMASTER — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:46:34 EDT

Hi Friend

There 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=9dc74a6e

United Against Racism

posted by David Apperson

Mississippi Election Blog

WEBMASTER — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:04:03 EDT

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 Mississippi to post a message on the Mississippi Election Blog.

Mississippi Election Blog
mississippi-election.blogspot.com

BARACK OBAMA FIRST 100 DAYS

WEBMASTER — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:23:01 EDT

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 HOUSE

The 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 Army
2. Donate time to Americorps
3. Donate toys for children at Toys for Tots
4. Donate blood at the Red Cross
5. Donate a can of food each week to a Local Shelter or Food Pantry
6. Donate money to Save the Children
7. Donate time at local a Veterans Hospital
8. Donate an hour a day to your Child
9. Donate to the Make a Wish Foundation

Participation 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

Unsolved murders in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Era

dfillingham — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:24:53 EST

My friend Ben Greenberg and I share activist fathers in civil rights during the 50s and early 60s. He sent me the following. Ben is actively pursing the murderers who are still alive, and is mentioned below. He has tremendous respect for Jerry Mitchell who wrote this column. I support Ben 100% in his work, and I will report on the results as they come in.

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090215/NEWS/902150356/1001/news#pluckcomments

This is important work and I am glad to know Ben.

Regards, David Fillingham

PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL SPEECH

WEBMASTER — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:39:36 EST

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

Presidential Inaugural Speech - A message for all people
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxHqT

source: David Apperson, webmaster

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

WEBMASTER — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:26:14 EST

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

individuals and organizations understand that alternative energy technology exists and
when people see the economic benefits of using alternative energy technologies

Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.

Alternative Energy
Source: David Apperson

url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy

PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM

WEBMASTER — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:06:01 EST

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.

WEBMASTER - DESIGNERS AND DEVELOPERS

WEBMASTER — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 04:14:56 EST

President Barack Obama

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 105
Middletown CA 95461

or email contact information to yofast@gmail.com

OBAMA FOR MISSISSIPPI

WEBMASTER — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:31:29 EST

Abbeville * Aberdeen * Ackerman * Algoma * Alligator * Amory * Anguilla * Arcola * Arkabutla * Artesia * Ashland * Avalon * Avon * Bailey * Baldwyn * Banner * Bassfield * Batesville * Bay Saint Louis * Bay Springs * Beaumont * Becker * Belden * Belen * Bellefontaine * Belmont * Belzoni * Benoit * Benton * Bentonia * Beulah * Big Creek * Biloxi * Blue-Mountain * Blue Springs * Bogue Chitto * Bolton * Booneville * Boyle * Brandon * Braxton * Brookhaven * Brooklyn * Brooksville * Bruce * Buckatunna * Bude * Burnsville * Byhalia * Caledonia * Calhoun City * Camden * Canton * Carriere * Carrollton * Carson * Carthage * Cary * Cascilla * Cedarbluff * Centreville * Charleston * Chatawa * Chatham * Chunky * Clara * Clarksdale * Cleveland * Clinton * Coahoma * Coffeeville * Coila * Coldwater * Collins * Collinsville * Columbia * Columbus * Como * Conehatta * Corinth * Courtland * Crawford * Crenshaw * Crosby * Crowder * Cruger * Crystal Springs * D-Iberville * D-Lo * Daleville * Darling * De-Kalb * Decatur * Delta City * Dennis * Derma * Diamondhead * Doddsville * Drew * Dublin * Duck-Hill * Dumas * Duncan * Dundee * Durant * Eastabuchie * Ecru * Edwards * Elliott * Ellisville * Enid * Enterprise * Escatawpa * Ethel * Etta * Eupora * Falcon * Falkner * Farrell * Fayette * Fernwood * Flora * Florence * Forest * Foxworth * French Camp * Friars Point * Fulton * Gallman * Gattman * Gautier * Georgetown * Glen * Glen Allan * Glendora * Gloster * Golden * Goodman * Gore Springs * Grace * Greenville * Greenwood * Greenwood Springs * Grenada * Gulfport * Gunnison * Guntown * Hamilton * Harperville * Harriston * Harrisville * Hattiesburg * Hazlehurst * Heidelberg * Hermanville * Hernando * Hickory * Hickory Flat * Hillsboro * Holcomb * Hollandale * Holly Bluff * Holly Ridge

Freedom to Choose

Jack from Port Chester, NY — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:28:39 EST

1960

Mom Robinson lives in an apartment building for seniors in Cincinnati Oh. My father and mother grew up in Mississippi but moved our family to Cincinnati in the early 60s. My family was part of the migration of African Americans North to obtain better opportunity including exercising the right to vote without intimidation.

Fast forward to 11/4/2008

Mom Robinson's building also serves as a polling center for elections. She got up to vote in at 6:30 am to go down the hall to the community room in her buiding to vote. She said that there was already a line stretching out into the parking lot . She and the other elderly ladies cast their vote (yes for Obama/Biden) and then took up seats to watch the waves of people roll in to vote during the day. She counted over 2,000 people enter to vote.

She was absolutely thrilled to see all the "young folks" and voters of all races. Mom (age 87), said it was one of the most joyous days of her life to see so many young people , enthusiastic about voting and to cap it all off the elcetion of President Obama.

Thank you Obama /Biden!

Southern States

debbier — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:36:44 EDT

Senator Obama, when are you coming down South? Two of the debates were held in southern states, but we would love to see you in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, or Mississippi, on the campaign stump. I personally felt it was a bad decision on your campaign's part not to campaign in West Virginina during the primary. Please do not concede these southern states to McCain without a token fight!!!

1st debate

Rachael — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:28:54 EDT

First and foremost, I know that Mr. Obama is a busy busy man, but I pray that he actually takes the time to read what his supporters have to say. If not him then someone very close to him that can from time to time read what we have to say and share it with him.

As far as the debate I think Mr. Obama did very well. He was poised, well spoken as usual and hit some very important and key points that really needed to be stressed. My only issue was that sometime you could see him getting a little frustrated and I know that is sometimes a hard thing not to show, I just wish he would get better at not letting it show. When he knows it's starting to get a little rough or he feels he's about to get a little hot in the collar...just slow down...think first and proceed in a calm collect manner.

John McCain has to know that he did not have a chance at being the winner of the debate last night after pulling that stunt of suspending his campain! I if not everyone in America thought he had lost his mind to do such a foolish thing. Do not get me wrong, I am all for Obama but I want to see this done right, I want him to fight for this position. I want it to be given to him legit not handed to him because the villiage idiot made so many mistakes and errors that it's just handed right over to the opponent. McCain did not and could not look Mr. Obama in the face not one time! I was so glad that Obama stood tall and talked directly at him and said his name as he made his points and stated the wrong doings and thoughts of McCain.

All in all I wish they both would have had a clear YES or NO answer regarding the economy crisis, however I do understand that this takes time and they absolutely need to take their time on this and do it right. How they will come up with a solution by the weekend is beyond me, but I pray for your sake and mine that they do something soon because in the end we are the ones that are going to suffer. I pray that as the days and weeks approach to the election, we all make it known and heard that Barack Obama is the person that is going to bring about the change we need in this county!

Peace and Blessings,

Rachael

A Family of 6--with nowhere to turn

Kathleen from Meridian, MS — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:23:40 EDT

They had a note attached to his paycheck last week. They were filing chapter 11 bankruptcy. After 5 years of working hard, little time to relax, and no benefits... he is about to lose his job. So, that leaves us, his 4 children and his wife to wonder... What's next?

I guess I need to start with a short bit of background for it all to be understood. My husband and I have 2 children together, as well as the 2 children he fathered by his ex wife. The ex wife has an addiction to cocaine and alcohol. She pays no child support. She does not see her children. We take care of a family of 6, on only a grill cooks wages ($8.00 an hour, -2 meals a shift even if you dont eat them, and applicable taxes)

I am a full time student at Meridian Community College, where I have a 4.0 GPA, am vice president of Phi Beta Lambda, Kappa Delta chapter (Future Business Leaders of America). I am also an advisory board member for Care Lodge, Inc. (a local non-profit womens advocacy organization that provides 24-hour emergency assistance call lines, and also provides a safe shelter for women and their children). Even with all this on my resume, along with previous experience in the feild, I have not been able to find a job since college started, and I had to leave my previous job in order to take care of my 4 girls and attend school full time)

I look at the situation, and I have faith. I believe that Barack Obama will be elected the next president of this great country. Despite the fact that my government has done little for me, I still believe it is great. I still believe that this country is the Land of the Free. I still believe that this country has great people in it. The great people of this country are truely what makes it great. The people that have helped me, and the people that help others. People like the family that took me in as a single mother with nowhere to go, in an unfamiliar state, with no family. When the local government told me they could not help because I was not 21 years of age yet, and my emancipation was not complete. When the shelters told me they could not help because I was not 21 years of age yet. When I was going to be homeless, with a new born infant, this family took us into their home, and fed us, and helped clothe us. They helped me get my GED, and a better job after I healed from my c-section. They taught me about faith. Faith in my neighbor, and faith in my country.

When I listened to Senator Obama's plans and ideas, they made sense. Some of his speeches relay thoughts that I have always had about the problems we face as Americans, and race relations.

Living in Mississippi as a white woman with a black husband, 2 mixed race children, and 2 black children... life is not easy. I never wanted to have to sit my 3 year old down and explain why some people treat her different, or say mean things about her hair or skin.

I have always thought that people were just people, and we are different in many ways, but that difference is what makes us beautiful. We are all children of God, yet individual players with specialized skills, and each player plays a key role in this, the game of life. Though it seems to me that we the people have forgotten; that, for every action (and I mean EVERY action), there is an equal and constant reaction. That when we classify people, then sterotypes emerge. When stereotypes are present, they bloom into prejudisms. Then, it just goes downhill from there.

The people of this great country have also forgotten that everything they do, somehow affects the greater good. When you commit a crime; for example, shows this theory. It is not only the victim who is affected, but every person of this country who pays taxes that pay for the encarseration and services to the offender.

The government of this country; at some point, had also forgotten that every single thing that they do, effects the citizens of this great country.

That every increase in tax,
every job they let go out of this country,
every time they allow companies to monopoly,
every time they decide to go to war for phillonius reasons,
every time they think about their wallets getting fatter and forget the people,
every time they fail to see what the underprivilaged really need to succeed,
every time they allow lenders to rip off their customers with intrests as much as 3 times the principle,
every time they make it easier for the rich to get richer, and the poor to get even more poor
and every time they allow working people to go without health insurance, yet the people who refuse to better themselves recieve a full ride courtasy of the American tax payer; they have forgotten the greater good.

My friends, I STILL have faith.

I have faith in this country, and I have faith in Barack Obama. I pray every day that in November, the people of this country will open their eyes as wide as they can and see the big picture. I pray that they will see what is important, and see the great potential in my candidate, the great senator Barack Obama. Because a change MUST come.

Fear Not the McCain/Palin Web Space

Stine — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:15:57 EDT

One thing that impressed me with the MyBarackObama web site was the plethora of online groups. From national groups with high member counts like those for Barack Fans in the Colbert Nation to the myriad dozen or more groups just focusing on Mississippi, my current state of residence. Group themes range from single-payer healthcare to pastors in Mississippi. There is a group for every variety of Obama/Biden supporter, and the sheer variety immediately serves as evidence of the heterogeneity of the party and of Obama's following. There is a place for everyone with every need at this table.

Needless to say, this made me curious to see what was up in the McCain/Palin corner of the web: McCainSpace. I expected a similar environment to entice would-be Obama voters back to the conservative fold. I found a very different environment. The website content for McCain's campaign resembles the GOP website of 2004: a lot of generalities and requests for donations, with no content or detail as to how their goals would be accomplished, nor indeed any details regarding their plans for us. The number of total online groups is not much more than the number of groups focusing on Mississippi alone on the Obama site. Groups have already been set up for each state--and only one per state. The memebership numbers for Mississippi is barely a fourth of some sub-groups for Mississippi on the Obama site.

Yes many McCain/Palin supporters may be connecting on other sites, and the RNC is one-week behind in its calendar from the DNC convention. But the relative "silence" is telling. The largest McCainSpace group, Generation 2008, has less than 1/2 the membership than Barack Fans in the Colbert Nation. The membership in many of the other groups is pitiful. While this may simply be a reflection of the homogeneity of the GOP, it also reveals the stagnation of the GOP. 50 of the 58 groups that exist as of 9/7/08 are those that are assigned one to each state. There is no group for varieties of faith, lifestyle, or political concern.

Using these group templates as the Rosetta Stone by which we can see party priorities, the GOP is concerned with being vague regarding those who have served in the military (group "Greater Cause Than Self" if that’ what it refers to), promoting Sarah Plain (group "I Support Sarah Palin"), having some sort of presence in each state, and more vagaries ("Future Leaders For McCain" and "Generation 2008"). Indeed, it lacks bite. No wait, it has one bite left: the group "Hillary Supporters for McCain" which as of this posting boasts 51 members, some of whom dissent in the blog noting that choosing Palin was insulting to those who had supported Hillary Clinton and the occasional post reminding others that they are fooling no one and that the Left is already aware of the phony PUMA tactics since a supposed PUMA was seen at the DNC Convention getting into a Hummer limo (sighting made by radio journalist Randi Rhodes).

So, the Obama camp is heterogeneous and active, with millions of emails flowing back and forth daily between members offering information, support and ideas. While the McCain camp is gumming the single useless weapon it has: Hillary Clinton, and it had to borrow her from the Democrats. Never mind the emails from McCainSpace, none of the groups has an email link. Users may post to the blog for each group. One-way, stagnant communication. No connections, no dialogue. No community.

To quote she whom the GOP think is their greatest asset: no way, no how, no McCain.

US Senator Charles Schumer's Letter: Obama and Details on the 2008 Races in Battleground States, from Democrat Perspective

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:22:51 EDT

Here is something I am absolutely certain of: The only reason we're poised to achieve once-in-a-lifetime change in the Senate is because our grassroots - people just like you - have done everything we've asked to give the DSCC all the campaign resources we need to execute our proven campaign plan.

For that, you have my deep, sincere thanks. And if we elect that filibuster-proof majority in November, you'll have the gratitude of an entire nation.

Let me tell you where we stand.

There are 11 battleground states. [OREGON, ALASKA, COLORADO, NEW MEXICO, MINNESOTA, KENTUCKY, NORTH CAROLINA, VIRIGNIA, MISSISSIPPI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND MAINE]

And that doesn't even count the five other states just on the horizon that we'll all be talking about on Election Day. Here are just a few examples of the success we're seeing this cycle.

Democrat Tom Udall holds a commanding lead in New Mexico. In fact, just a few days ago we learned that the NRSC canceled its entire $2.3 million television buy here, essentially conceding the race.

The nation's most vulnerable Republican incumbent, John Sununu, trails Democratic ex-Governor Jeanne Shaheen by 11 points.

Even in a Republican stronghold like North Carolina, two recent polls show Democratic State Senator Kay Hagan pulling even with incumbent Republican Elizabeth Dole.

I know that we can make the most of our opportunity this year because we're using the same proven strategy that took back the Senate in 2006. You're helping us frame the terms of each race, respond to every attack, and directly connect with millions of voters to drive them to the polls.

Thanks to your overwhelming support, the DSCC was able to launch TV ads in North Carolina that exposed Dole as the 93rd most effective senator, undercutting her hollow message of experience and results.

In Colorado, Democrat Mark Udall was under siege by $6 million worth of attack ads paid for by shadowy third-party Republican groups. The DSCC rushed to his defense with ads of our own and now Mark has an impressive lead.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, your contributions support a bigger and better version of the sophisticated voter contact strategy that took back the Senate two years ago. Already this year, we've made more 2.5 million phone calls and knocked on 650,000 doors in our battleground states nationwide.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. All told, the DSCC has already spent $28 million of your money to put us in position for a monster November.

Like I've said before: there is no doubt we are in such a strong position to deliver a filibuster-proof Senate majority entirely because we have you on our side.

Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Chuck Schumer

P.S. We're ahead in 5 races for current Republican seats. But that's only halfway to a truly filibuster-proof majority. We can't get there without your continued support.

-----------

2008 Senate Battlegrounds

Alaska
Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) vs. Sen. Ted Stevens (R)

The corruption scandal sweeping through the Alaska Republican Party has put Ted Stevens - a 7-term incumbent - on the brink of losing his seat in November.

Democrat Mark Begich has opened up a lead in the latest polling, but nobody is under any illusion that this race is over. Alaska has always been a Republican stronghold, and with Governor Sarah Palin on the presidential ticket, the party is sure to be energized to turn out in November.

Begich is doing everything necessary to hold on to his lead. He's raising money and reaching out to voters. Just this week he launched a new ad to drive home his commitment to repeal the disastrous No Child Left Behind law.

Stevens won't let a 40-year career end without a fight, so we won't let up for a second before Election Day. With your help, the DSCC will do everything possible to ensure that Mark Begich wins in November.

Colorado
Rep. Mark Udall (D) vs. Rep. Bob Schaffer (R)

Six months ago, this race was neck and neck. Now, Mark Udall leads by 10 points in the latest Denver Post poll.

What happened? First, Bob Schaffer was discovered to have been the recipient of an all-expense paid tropical vacation from a front group for convicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Then, it was revealed that when he was vice-president of Aspect Energy, he negotiated an oil deal in Iraq that the State Department officials specifically identified as detrimental to stability in Iraq.

Then there were two different DSCC TV ads paid for by grassroots supporters like you. Our investment here is another key reason Udall enjoys a strong position heading into the stretch run.

Colorado will be a battleground state in November, so we're not taking anything for granted in this race. In fact, Udall has already seen more third-party attack ads than any other Democratic candidate this cycle. It's our job to help him fight back.

Kentucky
Bruce Lunsford (D) vs. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R)

No matter how much money Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spends, he can't shake the tough challenge posed by Democratic business leader Bruce Lunsford. McConnell is even getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in help from corporate Republican third-party organizations.

None of it is slowing Lunsford, who is on the air with a devastating straight-to-camera indictment of Republican failures in Washington.

Let's be blunt. It's always tough to beat an entrenched incumbent, but Mitch McConnell has been the man responsible for all of those Republican filibusters blocking progress on health care, energy costs, and the housing crisis. It's critical that he is held accountable in November.

Maine
Rep. Tom Allen (D) vs. Sen. Susan Collins (R)

Republican incumbent Susan Collins likes to portray herself as a voice of Republican moderation, but the truth is that she's been a reliable cheerleader for even the worst of George Bush's policies.

Democrat Tom Allen is ready to hold Collins accountable for her record. He has built a formidable campaign organization and has more than $3 million in the bank for the stretch run. He will have the resources to bring his message of change to Mainers.

Allen and the DSCC have both taken to the airwaves to push Allen's proven record of results. This race is poised for a strong finish.

Minnesota
Al Franken (D) vs. Sen. Norm Coleman (R)

The race between Al Franken and Norm Coleman is a dead heat, and the massive TV blitz has begun. Coleman has launched attack ads against Franken, and corporate special interests are blanketing the state against Franken.

That's why the DSCC has unleashed a striking new ad this week that apes a blockbuster movie trailer to make sure that every Minnesota voter knows Norm Coleman is a classic Bush Republican. We think it's pretty terrific and will break through the noise in this race to get a lot of attention from voters. Take a look and see for yourself.

Mississippi
Gov. Ronnie Musgrove (D) vs. Sen. Roger Wicker (R)

The polls in the race for Trent Lott's old seat are just about as close as they can get. Democrat Ronnie Musgrove and interim Senator Roger Wicker have been trading the lead for months.

Make no mistake. Mississippi is top territory for Democrats. But Republicans always do well in the Deep South, so Musgrove is working hard to persuade independent and even Republican voters. Both sides are blitzing the state with TV ads.

What's going to make the difference in this race? You are. Thanks to your support, the DSCC is already running ads in Mississippi to expose Wicker's sordid record. As long as we can count on you along the way, the DSCC will be able to make the investments necessary to win on Election Day.

This is going to be one of those races - like Montana and Virginia in 2006 - where we win by just a few thousand votes. You helped the DSCC make all the difference before and I know we will do it again.

New Hampshire
Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) vs. Sen. John Sununu (R)

Jeanne Shaheen is another big target for third-party attacks ads. By our count, seven different groups have spent more than $2.5 million trying to drag Shaheen through the mud.

These groups don't have to disclose their donors, so they can't be held accountable. Instead, the DSCC just has to fight back. With our new ad this week targeting John Sununu's dismal record on supporting funding for Medicare, that's exactly what we're doing.

The DSCC's job is to level the playing field when our candidates are under attack, and it's working in New Hampshire. Shaheen has sustained a strong lead in this race, and John Sununu remains the most vulnerable Republican incumbent in the country.

Still, New Hampshire is another presidential battleground state, and John Sununu has a history of taking advantage of dirty political tricks to win. We can't take a moment off if we're going to elect Jeanne Shaheen.

New Mexico
Rep. Tom Udall vs. Rep. Steve Pearce (R)

Democrat Tom Udall holds a solid lead in the latest polling and has more than five times as much campaign cash on-hand as Steve Pearce.

While Udall continues to connect with voters and run TV ads focused on the middle class squeeze, the NRSC has all but given up in this state. They cancelled a $2.3 million planned ad buy and have essentially told Pearce that he's on his own now.

The Washington Post has called a Udall victory a "done deal" and the venerable political handicapper Charlie Cook has declared that Pearce doesn't have a "fighting chance" in November. Very good news for Democrats.

However, the United States Chamber of Commerce - one of the most reliable Republican attack organizations - didn't get the memo and is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads against Udall. We haven't seen much movement in the polls as a result, but the DSCC watches this race every day. You know we'll be ready to support Udall whenever he needs it.

North Carolina
State Sen. Kay Hagan (D) vs. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R)

Senator Dole is scared. We used to call this the sleeper race of the cycle. Now, it's just another terrific opportunity to pick-up a Republican held seat in one of the most closely-watched races in the country.

After trailing by as many as 12 points in recent months, two new polls give Democrat Kay Hagan a slim lead in this race.

The Republicans are launching a major counter-offensive. Dole fired back with her first negative attack against Hagan this cycle. Even the NRSC is spending some of their meager budget attacking our candidate. They will not go down without a fight.

At the DSCC, we always say we can level the playing field for our challengers facing well-financed incumbents. The race in North Carolina is a perfect example. We'll need your help along the way, but you better believe that we'll do everything in our power to defeat Elizabeth Dole in November.

Oregon
Speaker of the State House Jeff Merkley (D) vs. Sen. Gordon Smith (R)

Oregon remains one of the hottest Senate races in the country. Republican incumbent Gordon Smith is clinging to a single-digit lead despite outspending Democrat Jeff Merkley by a wide margin. In fact, in numbers released Wednesday, Smith scored the highest disapproval rating of his career in the Senate.

It really makes for a strong pick-up opportunity, which is why we've already seen the Republicans' third-party friends taking aim at Merkley. Remember, these organizations don't have to disclose their donors and therefore can't be held accountable for the mud they sling.

Again, one of the keys to Democratic victory in this state will be a strong and vibrant investment by the DSCC. We've known Oregon would be a strong pick-up opportunity months ago and we have been airing TV ads statewide week after week since May.

In our latest spot, we are directly responding to Smith's claims last week that he's a strong opponent of the war in Iraq. The DSCC immediately launched a new ad reminding Oregonians that no matter what he says now, Smith supported George Bush's failed Iraq policy for 1,518 days.

In 58 days, we can show Gordon Smith just what we think about that and send him packing. When you make a contribution, winning states like Oregon is exactly where your money goes.

Virginia
Gov. Mark Warner (D) vs. Gov. Jim Gilmore (R)

Mark Warner has maintained a strong, double-digit lead in the polling in this race, and it's easy to see why.

Warner has more than $5 million in campaign cash on hand. Gilmore is nearly broke. Warner has been running TV ads emphasizing his bipartisan record of accomplishment. Gilmore has been reduced to sleazy personal attacks.

A Message from Our Regional Leaders

Jeff Joslin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:31:50 EDT

I received the following message from our Regional Leaders in the South East. John Estrada and Don Stanton are dedicated Obama Supporters who are jointly working on our behalf as the interface between the State Campaign and our National Campaign. John Estrada was the Sargent Major of the Marine Corps until his retirment in June 2007. He is a tremendous, energetic personality. He has a daughter living in the state of Georgia and plans on campaigning with us this fall.

The Hurricane and John McCain -Take Two *

Andr�a- (You've called him everything else- now call him Mr. President!) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:07:58 EDT

As hurricane Gustav makes landfall in Louisiana today, Sen. John McCain has decided to tinker with his party’s convention. Today, activities in Minneapolis have been cut from seven hours to two hours. Gone are the speeches from party leaders. Instead the focus will be on, among other things, adopting convention rules and the Republican Party platform.

John McCain also toyed with the idea of not giving his acceptance speech at the Xcel Center. Although not yet finalized, he said he might give his acceptance speech via satellite from the Gulf region.

John McCain really wants to put that birthday cake incident behind him. If you don’t know to what incident I am referring, let’s do a walk down memory lane, shall we?

August 29, 2005, hurricane Katrina makes landfall in New Orleans, Louisiana. Although the city did not take a direct hit, the storm surge caused the levees to break and the entire city was under massive amounts of water. As people and property washed away, President George Bush and Senator John McCain were… sharing a birthday cake at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, AZ

Yes, sharing a birthday cake! While people were literally drowning in their homes, these two were eating cake.

We all know what happened after the first day of Katrina. The city of New Orleans was left on its own for days. Thousands of people took shelter in the Superdome, where they experienced the unimaginable: dehydration, starvation, rape, murder — things you would expect to see in a warring Third World country, not in the United States of America.

I guess John McCain really wants us to forget how he and his mentor President George Bush behaved on that first day of Katrina.

I don’t think I can forget, which is why I find his actions yesterday a little suspect. They smell of opportunism and desperation. John McCain was briefed on preparations and evacuations. Then he showed up in Pearl, Mississippi yesterday with his running mate Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin to state that he was "happy to report to you that the coordination and the work that’s being done at all levels appears to be excellent." John McCain could not make any executive decisions with respect to evacuation plans, shelters, or the like. The only thing he could do was go to Mississippi and tell us plans were going well. What? That really doesn’t make sense. He could have released a statement saying the same thing. Why waste time and money to go there? Why divert precious first responder time and resources?

My friends, I believe John McCain is trying to pull the wool over our eyes.

* article circulated by the Ghost Writer Guild for Barack Obama

McCain Cancels Jindal Visit Because of Oil Spill

Bruce Moses — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:07:58 EDT

John McCain was planning to visit Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal today in New Orleans but canceled due to the weather. This struck me as odd since Hurricane Dolly is moving inland in South Texas, hundreds of miles away, and is having absolutely no effect in Louisiana. Then I read about an enormous oil spill that occurred on the Mississippi River this morning, closing more than 30 miles of river down to the mouth for cleanup. What a gaffe! These two have been pushing to open our coasts up to new offshore drilling and have been insisting how significant oil spills never happen!

Please read this important Huffington Post article by Karen Dalton-Beninato, it was largely missed by the MSN today. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-daltonbeninato/oil-of-delay-mccain-cance_b_114620.html

Unite for Change Breakfast in LAUREL, MS--June 28th

Chris Carlson — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:14:54 EDT

This is going to be short and sweet.

We're having trouble getting folks together. I know there are Barack supporters here in the Pine Belt, and I WANT TO MEET YOU. I WANT TO WORK WITH YOU. I WANT TO FIGHT WITH YOU TO GET BARACK INTO THE WHITE HOUSE!

To that end, I created a "Unite for Change" event here in Laurel on June 28th. You can see the details at this link.

So here's the deal: Come on down to Ryan's in Laurel, get a good hot breakfast in you...and let's all get to know one another and start getting organized here in the Pine Belt to do our part to put Barack in the White House. I've got some ideas about voter-registration drives and the like, but I need friends and allies.

We're all in this together. Come on out--it'll be a lot of fun, and a springboard to bigger and better things. By all means, bring any interested family or friends, the more the merrier!

And wear your Obama gear, if you have any!

Y'all come and let's get this party started!

Chris Carlson
Laurel, MS

Win Mississippi for Barack--How You Can Help

Chris Carlson — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:50:39 EDT

Quick note to readers in the Laurel-Hattiesburg area: I am in the process of organizing a Vote for Change voter registration effort in the Pine Belt. If you live in the area and would like to be involved, please contact me directly at chris_carlson@comcast.net

Winning Mississippi for Barack

Two words: NEW VOTERS.

As some of you are aware, back a month or so ago, Barack's campaign launched the nationwide "Vote for Change" effort.

Vote for Change is intended to be the largest voter-registration drive in American history, and it is CRITICAL to Barack's plan for victory in November.

And it's up to us to make it happen. It's up to you and me.

Travis Childers makes it perfect

Dr. Owen Scott, III — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:33:29 EDT

Democrats have now gone three-for-three in special congressional races to fill terms for GOP Representatives who jumped into golden lifeboats when they realized the lower compartments of the ship were filling up with water. Following the landmark victories of Bill Foster and Don Cazayoux in formerly secure GOP strongholds, Travis Childers won handily in Mississippi's First Congressional District. Hillary Clinton's overwhelming win in the West Virginia primary allows her a chance to enjoy the thrill of victory again; but, Childers' success in the face of $1.2M dollars' worth of Obama and Pelosi centered attack ads shows that using Obama as a weapon in local races does not work. The Obama Nation need not worry about Hillary's late rally. Things are going our way and that's the way the USA needs to go.

Blogger saves Obama pledged delegate in MS

Sierra Hussein Cajun — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:20:59 EDT

Mississippi finalized its vote count earlier today -- March 31 -- and it looked like Obama would have the final delegate count of 19, Clinton 14, as expected. Although his vote total went up, it didn't look like he would pass the 62.5% threshold needed to make it a 20/13 split.

A Texas blogger was following the MS count closely online, and when the final tallies were done, Obama had 62.493% of the vote -- .007% away from the threshold! But he noticed a discrepency in 3 of the counties' reports, and after pulling out his calculator, he found that Obama's total should have reflected 62.512% instead -- which would give Obama one more delegate (and Clinton one fewer delegate). He called the Mississippi DNC, who immediately corrected their error!

Here's the whole story:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/31/22053/1834/214/487948

The Dark Night of the Political Soul

Jedidiah Palosaari — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:43:50 EDT

And so it begins: the long dark night. Six bloody weeks until the next primary. How fitting that the first halfof the season should end with such an ironic twist: Mississippi.

Ironic, you say? Didn't Mississippi vote for Obama, just like most Southern states? Didn't he just win another Southern primary? Yes. But consider the far more interesting polls from Mississippi:

More Obama supporters said they would be happy with Clinton than Clinton supporters happy with Obama.
Independents and Republicans lean more towards Clinton than towards Obama.
Obama's lead among women is greater than his lead among men.

I kept on thinking someone had accidently transposed the candidates. In nearly every case in Mississippi, polling and exit-polling bucked the national and state-by-state trends in preference polls on these two candidates. What's going on in Mississippi?

That's what I'll be contemplating during this dry spell, as I go to nurse my sorrow over the lack of significant sporting events for the next six weeks..

Cafferty (and Boston Globe) on the Limbaugh Effect

Steven — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:12:08 EDT

Good to know that the mainstream media, Boston Globe and Jack Cafferty (CNN) are picking up the fact that up to 250,000 of Hillary Clinton's votes in Texas, Ohio and Mississippi were from Republicans, with the obvious conclusion that they were following Limbaugh's stategy of messing up the Democratic process and voting for Clinton as the easier candidate to beat in November. In other words, unlike Obama's Republican votes, which appear largely sincere and represent potential cross-overs in November, these Republican votes are largely insincere, designed only to defeat Obama, with the intent of voting not for Clinton but for McCain in November.

See: http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/17/republicans-voting-for-hillary-clinton/#comment-165113

Also, the original Boston Globe piece:

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/03/17/many_voting_for_clinton_to_boost_gop/

My question is, if this is true, what does this do to Clinton's argument for support from the superdelegates?

a) if she won the Texas primary only with these illegitimate ditto-head votes (there were reportedly 119,000 Republican votes for Hillary, and she won by 101,000)?

b) if several of her pledged delegates were gained by these ditto-head votes? (100,000 Republicans voted for her in Ohio, accounting for 4.5% of the total, almost half of the spread between her and Obama, and 38,000 Republicans voted for her in Mississippi, out of 156,000, almost a quarter of her total and accounting for over 9% of the total of all voters.)

c) if over 250,000 votes, now counted in the popular vote total for Clinton, are from these illegitimate spoilers?

I would have thought it in the interest of the Democratic Party, and the integrity of the process, for this development to be thoroughly investigated by the party leadership, and consequences drawn. I am not sure how any of these figures can be officially amended to take account of this cross-party intereference, but that is not really necessary, because Obama, despite this malicious intervention, is still leading decisively in pledged delegates and in the popular vote. However, here is where the undecided superdelegates, if they have any integrity at all, can now use their own judgement and sense of party loyalty, and, taking account of this illegitimate interference by Republicans in the Democratic process, now bring the nominating process to the conclusion it should have had after Texas, and place their votes resoundingly in the Obama column.

I strongly urge all those Obama supporters reading this blog to make as much noise as possible on all their favorite sites, and with the leadership and superdlegates to point out the malfeasance going on, and to highlight the way in which Clinton is gaining illegitimate support from voters who have no intention whatsoever of voting either for her, or any other Democrat come this November.

Race, Racism and Geraldine Ferraro

Naomi — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:59:07 EDT

When good people say bad things, I tend to try to reinterpret them. I really want to find what people meant to say and give them the benefit of the doubt. I even find myself defending Bill O'Reilly from Keith Olbermann once in a while. But not very often.

Geraldine Ferraro is giving me a run for my money this week. Just when I think I can explain what she meant, she starts talking again. For the record, I am a white woman and, theoretically, a member of the demographic that most votes for Clinton.

Did Republicans cross over in Mississippi just to assist McCain by prolonging the Democratic fight?

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:45:06 EDT

Clinton's Mississippi Republicans

By Mark Blumenthal, NationalJournal.com
© National Journal Group Inc.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008

.....The Mississippi exit poll tabulations posted on network Web sites last night show a new wrinkle in the Democratic presidential contest: Twelve percent of the Democratic primary voters in Mississippi described themselves as Republicans, a level far higher than in previous primaries.......

ARTICLE- http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/mysterypollster/2008/031208.htm

Re: Obama increases lead in delegate count

ODEH ODEH — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:14:20 EDT

OBAMA THE IDEAL LEADER OVER CLINTON

The argument by the Obama people’s movement for hope and change is that, all States matters in the United States of America, and the notion that some States matter most is ridiculous and another kind of political tactics that is geared toward miniaturizing Obama’s win.

It is a known fact Hilary is more popular than Obama by virtue of her longevity on the national political arena, and this recognition has made her win in States such as California, Ohio, New York and among other big States an easy one. Nevertheless, the challenge that Obama and the people’s movement for hope and change has given her is very evident in the marginal or near inconsequential win her touted stunned win by the press has actually translated. In other words, people even in those big cities are beginning to think twice, which is very good for a healthy political environment.

Obama’s appeal to the people of this country when critically analyzed is on the basis of hope and change; love and humanity; justice, transparency equality and above all unity in diversity. On the contrary, the Clintons have remained stuck with the traditional style of politics that uses tactics such as the divide and rule method, campaign of calumny and character assassinations, distortion of facts and the throwing of the “kitchen sting” tactics on Obama, with the ultimate hope of dividing and confusing the people. The detrimental aspect of the Clinton’s campaign and politicking is that, rather than explore the differences inherent in the United States of America, it tends to aggressively, myopically, egocentrically and subjectively exploit it, thereby causing racial, ethnic and other forms of inimical and unnecessary tension and anxiety in the public.

The idea that whenever there is a major or delegate rich primary ahead, the Clintons will start their nefarious and malicious tactics of inciting the various ethnic composites of the nation more or less against one another just for political gain is nothing short of mediocrity and tantamount to denigration of the American people.

A purposeful leader will never attempt to exploit the sacred differences that existed among its people, since nobody asked to be created the way he or she was. However, for the Clintons to take this sacredness for granted and begin to treat the people as property rather than human, say a lot about their insatiability for power and the length to which they can go to acquire it.

I am very sorry to say, but when critically review, it is now evident that the Clintons thrive on negativism and those associated with them are also becoming infected and acquiring this diseased condition. We want to move forward and not backward into those eras of darkness, inhumanity, slavery, nepotism, hegemony and other forms of yardstick that dehumanize and subjugate true freedom, justice, equality and racial harmony.

Obama has won the whitest States in the country in Maine and Wyoming and followed it up with a win in one of the blackest state in Mississippi, so why are the Clintons and surrogates trying to play the race card again, just because Ohio is next on the line for the primary? I think it is about time, the various campaign are emphatically focused on issues that bother on national and international matters, in addition to propagating unity in diversity and the feel good about the country sentiment. Obama have so far been very outstanding in exploring how best to use the differences that abound to move the country forward. The press and those close to the Clintons needs to tell them the truth about their troubling and narrow-minded style of campaigning.

In fact, like me and the rest of the people, none had expected Obama to go this far and having reach where he is right now is a clear attestation to the universal appeal and the acceptability of the movement ideological base of bringing hope and change to Americans first and foremost and then the world at large.

Only Obama ably qualify to carry out the laudable task of rejuvenating, reclaiming and sustaining the battered image of the United States of America in the current political dispensation.

Enough is enough, period!

God bless USA

God bless Obama

updated 2 hours, 10 minutes agoObama increases lead in delegate count

Story Highlights
Obama leads Clinton by 130 delegates, CNN estimates
Obama wins Mississippi by a wide margin
Obama comes in first in Texas caucuses

(CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama widened his lead over Sen. Hillary Clinton in the overall delegate count by picking up delegates in Mississippi and Texas on Tuesday.

Sen. Barack Obama claimed a big victory in Mississippi's Democratic primary.

The Illinois Democrat won handily in the Mississippi Democratic primary Tuesday. Obama beat Clinton 61 percent to 37 percent with 99 percent of the precincts reporting.

With the victory, Obama added 17 delegates to his total while Clinton picked up 11, CNN estimates. The Mississippi win was Obama's second win in a row, having won the Wyoming caucuses Saturday.

Mississippi Demographics

Bill Marjenhoff — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:49:49 EDT

Sen. Obama won 32 out of 55 white counties in Mississippi. Whites outnumber blacks in Mississippi by 1.7 to 1. There are 55 predominantly white counties, 22 predominantly black counties, and 5 counties evenly populated. As expected, Clinton took none of the black counties. But despite the race theory, she took no better than 2/5 of the white counties and absolutely none of the evenly populated counties. Obama took all 22 of the black counties, consistent with the race theory.

That crazy Clinton camp...

Maz — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:36:20 EDT

For the person in second place to (graciously) suggest that should would allow Obama to be her VP only further underlines her arrogance and sense of entitlement of this nomination. The only reason he is not winning the big states is simply because the voters there know her better. If this were between Barack and McCain, the big O would win these states handily. Record turnouts, people fired up from all walks of life. He is making good on his promise to bring this nation together already, and he's not even the nominee yet!

A few words for Hillary supporters: don't you know when you've been beat and it's time to leave the tea party?

Great Analysis of Engame...SD's Let's End THIS NOW.

Rob — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:55:22 EDT

I saw this over at kos...it rather elegantly describes what is happening out there...and it ain't pretty. 6 more weeks of this will destroy us all. I think we ought to apply pressure on SDs and party elders (Al Gore...where ARE you?)

The GOP is now gaming our primary for Clinton. It's time to end it.

by JedReport Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 06:15:58 AM PDT

Now that John McCain has won the GOP nomination, Republicans are voting in the Democratic primary in increasing numbers, hoping to pick their opponent for the November election, or at least cause more turmoil in our already divisive nomination battle. Their choice? Hillary Clinton.

Yesterday, in the Mississippi primary, 24% of Hillary Clinton's support came from Republicans. Unlike the Republican support generated by Barack Obama, according to exit polling data, Clinton's Republican support appears to be part of the explicit plan promoted by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh to wreak havoc upon the Democratic Party by voting for Hillary Clinton. Let's first take a look at the bigger picture.

In January and February, while the Republican nomination contest was still being waged, just 3.9% of Democratic primary voters were self-described Republicans. On March 4, the day that John McCain won enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination, Republican participation in Democratic primaries more than doubled.

As you might remember, a day earlier, Rush Limbaugh had appeared as a guest on several radio shows to encourage Republicans in Ohio and Texas to cross party lines and vote for Clinton as way of sabotaguing the Democratic primary promise. On election day, Bill Clinton gave an interview to the guest host of Rush Limbaugh's show. Yesterday, 12% of Democratic primary voters in Mississippi were Republicans -- triple the numbers from January and February. As the number of Republicans in the primary has increased, Hillary Clinton's share of the Republican vote has skyrocketed, going from a 69-31 deficit in January and February to a whopping 75-25 lead in Mississippi.

Although Barack Obama's share of the Republican vote declined, his absolute percentage did not change much, hovering around 3-4%. In other words, he was simply winning a smaller percentage of a larger pie.

In the abstract, there's nothing wrong with receiving votes from Republicans in the Democratic primary -- as long as those votes come from Republicans who are truly committed to a Democratic candidate. That appears to be the case with Barack Obama, who consistently does well among Republicans and independents in public opinion surveys. Hillary Clinton's support from Republicans, on the other hand, is coming from Republicans who will not support her in the general election.

They are simply wreaking havoc in the Democratic primary, hoping to further divide an already divided party, and perhaps even help Hillary Clinton win the nomination. How can I be so sure that this is the case? Well, look at the exit polls from yesterday. On several questions a shockingly high percentage of the people who voted for Hillary Clinton indicated they did not like her -- numbers that were not reflected in the views of Obama supporters of their own candidate. For example, 31% of Hillary Clinton's voters said she was not honest and trustworthy. By comparison, just 4% of Barack Obama's supporters said the same. 24% of Hillary Clinton's had a strongly favorable opinion of John McCain -- compared to 6% of Barack Obama's supporters.

Although cross-tabs are not publicly available (at least to my knowledge) these is exceptionally strong evidence that about one-quarter of her vote yesterday came from Republicans were just trying to stick it to the Democratic party. What impact does this have?

First, it has an impact on delegates. Yesterday, Barack Obama won 60.6% and Clinton won 37.2%. If her Republican voters hadn't shown up, she would have won about 28% and Obama would have won about 68%. The threshold for winning a larger share of statewide delegates is 62.5% -- so the Republican voters definitely cost him delegates. I don't know exactly how many and will update this blog entry when I've got more numbers.

Second, it has an impact on media perception. One of the key takeaways from the media yesterday was that Hillary Clinton's supporters didn't like Barack Obama as much as Barack Obama's supporters like Hillary Clinton. They implied racial animus was at the root of this division, nicely playing into the whole Geraldine Ferraro storyline. They thing they left out was that a full quarter of Clinton's supporters were Republicans! And the Republicans didn't like her either! Because they were gaming the process! It wasn't race! It was Rush!

Third, Republicans may -- and I qualify this because if they did it was close -- they may have tilted (edit: the primary vote in) Texas to Hillary Clinton. I estimated that she won at least 65,000 votes from Republicans that she wouldn't have won had there not been an increase in Republican cross-over voting. She won Texas by 100,000. Given the fact that I think some Republicans who are tricky enough to game a primary will lie to exit pollsters and say they are Democratic, I really wouldn't be surprised if Republicans actually won Texas for Hillary Clinton.

The bottom-line as far as I'm concerned is that this new trend is symbolic of a Democratic primary that has gone completely haywire. Not only is there division between the Clinton camps and the Obama camps, but now Republicans are actively intervening in our primaries and caucues to screw with our process. It's only going to get worse -- Republicans will change parties when there is closed primaries and in open primaries, they will cross-over and vote for Hillary Clinton in increasing numbers.

Effectively, this emerging pattern calls into question the validity of any voting from here on out, even in closed primaries. There's just so much lead time before the next contests that Republicans have plenty of time to register as Democrats and monkey with our primary. Imagine just how effin' hard it will be to make sure revotes in Florida and Michigan don't end becoming a huge clusterf**k.

Ironically, this is exactly the kind of scenario that super delegates can be useful in. How? The ones that are on the sidelines who clearly support Barack Obama but have not committed to him -- superdelegates like Nancy Pelosi and others -- can publicly declare their support for Barack Obama.

There's also just about no chance she's going to win enough superdelegates to get the nomination. The problem is that Republicans whose only goal is sabotage our nomination process are going to make this seem closer than it really is. And that's going to embolden Hillary Clinton to continue to make more attacks on our eventual nominee. And it's going to further divide the party. And maybe even cost us the election. But if enough super delegates step up now, and declare that they will support Barack Obama it will become clear that Hillary Clinton has no path to the nomination -- and even if she does not withdraw from the race, her support will evaporate, and we can begin the process of uniting this divided party so that we can take back the White House in November.

Barack Obama has all but won the nomination. It's time to make it official. The Republicans are having a party at our expense. It's time to shut it down.

From Rob: I urge us all to unite behind Obama. The race is becoming more divisive, and our real foes are starting to make things worse. We need unity NOW. Please also donate to Barack in honor of my brother steve, who actually was CALLED by Barack last Friday!!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/Fightin4Bro

The Limbaugh effect

Steven — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:56:31 EDT

If I understand CNN's coverage of the Mississippi primary yesterday, their exit polls showed that about 10% of those voting in the Democratic primary were Republicans. Of those, 75% voted for that favorite of Southern Republicans: Hillary Clinton. In most primaries so far Obama has either carried Republicans voting on the Democratic side by a wide margin, or at least, as in Texas, by a narrow one (52/47). It is virtually unheard of for Republicans who really want to come over and vote for a Democratic candidate this Fall to vote 3 to 1 for Clinton. The reversal of the normal ratio meant that Clinton gained a substantial number of otherwise unaccounted for votes, by a rough calculation about 5% of the total votes. If this were the case, then the accurate result from Mississippi without these exceptional votes would be Obama 64%; Clinton 34%, instead of 61%/37%--a difference of 6% overall (and probably two delegates).

So what was going on? The answer appears to be that Rush Limbaugh's malicious and underhand call for his ditto heads to vote for the weaker candidate, Clinton, now, to make things easier for McCain in November, is having a noticeable effect, and distorting the Democratic primary process in favor of Clinton. This also appears to have been so in Texas.

If this is the case, should not the Clinton campaign strenuously disavow this advantage that is not a result of honest preference of some moderate Republicans for the Democratic candidates, but rather a scurrilous attempt to undermine and pervert the Democrats' democratic process? Failure to decry this development on the part of the Clinton campaign will show that they really are interested only in winning, principles be damned.

This factor also needs to be kept in mind by superdelegates when judging who actually is the most popular of the Democratic candidates, without the distorting effect of these Limbaughian Fifth columnists.

Mr. Axelrod...in case you don't know, it was a"Landslide in Mississippi"

Quebae — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:12:41 EDT

You wouldn't know it by the headlines. It's one thing to be negative, quite another being modest. The campaign has to ascentuate the positive a little brighter. Clinton spinsters can easily take Obama's overwhelming win in Mississippi and make it seems it turned out exactly as expected.

Mississippi and Plaza Midwood Phone Bankers

Andrew — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:34:18 EDT

Just wanted to say I think we had another successful Phone Bank on Monday night. We can take some small degree of satisfaction in knowing that we were part of the effort that helped put Obama well over the top last night. Thanks again to those who were able to make it out.

If you are interested in helping with the effort to win Pennsylvania and our own North Carolina, please get in touch. And look for the next Phone Bank in the coming days under "events near me".

Mississippi Primary Results

CarolJ — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:45:46 EDT

Check out PocketNines diary on the Mississippi presidential primary results for a great summary of the delegate count and breakdown of the vote by county.

Statewide Results - Obama 253,441, Clinton 154,842
Statewide Percentage - Obama 62.075%, Clinton 37.925% - so close.
Delegate Split looks like - Obama 19, Clinton 14 Clinton super lucky, could have easily been 24-9.

Obama falling just short of 62.5% statewide for 3-1 PLEO.
Obama falling short of 64.3% statewide for 5-2 at-large.
Obama falling just short of bare majority in CD 1 for 3-2.
Obama falling short of 70.0% in CD 3 for 4-1.
Obama falling short of 78.6% in CD 2 for 6-1.
Obama gains roughly 100,000 popular votes!

As poblano notes below, OBAMA WINS MARCH!

+5, combined with Wyoming, means Obama now +161 in pledged delegates. According to Obama results center, Obama is 1 pledged delegate further ahead than he was on March 3.

Thank you, Mississippi

Dave — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:10:52 EDT

Barack Obama's campaign has gained a significant momentum that will prove unstoppable. Thanks to the good people of Mississippi for re-affirming what we already know. Senator Obama is in this race to win the democratic nomination.

MS Limbaugh Republicans

frstan — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 02:17:13 EDT

Also some "Limbaugh" voters not doubt referred to them selves as "Democrats" in the exit poll because they were aware there was something wrong with what they were doing. Im sure of this because I've looked at 3 counties carried strongly by Clinton (60% or more) and the Vote in the Republican Primary is tiny compared with the Bush Vote in 2004, and the ratio of Republicans to Democrats totaled from both Primaries is much smaller than the ratio in the 2004 race. Much more that 13% can account for. Conclusion: That "White Democrat" figure quoted by the MSM based on their exit polling also so includes a large number of "Limbaugh Republicans" masquerading as Democrats. If you take these out Baracks % of the white vote approaches the 40% he got in Georgia.

YES WE DID !!!

Candace N. - V.O.B — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:53:00 EDT

We Won Mississippi decisively. Now we must work harder than ever before so that we can prevail in Pennsylvania then go on to the general election. We will not let negative attacks get us down or cause us to resort to dirty tactics. We will use these negatives to make us stronger and more determined to get Barack to the White House. Senator Obama has conducted himself in a classy and Presidential manner. We our proud of our candidate.

YES WE CAN !!!

Barack wins Mississippi - Ferraro tarnishes her legacy

David Caputo — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:48:36 EDT

Reinforcing how polarized the racial climate is in Mississippi, Barack Obama won the state while painting a county by county map of the totally segregated state demographics. I couldn't believe some of the numbers so I Googled the county names and found out that some counties in MS are over 95% White. Sounds like the Fair Housing Act is routinely enforced there, eh? I never knew that the North East corner of the state was COMPLETELY lily-white but nowhere nearly as receptive to the Obama candidacy as, say, Vermont.

Speaking of obnoxious comments of a racial nature, just what in MLK's name is G. Ferraro, the first ever woman candidate for VP, doing spouting such political potty-mouthed garbage as she's been spewing?!? Is she trying to pull a "Ralph Nader" and go from revered hero-pioneer to reviled sh*t-for-brains weirdo in a moment of venal narcissism? Just exactly what is going on here??

James Carville made a spirited defense of Hillary's refusal to axe Ferraro from the campaign, but it ultimately came up short. Hill-Hill, Gerry must go. Sorry. Don't worry, she wasn't much help when she was ON the ticket, so she won't be missed much, sadly.

Barack Obama is rocking the house DESPITE, instead of BECAUSE OF, he's a black man. If he was white and as articulate as he is and as good a manager as he is, he'd ALREADY be President (only kidding...) But seriously. I took a long time to warm up to him, and I've got black folk in my own family, lots of them in fact. I was an early "Draft Gore" guy, and then I was supporting Edwards. But Barack has won me over, and I'm now a vigorous advocate.

Go Barack Go! Congratulations on winning Mississippi.

An Inspired Army on the Phone for Barack

Julie Hensley — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:40:54 EDT

It's quite a feat. The participants are still reporting it but it's clear that of the 15 or so we've heard from so far, Barack's Inspired Phone Bank Army was responsible for more than 3000 phone calls in those days leading up to the Mississippi Primary. An all volunteer group from all over the country, we utilize the information in the phone bank on the website (and the occasional list provided by an overworked Precinct Captain) to get the job done.

Recently, I blogged of a pledge drive of one penny per call. Those three thousand calls will add up to just $30.00 to those that made the pledge to support us with ONE PENNY per call during the Mississippi Primary lead up.

Wouldn't you like to be part of it? Knowing that you are encouraging us everytime we pick up the phone. Everytime we reach someone who is very friendly or not so much!? Knowing that even when we might feel a bit deflated we are enthused and motivated - by YOUR PENNIES!

Consider a pledge for our callers leading into Pennsylvania. You can cap it for a specific timeframe or dollar amount or even pick ONE caller to give special support to and pledge for their calls alone rather than the whole group.

I hope you realize how proud I am that this group is so positive and so supportive. Many of the people on the phone and in this group are people who were too intimidated to even consider making their first call until they connected with the group and got some advice and encouragement.

Visit Barack's Inspired Phone Bank Army

http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/BaracksInspiredPhoneBankArmy

To join us, pledge a donation toward our calls, or see more of what we're about!

Clinton's Chances of Overtaking Obama Now Smaller

rberlind — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:46:49 EDT

After the March 4th primaries, I wrote a blog post asking whether Clinton could possibly overtake Obama in the race for pledged delegates. I pointed out that her chances of doing this were poor even if Florida and Michigan have new primaries or caucuses. I wanted to give an update of that analysis after tonight’s Mississippi primary which Obama won.

MI today, PA in April

George W. Heath, R.N. — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:37:56 EDT

I was watching CNN as the returns were reported. They did a calcualtion if who won what. Clinton has to make a Huckabee miracle to even break even between now and the convention. WOW! Obama might not clinch it with what left but he will be so close.

The media want things black and white (no pun intended). Obama did not rule out VP. He just said right now, with him winning, that's a silly question! No wonder the media spins his answer as a complete denial. If they reported it correctly, they would look like the fools.

George W. Heath

Obama wins in Confederate Yugoslavia

Y Chery — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:38:29 EDT

Despite the state flag being a variant of the former flag of Serbia and Montenegro punctuated with a Confederate Battle Flag canton, Mississippi overwhelmingly supported Obama tonight in their democratic primary.

The Mississippi primary exit polling of democrats offers an interesting insight into the mindset of the state's electorate.

Way to go Magnolia State !

it's like this....

BRGHTSD1 HOPE & COURAGE — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:57:07 EDT

I will not Fail nor Falter I shall Succeed
My Perception is Altered I do Believe
Faith is so Strong Now Nothing shall Bar my way
Firm Conviction is no Fiction This is my Day

I can Move Move Move Any Mountain
I can Move Move Move Any Mountain
I can Move Move Move Any Mountain

I Walk so Tall Ascending I Stand so High
Earth Below me Revolving Above the Sky
I Feel no Fear To be here is oh so fine
Shining Brightly Like Sunlight Inside my Mind

Well You Know that any Mountain Is Capable of Moving
The Shamen and The New Generation they Are Proving
You can be what You want to be
Let your soul and your body and your mind Be Free
Ain't nothing in the world that can hold us back
Write down a lyric put it down on wax
We can rock and take it straight to the top
With an attitude that's right and can't be stopped
Set your mind on what you want and you can go higher
Put detailed thought into every desire
Believe in yourself you know what you'll find
There is no 'can't' in a trouble-free mind
One of a kind, We all are that
And going all the way is where I'm at
With delivery smooth like water from a fountain
That's why I can move Any Mountain Move Any Mountain

I can Move Move Move Any Mountain
I can Move Move Move Any Mountain
I can Move Move Move Any Mountain
I can Move Move Move Any Mountain
Move Any Mountain
Move Any Mountain
Move Any Mountain

Future Feeling new sensation
Body is rockin and the mind is reeling
And Rolling racing changing motion
Flowing like a river into the Ocean
Better get yourself ready For the next transition
'Cos the time is right for a new vibration
My Vision one nation one Tribe
One day'll come the might to Move Any Mountain
Move Any Mountain
Move Any Mountain
I can Move Move Move Any Mountain

I Walk so Tall Ascending I Stand so High
Earth Below me Revolving Above the Sky
I Feel no Fear To be here is oh so fine
Shining Brightly Like Sunlight Inside my Mind

I can Move Move Move Any Mountain

going to the top 'cause the sky is the limit
and movin' any mountain 'cause we got faith in it
and won't be held back because we're on track with the rap
you know you got it like that
relax, feel good, and tell yourself 'be free'
the self expression is the whole of the key
to feel good inside, to gain full success
and only you can be sure, for yourself, what's best
to have faith that what you're doing is right
two steps forward and you know that you might
progress to a point where you will succeed
move any mountain if you only believe
so now you know why we're gonna go all the way
and everything will get better with every word that i say
a delivery smooth like water from a fountain
that's why we're gonna move any mountain

Finally, MSM admits Obama did well in TX

Chris S — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:52:21 EDT

Ok, maybe they didnt go that far, but at least they are finally admitting he won the caucus and tonight on CNN, both on their website and on TV they have publically stated that he got more delegates "in-spite of his devestating loss in the Ohio, TX and RI primaries". Oh well, you take what you can get.

Barack is gonna be on CNN shortly to talk about the campaign and his win in Miss.

Will report back after the interview. What a great couple of days. Let's keep the good feelings moving us forward.

Mississippi, Michigan, and Florida

Disabled Vet 2000 — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:50:22 EDT

Thank you Mississippi! Maybe people will stop talking about the numbers as if they are just statistics and realize that in reality, Obama has won this nomination.

Now that Senator Obama needs to be in PA to cut into Clintons lead, we need feed on the ground in Florida and Michigan. We need rallies, we need to talk to Seniors, farmers, and those upset that they were counted out in 2000. We need to remind them that Clinton is attempting to do to Obama what Bush did to Gore.

Most of all we need to get our message of hope and change out there. We need to get beyond political bickering and get our Social Security policy to the forefront. Point out that Barack hasn't taken money from big Pharma, insurance companies, and the like. We also need to point out that Obama is not concerned with the same old game that hasn't worked in saving Social Security in the past.

He's our chance for a new deal with Social Security. He is the only one that can successfully reach across the aisle and get it done. Clinton has alienated too many people, she does not have the popular vote, she does not have the delegates, and if she steals this election by cheating the voters with Super Delegates and forcing the DNC to overturn the rules she agreed to, she will not come into office with enough political capital to get major issues solved in the first term.

Our Florida, Michigan, and Pennsylvania supporters need to get out there and knock on doors, make calls, talk to friends and family, and make sure they have bumper stickers and signs very visible. We need to let people know that we will not sit down and accept it if she is allowed to steal this election. Show people the numbers and explain what she would have to pull in order to win (and we know she will try it), maybe then the people will vote for the candidate that has essentially won, so we don't have a mass exodus from the party!

Yeah!

Virginia S. — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:34:38 EDT

We won Mississippi! Woo! :)

Obama '08!

MS Exit Polls: Obama 58.7%, Clinton 41.7%

Greg from Visalia, CA — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:27:40 EDT

According the CNN Exit Polls, Obama just won Mississippi by a wide margin.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/epolls/#MSDEM

Surprised?

Chris Comninel — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:01:01 EDT

Why am I surprised that the Clinton campaign is once again trying to move the goal posts. I shouldn't be because this is what she has been doing since the start of the primary season. She basically says that if Obama doesn't win by at least 20 points then, she can claim a type of win. This is what her campaign has been about, not simply winning, but claiming a victory whenever she wishes. A win is a win and that is that.

Video: Rural Mississippi for Obama

Kate Albright-Hanna — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:53:22 EDT

On his farm in northeastern Mississippi - where his family has resided since the Civil War - Mike Murphy planted his Obama sign and hopes that unity will again prevail at this turning point in American history. All across Mississippi, we've talked to voters hungry for change.

Mississippi Voting

Dr. Mark Elrod — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:58:09 EDT

It's hardly worth holding a watch party for one state but I'm going to be watching the returns anyway.

Mississippi Democrats are voting for delegates to the national convention today -- polls close at 8:00 pm EST.

The Obama campaign has projected that it will win 20 of 33 pledged delegates tonight and the few polls from Mississippi give Barack Obama a 53-38% advantage over Hillary Clinton.

About 36% of the voters in Mississippi are African-American which in turn constitutes over half of the voters in the Democratic primary.

The conventional thinking is that the state's demographics work to Obama's favor and explains why there has been so little polling.

Following the Mississippi primary, both candidates will basically move to Pennsylvania for seven weeks in the run-up to the Pennsylvania primary on April 22.

If the Obama strategy holds, a 7-delegate net victory in Mississippi will offset a loss in Pennsylvania.

I’ve got Obama 56.5 - Clinton 43.5 tonight.

Mississippi.... a phone bank diary

Julie Hensley — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:54:56 EDT

To date, Mississippi has been the most fun I've had on the phone for Barack Obama! Don't get me wrong - Wyoming was colorful. I learned so much about Obama answering their insightful questions. Hawaii was warm and enthusiastic, they didn't seem to need me much at all. Wisconsin was a gratifying challenge and Ohio a slightly disappointing one. Virginia, my home state, saddened me as my own district voted against Barack for primarily racial reasons (I've been doing my own polling since Feb 12).

But Mississippi, those calls, when the person would answer shy and suspicious and then warm up, immediately on the mention of the name. Barack Obama. Some of them didn't even seem to be able to pronounce his name well but boy, they knew ABOUT him. One fellow told me that he'd read both of Mr. Obama's books and that they were the first books he'd read in 50 years. Another woman told me that she was blind and used a walker but she'd already told her nephew he didn't need to come visit her anymore if he didn't come and get her to the polls today!

Sure, others were clearly not as enthusiastic and those that were willing to let their entire position be known were white, and Republican and well, judging from their vocabulary.. racist.

It was fine. It just empowered me more to make the next call and get ahold of the next person who would be willing to look at Senator Obama for who he was, not how tanned he was, and vote for or against him on the basis of merit.

You know, talking to these people, a population that has been constantly burdened with the challenges of race, poverty and even Hurricane Katrina, it was gratifying to realize that they wanted to HOPE again. Even more gratifying to realize that after all they'd been through - that they COULD HOPE again.

I am so thankful that I could reach out to them and connect through this common conduit that is Barack Obama...otherwise I am sure they wouldn't have been interested in anything this middle aged white woman had to say and instead, they and I were able to enjoy a commonality and a friendship even if it was limited to a 5 minute phone call.

I don't know how much good a 5 minute phone call can do...but if you do 1000 of them it does 1000 times as much good!

Talking to a Stranger in the Airport

Craig — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:27:57 EDT

My Friends,

Last week I was on a business trip to New Jersey was caught up in the weather on Friday night. My flight home to Chicago was delayed twice and I spent 3 hours in the departure lounge waiting to go home. To make a long story short...

As I waited for the flight home I was working on my laptop, which on the desktop displays the prominent "Obama '08" with the blue background. Someone sitting next to me made a comment about how he had not felt such excitement about a Primary season in many years.

This stranger, who happened to be on his way home to Jackson, MS, noted that he planned to vote on March 11, but was still undecided. I asked him why he was undecided and his response was simply, "I just don't know who to trust".

I went on tell him for 5 minutes why I support Obama for President, including his openness and honesty relating to his position on the issues. I had to remind him about 1993, when Bill and Hillary promised to solve the healthcare crisis, failed miserably, then commanded that no one speak of it again. Now they want another chance?

My friend, Thomas, from Jackson, MS boarded his flight feeling a bit more comfortable in his choice for the vote, and having heard these words from a stranger (me) with no script and no fanfare, believes in the future Barack can offer all Americans.

One more vote for you, Mr. Obama. Good luck in Mississippi tonight.

Obama Attacks Hillary's Non-Existent Foreign Policy Record

jgabriel — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:18:47 EDT

From The Page at Time Magazine:

http://thepage.time.com/obama-foreign-policy-memo/

Let's go Obama! Let's win in Mississippi!

Current Mississippi Poll Data

Grand Moff Joseph — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:27:11 EDT

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/ms/mississippi_democratic_primary-581.html

Current polls from RealClearPolitics.

Enjoy!
-Joe

RE: OBAMA HOPES FOR WIN IN MISSISSIPI

ODEH ODEH — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 04:07:19 EDT

A leader respect the wishes of the people and absolutely recognizes the sacredness and power of their choice and mandate. Consequently, even in the vicinity of a predictable win according to experts, Obama in all humility and respect is asking for the people's mandate and believe in his ideology of bringing about the most anticipated change in Washington, that will enable the government to become people oriented.

This unique and innate qualities of Obama typify the kind of leader America is in search for; one who will respect and be subject to the people. His humility, kindness, understanding, patience and calmness in the faces of retrogressive and malicious campaigning by the Clintons, coupled with the excessive negative discrimination on the part of the later, goes a long way to manifest the capacity Obama possesses to continue and adhere to his ideology and principle of positive politicking, while at the same time being ever forgiving of those who ignorantly distort his personality just for political gain.

As we all anxiously anticipate the result of Mississipi, the press is busy talking about Pennsylvania State, however the reality is that according to Obama and the movement of the people for hope and change every States, delegates and votes matter and count a lot. Consequently, it is important for Americans to begin to differentiate the way and manner Obama and the Clintons treat Americans. Obama's attitude toward us makes me to reminiscent of how the almighty God watch over us and consider each an everyone of us as a unique, loving, individual and precious before Him.

Obama is not taking the American people for granted and even in Office he will aggressively pursue policies targeted and oriented towards the people and not the lobbyists and special interest. I am honored to be on the side of Obama and the future of a progressive America and the world at large.

Yes we can!

God bless USA

God bless Obama

Obama Hopes for Win in Mississippi

By CHARLES BABINGTON – 32 minutes ago

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Democrats are deciding the last in a series presidential contests between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton before the two rivals settle in for a six-week battle to win Pennsylvania.

Mississippi's large black electorate in Tuesday's voting makes it fertile ground for Obama, who has swept the other Deep South states and has pulled huge margins among black voters. Clinton, the New York senator and former first lady, campaigned in the state last week, but by Monday was in Pennsylvania, where the primary is April 22.

Mississippi Forecast: Sunny with Scattered Landslides

Jim Parker — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:04:24 EDT

That’s my read of the way things are shaping up, anyway, from the vantage point of my trusty telephone in Tempe, Arizona.

It’s based on pre-election phonebank interviews that I conducted over the past three days with 256 registered Democratic voters in Mississippi who—incidentally and unexpectedly—moved into a virtual tie with Vermont and Wyoming voters (at least, in this reporter’s practiced eye) as the most polite, and enthusiastic, Obama phonebank call-recipients in the nation.

All results are unofficial and preliminary, of course, but this observer believes that they will borne out by early-afternoon exit polls while tomorrow’s voting is still in progress in the Magnolia State.

My prediction for an early projection of the state for Obama by the newschannels tomorrow evening? I’ll go way out on a short limb and guess that the first “calls” of Mississippi for Obama (by CNN, MSNBC, and FNC) will come in somewhere between 7:00 p.m. and 7:01 p.m. CST, 30 seconds or so after the polls close.

The “slash-and-burn” campaign tactics of Senator Hillary Clinton were rated as a significant factor powering their individual choices by survey participants, who preferred Senator Barack Obama, in this sample, by a margin of 66 to 6. [No kidding...about that, at least, although some kidding is coming. Keep reading and see if you can find it.]

The unofficial tally for my phonebank sample follows:

Barack Obama: 66
No Answer: 54
Line Disconnected/No Longer in Service: 44
Left Message: 43
Refused Call: 19
Line Busy: 14
Hillary Clinton: 6
Undecided: 6
Fax/Modem Line: 3
Republican: 1

When asked for a response, a hypothetical spokesman for the Clinton campaign (pontificating inside my own head) immediately downplayed the survey’s results, arguing that Senator Clinton shouldn’t be judged by results in states she loses or in which she otherwise “underperforms.”

“Besides,” my imaginary Clinton spokesperson sputtered on, “if you assume that Senator Clinton would carry 80-plus percent of the ‘No Answer’ and ‘Line Disconnected/No Longer in Service’ voters—which we believe is our natural constituency and plays to Senator Clinton’s strengths as an experienced leader and a vital change-agent in a dangerous, dangerous world—then you factor in all the 3 a.m. calls that President and Senator Clinton will make to all the superdelegates, and multiply by why?, this race is a statistical dead-heat.”

“And, hey,” my internal Clintonspeak spokespecialist shrugged, eying the results one last time for a glimmer of the spin that campaign absolutely lives on (and for), these days: “Senator Clinton is beating the pants off the ‘Fax/Modem Line’ crowd. That proves something, right there.”

Proud Of Barack's Remarks Today

Candace N. - V.O.B — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:13:58 EDT

Barack said exactly what he needed to say in response to Hillary pushing the notion that he could be her VP. His tone was perfect and he firmly stated that he was not going to play second fiddle, especially since he is in first place. I also love Tom Daschle's comments on the issue.

Barack has not stooped to the level of playing dirty in spite of all of the vicious things that have been said about him. He is truly the kind of president that this country needs. He has high moral standards, does not see color but sees character, inspires, has experience, has the right attitude to heal this country and has the best plans to make this country great again.

I am proud to be a Barack supporter, Barack will win Mississippi tomorrow and more importantly he will win the nomination. Guys get your tuxedos ready and gals get your gowns ready because we will be going to the ball.

Get Out The Vote in Mississippi

Asher Heimermann — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:51:09 EDT

Thank you for making calls and helping to bring in a tremendous Wyoming win!

The spin masters and pundits like to imply that states with caucuses and smaller populations don't matter, but we know that every voice and every vote standing up for change makes a difference.

That's why we've won more states, more votes, and more delegates in this race.

In less than 24 hours the polls open in Mississippi. As a team, we've already identified over 10,000 supporters in Mississippi -- and now is the time to Get Out The Vote:

http://my.barackobama.com/call

We have impacted elections across the country, and now it's the Magnolia State's time to shine. Make a difference in the Mississippi primary by making calls right away:

http://my.barackobama.com/call

Obama: Don't assume I'll take VP slot

Soldierette!! (CENSORED) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:33:00 EDT

Obama: Don't assume I'll take VP slot

By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer

Democrat Barack Obama ridiculed the idea of being Hillary Rodham Clinton's running mate Monday, saying voters must choose between the two for the top spot.

The Illinois senator used his first public appearance of the week to knock down the notion that he might accept the party's vice presidential spot on the fall ticket. He noted that he has won more states, votes and delegates than Clinton so far.

"I don't know how somebody who is in second place is offering the vice presidency to someone who is first place," Obama said, drawing cheers and a standing ovation from about 1,700 people in Columbus, Miss.

Saying he wanted to be "absolutely clear," he added: "I don't want anybody here thinking that 'Somehow maybe I can get both'" by nominating Clinton as president and assuming he would be her running mate. "You have to make a choice in this election," he said.

Obama aides said Clinton's recent hints that she might welcome him as her vice presidential candidate appeared meant to diminish him and to attract undecided voters in the remaining primary states by suggesting they can have a "dream ticket."

Obama had never suggested he might accept a second spot on the ticket. But until Monday he had not ridiculed the notion so directly, even if he did completely rule it out in Shermanesque terms.

He told the audience that it made no sense for Clinton to suggest he is not ready to be president and then hint that she might hand him the job that could make him president at a moment's notice.

"If I'm not ready, how is it you think I would be such a great vice president?" he said, as the crowd laughed and cheered loudly.

Mississippi holds it primary Tuesday, the last contest before the Pennsylvania primary six weeks from now.

Clinton and her husband, the former president, had suggested recently that a Clinton-Obama ticket would be popular and formidable against Republican Sen. John McCain in November.

Many political activists discounted the notion all along. They noted that the two senators lack a warm relationship and, more important, that Obama would be ill-served by hinting he might accept the vice presidential slot when he holds the lead in delegates and hopes to win the presidential nomination.

In the latest Associated Press count, Obama leads Clinton, 1,578-1,472. He has won 28 contests to her 17.

Moreover, many insiders feel the ambitious and fast-rising Obama would chafe in the vice president's job, especially in a White House where Bill Clinton would almost surely play a huge advisory role.

Still, the notion of a Clinton-Obama ticket has received ample discussion in recent days on cable TV news shows and newspapers such as New York City's tabloids.

In an interview Friday in Wyoming with KTVQ-TV, a CBS affiliate based in Billings, Mont., Obama's comments were somewhat mixed.

"Well, you know, I think it's premature," he said of accepting the second spot on the ticket. "You won't see me as a vice presidential candidate."

His Monday remarks were more detailed, pointed and humorous.

Of course, they will not completely end the speculation. Presidential candidates routinely disavow any interest in the vice presidential spot. But some, including John Edwards and Al Gore, change their minds when they fall short of their top goal.

Busy! Busy! Busy!

Candid — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:53:08 EDT

Well, since my last blog post, I've been extremely busy - with campaigning for Obama of course. Like millions of people in America, I have dedicated myself to helping to ensure that we secure a win for Obama --- sooon! It's exhausting but I will campaign for as long as this race crawls on. Why? Because I CAN!

Although I have volunteered with the Phone Bank, that is not my calling. Where I feel like I am most effective is the face to face contacts. Thus, I love canvassing. I can canvass until the cows come home. While studying in Florida in 2004, I helped Get Out the Vote for Sen. John Kerry. I was met with many challenges - opposite views etc - but I fell in love with the grass root idea. So, it was no problem for me to do this for Obama - the man I truly believe can bring about REAL change, and make America the country that the world can finally trust.

See, I was born in the Caribbean and from my perspective, America has had very poor diplomacy for some time, especially with a republican president in power. No compromise. 'If you don't do it my way, then I will cut all ties with you!' That mentality is good for no one. I honestly believe that Barack Obama will mend those fences; restore the faith in America's power to do good, while at the same time, ensuring a strong America. I am ready for that type of leadership - CHANGE!

Now tonight I look forward to hearing and seeing Obama at the rally here in MS.

Feeling a little better after Wyoming, and, oh yeah, TX

Becky in Bexley OH — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:02:32 EDT

Sorry for that last rant. I'm feeling better now that we won Wyoming, and the TX caucuses. I still need to study up on the whole super delegate thing.

Yesterday I called 40 people in Mississippi. Their primary is this Tuesday, 3/11/8. I'm hopeful that it will go well. I found the "Make calls" link to be extremely friendly to use. The script and phone numbers disappeared promptly at 9:00 their time, so I wouldn't be calling anyone too late.

Tomorrow is the big cleanup at the Columbus HQ at 190 E. Rich. I can't make it until later in the day because of appointments. It sounds like maybe they'll be able to keep the Columbus open longer; Valli is working on it.

I'm so thankful that the big Blizzard of 2008 didn't strike Columbus and the rest of Ohio last weekend instead of this weekend. It would have made campaigning and early voting more difficult, and probably discouraged people from voting.

That's all for today.

Wyoming Win Decisive

Deborah Simmel — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:13:43 EDT

After winning a decisive 61% of the electorate in the Wyoming Caucus Saturday - a closed caucus, mind you - our candidate moves forward into Mississippi. Each win, each delegate, each state, only compels his nomination that much strongly. This is the kind of candidate the people of our country desire, and this is the kind of campaign conduct the people of our nation deserve. Take a look at these points, coming out of HQ:

Barack Obama has now won nearly thirty contests, half the states in the country, and more primaries, more caucuses and more of the popular vote than Senator Clinton. This shows that Democrats of all ages, regions, and backgrounds have made Barack Obama their overwhelming choice

Obama has won twice as many states, large and small, in every region of the country, many by landslide margins. States like Illinois and Georgia, as well as potential pickup states like Iowa, Virginia and Colorado. And he has done it by expanding the base of the party by attracting young voters in record numbers and building a coalition of Democrats, Independents and disaffected Republicans. This is exactly what we need to do in the fall. And no spin can change the reality that Senator Obama has a lead in pledged delegates that, with just 11 contests left, cannot be overcome.

Because of his appeal to independents and sensible Republicans, as well as his ability to inspire new people to get involved in the process, Barack Obama is clearly the stronger choice to defeat John McCain in November, and to help down ballot Democratic candidates by competing strongly across the country.

Poll after poll shows Obama as the stronger general election candidate. In an average of recent national polls, Obama beats McCain by nearly six points in hypothetical match-ups; Hillary Clinton runs essentially tied. In recent polls in twelve key swing states, Obama performs dramatically better against McCain. Take just two states that the Democrats narrowly lost in the 2004 presidential election: Iowa and Nevada. In Iowa, Obama defeats McCain by 10 points in a hypothetical match-up; Clinton loses by 11 points. In Nevada, Obama defeats McCain by 12 points; Clinton loses by 9 points. In the critical swing state of Wisconsin, Obama beats McCain; Clinton trails by 11.

Grassroots Organizing: Nick in Mississippi

Sarah Ramey — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:50:37 EDT

Yesterday, voters turned out in record numbers to make their voices heard in Wyoming -- and delivered an overwhelming victory for Barack Obama. Senator Obama has now won nearly thirty contests, half the states in the country, the most primaries, the most caucuses and the majority of the popular vote. Democrats of all ages, regions, and backgrounds are making their choice for President (in many states, by landslide margins) -- and that choice is clearly Barack Obama.

Next up? Mississippi!

Meet Nick (below, right), a public policy grad student in Mississippi who has been doing enormous amounts of grassroots organizing for Senator Obama in the state. He's working with a great team of volunteers on the ground -- and they're glad that now the whole movement (you guys!) can give them an extra boost by making phonecalls to voters in Mississippi all today and tomorrow. So check out Nick's statement of support for Barack Obama, and then make some calls to Mississippi!

I support Senator Obama not only because I see him as a truthful honest man, someone who will fight for a better America as a whole -- but specifically because of his stances on the issues.
On that front, the issue I care about most is education. His Teach Service Scholarships, the "Zero to Five" plan both show how the Senator will commit the necessary resources and policy makers to one of, if not the, biggest challenges of this next generation. To rebuild our public schools, hire and keep the best Americans as teachers, truly educate our children for success, and move our nation forward. If you told students, hey teaching is not only emotionally but fiscally rewarding, and we'll pay for your schooling in college, we would have an outpouring of support from the best and brightest.

His support for the Water Resources and Development Act will greatly help my new state's economy in Mississippi. And his work with Senator Harkin to get cities and states to not just re-envision their approaches to mass transit, but do something about it by creating a pedestrian friendly society once more, gets me right where my professional career wants to see accomplished. The Senator's commitment to new transportation ideas is something I firmly stand behind.
After moving to Starkville last fall, I was determined to help put Democratic politics back on the map in the deep Red Mississippi. After Senator Obama's speech in Iowa, I decided it was he whom I would support to lead our Party and country in the next 4 years.
I armed myself with a handful of flyers around Mississippi State, a Facebook event, and a BarackObama.com event page and hoped to find 5 people who wanted to help get him nominated. At my first meeting I had 30 people. At the second one 30 people showed up again, but they were all new. Shortly after, we organized an Alabama canvassing trip for 4 local supporters and 1 from Jackson State to help in Tuscaloosa before their primary. We've had 2 viewing parties, 1 fundraiser, multiple days on campus handing out flyers printed at home, and so much more. Before I knew it combined with Irene Miller's efforts in neighboring Columbus I would say we have at least 120 people on our personal volunteer call sheets. All that in 1 month. Now we have a Columbus office and a Starkville staging ground. It's legendary.

I've made so many new contacts, new friends, that I would never have without stepping out on my own one day and randomly setting up a Bulldawgs for Obama meeting. There are so many nice, wonderful, intelligent people right next door to you, that you'll never know existed if you weren't involved in your community.

You can connect to people in the community as well -- please help us make calls to Mississippi voters to spread the word about Barack Obama and get out the vote this Tuesday.

Pick up the phone!

And if you're from Mississippi, go to MS.BarackObama.com and get involved today. No time to lose!

Mississippi

Dave — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:30:58 EDT

We need you too. Vote for change. Vote for Senator Obama!

Hello Mississippi!....

Julie Hensley — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:36:21 EST

Magical stuff taking place in Mississippi. I suspect that Racism is alive and well in that state judging from the response I've generally gotten from the 'white' people I've reached when I called. However! So many people I've spoken to are clearly enthusiastic and empowered and enthusiastic about support Senator Obama! From Petal to Pearl to Natchez to Pascagoula to Columbus - I've spoken to people who sounded downright bored until I mentioned his name!

If you are calling - don't hesitate to call Mississippi just cause it's looking like a sure thing for Obama! Call - help these people get involved and enthusiastic. Help them be sure that they know where and when to go to vote. Help them think to talk to their friends and family about Obama. Do you want Obama to win by 5 points or 25 points?

We can make the difference! YES WE CAN!

"I know he can be President if We All Do This Together!"

Naomi — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 15:34:20 EST

I made a bunch of calls to Wyoming yesterday, and some more to Mississippi today. Maybe I'm just in a better mood, but it seems that folks in both states are more receptive to hearing from the Obama campaign than they were just a few days ago.

Calling Wyoming was a lot of fun, because voters in Wyoming clearly have no idea what to make of the amount of attention they're getting. Who campaigns in Wyoming in a typical year? With 12 delegates at stake, no one, that's who. One woman said to me, "Wow, you folks are calling a lot. Is this what it's like for the rest of the country all the time?" Everyone was cheery, except for one lady who told me that, no offense, she thought her vote should be private and, while she couldn't keep it private at the caucus she'd be damned if she was going to tell me what it was. Even she was nice about it.

Today, I went back to calling Mississippi. I reached one woman named Patsy from Meridian, MS.

Waiting for Wyoming

Scott Carter- Artists of San Antonio for Obama — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:45:44 EST

Sitting here, waiting for obama to take wyoming.

Not to be overconfident, but: WE all know that he's going to take both Wyoming AND Mississippi and then, hopefully this struggle will be over so that we can focus on McCain!

Hopefully I won't be eating these words later on tonight...

Scott

BARACK OBAMA - ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE

WEBMASTER — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 11:23:04 EST

BARACK IS A UNIVERSAL WORD MEANING TO BRING A BLESSING.

ACCORDING TO HOSEA 4:6 WITH A VISION WE HAVE THE ETERNAL RIGHT TO SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP, GUIDANCE and HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE.

In 1999, the Federal Communications Law Journal revealed how Bill and Hillary Clinton were put in a compromising position. see PLAYING THE NAME GAME - A GLIMPSE AT THE FUTURE / page 411

In this digital age we need courage, leadership and true vision. Obama has shown such in the proper use of political blogging. It is my belief that the message of HOPE spoken by Obama is a God given word and that the vision must not slip from the grasp of the American people or the other nations, peoples and tongues that support Barack Obama around the world.

This is a day the Lord has made. Barak Obama is on his way to the THE WHITE HOUSE . . . .

and I am humbly honored to finish this message with the closing remarks of the world famous CIVIL RIGHTS leader, DR MARTIN LUTHER KING, born 15 JAN 1929, who proclaimed to the world at the LINCOLN MEMORIAL on 28 AUG 1963 in his famous freedom speech:

I HAVE A DREAM

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

THAT DAY IS HERE - YOU ARE FREE

UPDATE: OBAMA MAKES HISTORY as FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT and YES HE DID

HONOR PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN 1861-1865

Fone Calling Complete Today

Adam L. Clark — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:05:01 EST

I have completed my 80 calls today and intend to make more tomorrow. Mississippi is only a few days away and every call counts.

I urge everyone to make a call or 20 :-) People are friendly and they love it when you can use google earth to actually give them street-by-street directions to the polling site.

Too many people were devastated by Katrina and appreciate our help. People in Mississippi are going to need rides to the polls so it is important to give the 601 area-code number to the people when leaving a message.

Yes We Can!

-Adam

MAKING CALLS TO WYOMING & MISSISSIPPI

Asa HUSSEIN Gregory — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:02:50 EST

I am planning to call Wyoming tomorrow afternoon (later today) and Mississippi over the weekend to call voters and caucusers out to show support and win delegates for Barack Obama. I remind and encourage all of you to do the same. It's a very easy system right here on barackobama.com. Do it today! Join me in making a difference in this race and shutting out the politics of fear for good!

Peace,

Asa

Canvassing THIS WEEKEND

★ ✿ Robin ✿★ — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:54:19 EST

hi everyone,

IT'S TIME! I signed up for canvassing this weekend & I hope you all have thought how you can help get out the vote! Don't get lulled into complacency, billarly is campaigning hard in ms this weekend, and the race is closer than I'd like it right now! please join me in calling or canvassing!

Robin

LEARN CITY-STATE CENSUS DEMOGRAPHICS (INCLUDING RADIO & TV STATIONS)

Thingker — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:23:01 EST

http://www.city-data.com/city/Wyoming.html

http://www.city-data.com/city/Mississippi.html

http://www.city-data.com/city/Pennsylvania.html

Thousands of Women Donating for Change

Sarah Ramey — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:43:37 EST

Every day, there are thousands of women making donations, making calls, knocking on doors, emailing their friends, putting up signs and talking to their neighbors for Barack Obama -- because thousands of women feel strongly that Barack Obama is the one candidate who can not only unite the party, but unite the country and restore our standing around the world.

It's Women's History Month, and in honor, we'd like to introduce just a few of the overwhelming numbers of women who think that Barack Obama is the clear choice for women, and for the Democratic Party. For months, they have been contributing what they can in time and money to make sure Barack Obama is the nominee.

Meet Vida. Vida is semi-retired in Mississippi, one of the crucial upcoming states to vote, and when she's not phonebanking for Obama in Jackson she works with children in the Algerbra Project :

I join the thousands and thousands of women who are supporting Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States because I, like they, am persuaded by the sense of honesty, integrity and seriousness that he has exuded in his campaign for the nomination to date.

I am reminded of SNCC's contribution to the civil rights movement 40 years ago, by his bottom-up approach that has really convinced me that he has begun another movement in this country, that is pushing Americans to understand that change will not happen without the participation of every one of us. And, hopefully this means that after he becomes President, he will have built a constituency that pushes him to lead the country in making the kind of change that we all are yearning for!

I am a senior citizen and I want to see progress toward a much more perfect America and world...

Women like Vida aren't just working for Barack -- they're working for a fundamental change in the politics of this country.

This is what a movement looks like.

Please send this to the women you know -- it's time for party and for the nation to unite, and the best candidate to bring people together is the candidate whose campaign has already done just that.

If you're from Mississippi, head to MS.BarackObama.com to see how you can get involved.

And check out Women.BarackObama.com for more statements of support from women around the country, inclluding Caroline Kennedy, Toni Morrison, Kathleen Sebelius, Alice Walker and many, many more.

Last but not least: send us your stories and your grassroots photos to Blog@BarackObama.com so we can show the community what a united movement of every race, gender, age and economic background looks like!

Yes we can:

It has to end on or before Pennsylvania ...

SonyaMD — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:38:05 EST

There's always something in Ohio. What is the problem with that State? The Media keeps reporting that noone has ever won the Presidency that hasn't won in Ohio, why is that? Well, this is the year we disprove that little notion. McCain is a joke. The Democrats should have won hands down last election. The only way I see the Democratic party not winning is if somehow Hillary Clinton finds (or buys) a way to steal the nomination. I know so many people that will either not vote or will vote the other way. That would just be sad. We'll stay positive but we need to brainstorm as to how to awaken the folks that are blinded by the Clinton's. They are a thing of the past. Can we move forward please.

Insult 40 states

Virginia S. — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:11:01 EST

Apparently Mississippi is not going to matter soon. Just like my state, and just like your state, unless it went for Clinton. She should apologize for the way she has discounted and insulted every state that did not go for her. I am sick of this tripe about her "winning the important/big states". NO. Every state is important. Sen. Obama will win the big states she's won, because a giant Gumby Democrat could win them in the general election.

Obama '08!

What Next?

DoctorTodd — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:32:54 EST

Yesterday was a disappointing day, without a doubt. For all the positive spins we might put on the day (and there are some), we must also concede that Senator Clinton won back some bragging rights, and some momentum. Sure, she only gained a net positive of 4 to 9 delegates, hardly enough to make a dent in Senator Obama's large delegate lead, but that's not the media narrative that's out there.

So what's next? First off, Obama supporters must pick themselves up and get back to work. Senator Obama still has an almost insurmountable delegate lead. With big victories in Wyoming on Saturday and Mississippi on Tuesday he will pick up more than enough delegates to offset Senator Clinton's new gains. He would also regain the media narrative: Obama is back, Obama regains the momentum, Obama widens delegate lead.

And as for the Senator himself, he needs to shake off his seeming complacency of the past few weeks. Senator Clinton made virtually ALL the headlines in recent weeks, both good and bad. Senator Obama continued giving the same stump speech in front of the same big crowds...he seemed in retrospect almost to forget that there's a larger audience out there than the one he's facing in person.

He needs to get back to being the insurgent, the upstart, the change candidate challenging the status quo that Clinton represents.

He needs to make headlines every day, forcing the morning shows and the evening news to report on his doings day in and day out.

He needs to start asking hard questions, loudly and in public, in front of news cameras whenever the opportunity presents: "What is all this experience Senator Clinton is talking about?", "What is Senator Clinton hiding by not releasing her joint tax returns?", "Why does Senator Clinton keep changing her positions on the issues?", "Do we really want the sort of 'experience' in the White House that votes to authorize rogue presidents to launch unnecessary wars, without first reading national intelligence estimates that caution against such misadventures?"

He also needs to stay nice, and respectful. Avoid appearing angry. But also avoid being long-winded, as is his wont. Get on the offensive, but do so in nice, tidy, media-friendly soundbites.

Appear on SNL, if need be. Appear on the Daily Show every few days, if need be. Appear on the morning shows every day, if need be. He needs to grab back Clinton's recently gained media advantage. And he needs to do it soon.

All is not lost. All remains nearly won. But Senator Obama needs to close the deal, to deliver the knockout punch. We all hoped that yesterday would be the day he would do so...it wasn't, but that doesn't mean it can't still happen. It can, and it will. And we can help Senator Obama make it happen.

Yes, we can.

Phone Bank Mississippi - WHOO HOO IT'S A PARTY!

Julie Hensley — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:59:44 EST

Seriously people! Obama is expected to win quite handily in Mississippi and it's easy to see why! People are tickled to death with him.

If you've considered making some calls but get daunted and intimidated - you definitely want to visit Mississippi via the phone lines. But he's gonna win already...what's the point? You ask- I AM GLAD you asked that.. You see there is that little thing from last night when Hillary actually started to catch up with Obama by a couple/few delegates (yep after the hoo-ha that's all she really gained) and if we help push Obama into an even bigger landslide in Mississippi AND Wyoming guess what happens? He could feasibly even get those back before they go into Pennsylvania!

Imagine the impact of Obama winning Wyoming and/or Mississippi embarrasing margins like 25+ points!

Now, channel that excitement into some PHONE CALLS and tell others to call. It's MARDI GRAS in MISSISSIPPI and WYOMING this year!

Spiritual Phone Banking

Naomi — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:20:35 EST

I was really hopeful -- naive I guess, that March 4 would be it for the primary campaign. This morning brought two things to my world: snow and reality. My phone rang at 4:45 AM to tell me that I had the day off from work. As I sat making phone calls down the "fanout" to colleagues, I looked on CNN to see the news from Texas. Not bad news, but not "we're done" news.

So today I get a day off from work I didn't expect, and I'm donating at least some of it to the campaign. I'm phonebanking in Mississippi. If you knew me, you'd be amazed that I am voluntarily speaking to strangers. I hate cold calling. And I won't lie -- I'm a little happy to get an answering machine now and again. (Oh, and I've already sent the campaign an email -- the website doesn't pull up the "leave a message" script properly, so I have to have a copy of the script in another window).

IT'S OUR TIME, MISSISSIPPI!

Chris Carlson — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:41:03 EST

My fellow Mississippians,

I know that we would have liked to end the race last night by winning Ohio and Texas. But here are a couple facts:

1.) 5 or 10 delegates, more or less. That's what last night meant. That's ALL last night meant. So instead of having a 160-delegate lead, Barack now has a 150-delegate lead...meanwhile, Hillary has just burned through almost 40% of the remaining delegates. SHE CANNOT CATCH BARACK IN PLEDGED DELEGATES UNLESS WE GIVE UP. SHE WOULD HAVE TO WIN SOMETHING LIKE 70% OF THE REMAINING VOTE OF THE REST OF THE COUNTRY TO DO SO.

2.) Do NOT let the media's coverage of last night's results fool you. We are NOT on the ropes. We are in the LEAD. Remember two weeks ago? Ohio and Texas were Clinton's "firewall". She was going to destroy Barack and catch up in delegates. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. It didn't even come CLOSE to happening.

Do not lose your hope. Do not lose your faith. Now is not the time to allow discouragement into your heart, nor doubt into your mind.

Hillary Clinton keeps talking about Pennsylvania. Let her.

In the meantime, along with our friends in Wyoming, let's take her momentum away!

Mississippi has 33 delegates to pledge to the national convention. During this next week, call, knock on doors, talk to your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers, anybody who will listen...and tell them to GET OUT AND VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA!

We all know Mississippi. We all know how we are always second-fiddle to some bigger state, some "more important" place. Most people in America don't think we have running water here, much less Internet access.

Let's come out and shock everyone. Let's show the media and the world that we are TIRED OF BEING IGNORED.

LET'S GIVE BARACK OBAMA HIS BIGGEST LANDSLIDE YET IN A STATE PRIMARY!

So pass out those flyers, write your newspapers, call those call-in shows, canvass in your neighborhood, and call your fellow Mississippians.
We as Mississippians--we are all in this together. THIS IS OUR COUNTRY TOO.

We are all in this together. We HAVE ALWAYS BEEN in this together, even when most of us didn't know it (and some still don't). And we ALWAYS WILL BE in it together.

Let's show them they are wrong for ignoring us. Let's show them they are wrong for acting like our votes don't matter. Let's show the media, the rest of America, and the world, that us poor little nobodies in Mississippi can shake things up, all by ourselves.

Hillary Clinton won the battle last night, but she did not win the war. The war is just beginning.

Let's fire the first and loudest shot and stop her momentum cold, RIGHT HERE IN MISSISSIPPI!

Chris Carlson
Laurel, Mississippi

"Yes She Can" versus Yes We Can

Lenny Sharlet — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:20:05 EST

Did it strike anyone else the stark difference between these?

First of all, Hillary's supporters are entitled to a bit of glee. They won two huge contests yesterday (oh yeah, and Rhode Island). They were nowhere near the landslides they needed to catch Obama's delegate lead, but they were victories nonehtheless.

Clinton talks about what SHE can do. "I have been working to bring positive change to people's lives for 35 years." She has said.

"It will be me." To Katie Couric a year ago on whether she might lose the nomination.

ME, ME, ME, ME

I heard a commentator on Slate talking about Obama using the "royal we". It's not the royal we, it's WE! It's US! We ARE the change we have been waiting for.

This movement is bigger than all of us, and it is certainly bigger than Obama or Clinton.

Yes we can win Wyoming.

Yes we can win Mississippi.

Yes we can win Pennsylvannia.

Yes we can win this party's nomination.

Yes we can win the White House.

Yes we can build a Movement for change in this contry.

Yes We can. Yes We Can. Yes We can.

Printable "Mississippi for Obama" Signs

Dan — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:00:55 EST

Here are two ready-to-print 8½ by 11 inch "Mississippi for Obama" signs I put together. Print some out and tape them up in your car, in our house, give them to other supporters or use them as signs! Email your friends and family asking them to do the same!

Also, be sure to check out our growing collection of signs, wallpapers, etc. at obamamedia.wordpress.com.

Excitement and Organization

Stephen from Jackson, MS — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:05:44 EST

There are two words that describe the Obama campaign here in Mississippi: Excitement and Organization.

Everywhere you turn here in Mississippi there is excitement. Excitement about the election on March 11th. Excitement to spread the word by making phone calls and knocking on doors. Excitement about helping to organize your neighborhood, your church, your family, and your friends. Excitement at the chance to make a difference in this primary season. Excitement to make a strong statement about the strength of the Democratic Party in each and every state. But most of all, excicement about helping make sure Barack Obama is the next President of the United States.

Here in Mississippi, we're making sure we turn this excitement into a strong organization. Building on the grassroots support throughout the state and the strength of countless local leaders and elected officials, we're building up our organization to make March 11 a huge win for Obama. Here at our campaign office in Jackson volunteers are already working the phones. Our organizational meeting tonight at Hal and Mal's Restaurant has had such an overwhelming response that we're just hoping we'll be able to fit everyone in the room! If you can't make it tonight, we'll be hitting the streets this Saturday, knocking on doors and reminding everyone to get out and vote March 11th. Of course we'll be in the office every day working the phones. Every morning we've got people waiting here, full of excitement and ready to help make sure we get every vote and every delegate here in Mississipp, but we've always got more room so, if you're in Jackson, come on down to headquarters today! And if you can't make it to Jackson, soon there will be more offices throughout the state to help build the strongest organization we can.

Together we can help build the excitement and organization here in Mississippi and turn out one huge victory on March 11.

Yes we can!

Wildlife Alert: Senator Thad Cochran needs to hear from you.

Support Obama Mississippi — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:46:34 EST

Help protect swift foxes and other wildlife by calling your Senator today. Lawmakers could strike a deal within hours on this important issue. Please call Senator Cochran now at one of the numbers below:

Jackson: (601) 965-4459

Washington, DC: (202) 224-5054

Learn more about Defenders of Wildlife:

http://www.defenders.org/

Senator Thad Cochran is one of just a few lawmakers who have been selected to determine conservation funding in the final version of the federal farm bill -- vital resources to protect swift foxes and other imperiled wildlife!

Please call Senator Cochran today at one of the phone numbers below:

Jackson: (601) 965-4459

Washington, DC: (202) 224-5054

And deliver this simple message:

"My name is _____________ and I am calling from _________, Mississippi to urge Senator Cochran to support critical conservation programs in the final Farm Bill."

Please work to:
- Secure a $5 billion increase over the next five years for conservation programs that improve water quality, reduce soil erosion, and protect habitat. This funding will continue all programs and begin to meet farmer demand for these popular programs.
- Promote strategic conservation investments by linking federal programs to the goals outlined in conservation plans, like the State Wildlife Action Plans.
- Ensure riparian areas in the arid southwest are eligible for the Wetlands Reserve Program, protecting Southwestern Willow Flycatchers and other animals that rely on these special ecosystems.
- Provide ranchers and farmers with funding for proactive predator deterrence methods, such as range riders and fencing, to prevent livestock-predator conflicts.

The Farm Bill is a vital source of resources for programs to save animals like swift foxes, which face habitat loss and other threats. Through funding in the Farm Bill, farmers and ranchers will have real incentives to protect habitat for imperiled species.

Jackson: (601) 965-4459

Washington, DC: (202) 224-5054

Learn more about Defenders of Wildlife:

http://www.defenders.org/

The Obam'Omentum continues!

Support Obama Mississippi — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:39:50 EST

I'm excited that Obama has won Wisconsin tonight. The momentum continues to build as he heads to Texas and Ohio. I think Obama can win Texas. Meanwhile, voting in Mississippi is not far after that (March 10th). I hope that Mississippi will deliver another victory for Barack Obama. A win in Mississippi could help seal the deal for Obama.

Obama wins force changes in Clinton strategy

Annika from Madison, CT — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:42:56 EST

Came across this link, which highlights the need for greater vigilance, and especially the fact that now would not be a good time to start celebrating. It's not over yet. There is still everything to fight for. And even when it looks like we are stacking up delegates, remember to make it clear that the remaining states matter as much as the ones that have already been won!

The Clinton campaign has decided not to ignore the states they had deemed to be unimportant, and will instead be trying to tap into the base that has been supporting the Obama campaign, especially among younger prospective voters (volunteers). NOW is the time to start recruiting volunteers/staff in ALL remaining states. TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED:

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/politics/ny-uscamp0214,0,4643978.story

"From our perspective, we expect change to begin on March 4," said Mark Penn, Clinton's chief strategist.

As evidence that race for the Democratic nomination might be an extended one, Clinton's campaign officials said they'll be opening campaign offices and hiring staff in Wyoming, Montana, Kentucky and Mississippi. which hold primaries in March, April and May.

They're also opening an office in Puerto Rico, which votes on June 6 – the last day of the Democratic primary calendar, a sign of just how far the Clinton camp believes the race might go.

I believe that the quicker this is wrapped up, the better it will be for the Obama campaign. There is no room for complacency. I can sense that there will be huge tides of negativity coming in the next few days. It is best to be prepared and meet it head on, with dignity and integrity. NEVER take the bait. Meet slurs and slimy insinuations with facts, but never lose your cool. Copy Barrack's poise, smile in the face of opposition, if necessary. It disarms them more quickly than anything else. Good luck!

We need to ensure that people are in place in all those coming states PRONTO. I know that the campaign has been good at organisation, but it is important to seize the momentum and not wait until the last minute. People have heard about Barrack's wins this past week, they want to see him now. Remember that the only thing many have going for them still, is Clinton's name recognition. The objective should be to change that and capitalise on it. Good luck!

Taking the Gulf Coast

Todd Lowe — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:55:12 EST

The gulf coast states are all in play this year after the devastating hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005. There are 3 main concerns of most citizens of the area, Rebuilding and improving Levee systems to at least the 100 year standards they are already congressionally approved to be at, conservation and reclamation of coastal wetlands, and the home insurance emergency that is going on now.

First, the levee system. Many of you may not know the actual reason that New Orleans was so very destroyed from hurricane Katrina. It was not just the winds, though the winds were bad (half the house I am typing from right now blew over from the winds) or the rain and usual flooding that brought. It was the failure of the levee system in multiple places and the ensuing flooding from the breaks and breaches. The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (known locally as Mister GO) which was a poorly designed Corps of Engineers project in the 1960s ended up being a funnel bringing the surge waters right into the heart of the city. There are still arguments going on about this, but the choice is clear, the MRGO must be closed and the levee system must be PROPERLY repaired to meet the congressional standards already set.

Wetlands conservation and reclamation is not just a neat idea in Louisiana, it is needed to keep our state an actual dry place where people can live. The oil companies for years have chopped up the coastal wetlands to be able to run channels for pipes and to move equipment around. Every time they do that it causes salt water intrusion which kills off the brackish/fresh water wetlands. Once the trees and plants of the wetlands start to die from the increased salt concentrations, the process is slow but inevitable. The once swampy brackish or fresh water land slowly turns in to open salt water, otherwise known as 'the ocean'. This is happening at an annual ate estimated to be between 25 and 34 square miles per year. Katrina alone caused the damage of the equivalent of 20 years of erosion! The entire boot of Louisiana is basically mud from the Mississippi river that was dumped here over the last 5000 years. We must have more diversion projects that divert water from the river into the wetlands to help rejuvenate them and we must stop the coastal erosion and salt water intrusion that is occurring along our coasts!

Finally, after the Hurricane seasons we had in 04 and 05 the insurance industries took a big hit in payoffs and basically stopped writing policies in most places in the Gulf Coast. We need some type of federal plan to make insurance affordable so people can rebuild their lives in these still devastated areas.

If Obama focuses on these issues he could take Louisiana, Florida, and even, dare I say it Texas Mississippi, and Alabama in the General election.

Obama fan in the Bible Belt

C.J. Arnold — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:47:47 EST

My school is probably 98% republican and anyone who is a democrat is afraid to ever say anything but I have been spreading the message of Obama loud and clear. I've met resistance from all the right wingers who say, "I ain't gonna vote for no dang terrorist, he's gonna blow us up." (Yes, there are actually people that stupid, that's Mississippi for ya.) But I will continue to spread his message and if I can just get one person to vote for him who wouldn't have before, it will be a success!

MSU & Starkville 4 Obama

Nick D — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 09:25:39 EST

Well we've had our first successful meeting of Senator Obama supporters this past week! Yippee! And what's even better is we've having a 2nd one next week! About 17 people organized all over the internet!

Starkville leans Clinton

Nick D — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:28:23 EST

In a recent survey of 78 readers of the Starkville Daily News, the paper found that 50% of those proclaiming themselves as Democrats will vote for Hillary Clinton.

Critics Cite Red Tape in Rebuilding of Louisiana

Kevin — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:52:13 EST

From the New York Times:

NEW ORLEANS — If rebuilding anything in this storm-scarred place could possibly qualify as simple, surely it would be the administration building in City Park.

The two-story structure, built in 1992, does not have any of the features that can complicate restoring public buildings. No special historic, environmental, cultural or political significance. No history of poor maintenance or other damage (aside from the five feet of water that filled it after the levees failed). No need to be merged, moved or reimagined in response to changes after Hurricane Katrina.

Yet after almost two years of federal inspections and studies and reviews filling more than 90 pages, the administration building has been neither repaired nor replaced. And there are dozens of similarly incomplete projects at the park, hundreds in the city, thousands across the state of Louisiana.

In fact, the federal government has agreed to pay $2.3 billion so far for rebuilding Louisiana public works like schools, sewers and police stations. But so far, only $650 million — 28 percent — of that money has been spent. In Mississippi, only 27 percent has been spent of the $1.1 billion of federal tax dollars set aside to replace government infrastructure there.

The full story can be seen here (free registration required).

EVERY City and State for Barack Obama!!

Homeboy — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:12:13 EDT

It's been a crazy month for me. I've spent countless all nighters trying to improve my grassroots Barack Obama website that I hope will make a difference in the younger voters out there. There are still a few glitches to fix, but for the most part, the new site is online and ready to help promote Obama as best as it can.

Probably the biggest difference is that there is now a page for every US city and state where people can leave comments and quickly interact. I chose the simple comment system because I know that many younger voters won't take the time to sign up for Barackobama.com but still want their voices to be heard, so this is their chance to be heard.

The most time consuming part of the whole website redesign was the creation and upload of over 30,000 images people can get on t-shirts. Like I mentioned earlier, there are a few problems with a few cities and states, but basically, EVERY CITY has its own Barack Obama t-shirt.

Let me say that again... EVERY US CITY has it's own t-shirt design!

I'm an artist and web designer, and this is how I'm supporting Obama. It doesn't matter what you're good at.. there's definitely something you can do to help him get noticed.

Goodluck!

-Homeboy

PS... here's links to the state pages...

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Deltans for Obama

Zach Tatum — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 11:52:12 EDT

We all met for the first time and had some snacks and we watched Barack's live simulcast. We planned on a general meeting about every 2 weeks at 8:00 Wednesdays at the Bean Counter so Bertron could make it. We planned for our first such meeting to be this Wednesday, April 4, at 8:00 at the Bean Counter.
We decided that it would be a good idea for Suzy to write to the papers when we want some publicity.Rileyann said that she could help us get involved on the Delta State campus.At our meeting tomorrow we planned to discuss:The Deltans for Obama Rally-we are hosting- I am unsure of the date we decided on, if we did decide on one.-We want to bring voter registration forms, in town as well as absentee registration forms, to all our events and get as many people, and specifically students, to register to vote.-Voter Registration-sounded like it would be a priority. I heard someone from the meeting say "How many students can we register to vote from now until November?"--sounded like a possible mantra.
-Make Petitions for State Senators and State Representatives, as well as our U.S. Senators and Representatives- to get them to endorse Obama. Also I guess the Governor should be included, and Amy Tuck, etc.I made a public group for us on Google, a facebook group, and a group on BarackObama.com

Check out the event I'm hosting called "Deltans for Obama!"

I hope to see you there.

Zach

The GOP is scared of Hillary (gulp)

Wake_Up_Everybody — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 21:24:14 EST

Note this from an article in the NY Times about the recent National Governors Association meeting:

"Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, toasted the political prowess of Mrs. Clinton.

"'Republicans would make a bad mistake to underestimate Hillary Clinton,' Mr. Barbour said. 'She will be a formidable opponent if she is the Democratic nominee. And I think she probably will be. The Democrats have a true front-runner this time, and she is quite likely to win the nomination.'"

Am I insane to think that the GOP says this because they WANT the Dems to nominate Clinton? Isn't this proof that we should, by all means, NOT nominate Clinton? I don't think a powerful Republican insider would be giving a name and a voice to someone the party's truly scared of. Do you?

Here's the full article: Link