Posts with the tag Petition

Congressman Greyson (D-FL-8th) Calls for Lowering Cloture from 60 to 55 Votes. Sign On.

Buck Bradberry — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:25:50 EST

Stop Senate Stalling!

Why should launching wars and cutting taxes for the rich require only 50 votes while saving lives requires 60?

Join me in calling for an end to this unfair system. Tell Majority Leader Reid to modify the rules of the Senate to require only 55 votes to invoke cloture instead of 60. Fill out the form below to sign the petition today!

Urgent Sign Our Petition - Support Our President!

Michael Barnes — Sat, 16 May 2009 02:43:38 EDT

President Barack Obama plans to accept an invitation to speak at the University of Notre Dame. However, some religious organizations are mounting a campaign to discourage his attendance.

You can fight this unfortunate effort by signing the following petition:

Visit www.ObamaCatholics.com, or email ObamaCatholics@gmail.com for an e-mail embedded form!

CLEAN TRUCKS PROGRAM

WEBMASTER — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:19:49 EDT

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have been working to replace old trucks burning dirty, imported diesel with new trucks running on clean, domestic natural gas.

The program has been working, but too slowly. The way these trucking companies rotate their fleets, this is the year when a huge percentage of the trucks will be replaced. They need to be replaced with trucks running on natural gas.

Click here to sign this petition to push forward the Clean Trucks Program.

In California there are 3,700 premature deaths every year due to air pollution. Pollution-related disease and medical conditions, including childhood asthma, costs Californians $19 billion per year.

Helping truckers trade trucks producing diesel fumes that everyone has to breathe – especially children and the elderly – for new trucks which produce no particulate emissions and a fraction of greenhouse gas emissions is an excellent investment for California. It will also be another example of California leading the country in protecting the environment.

Just the other day, California’s Air Resources Board approved regulations for its Low Carbon Fuel Standard which will have a real effect on reducing greenhouse gasses from petroleum-based fuels.

Click here to sign this petition to push forward the Clean Trucks Program.

Direct email to the HHS/Obama Administration!

Jason M. Christos — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:24:21 EDT

I have found the Government Comment email address for the Conscience Clause. LET THEM KNOW HOW YOU FEEL... but please be courteous! :) proposedrescission@hhs.gov

View related blog entry:

You have strong convictions, but President Obama says that doesn’t matter.

Jason M. Christos — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:50:21 EDT

Remember above all this is an issue of protecting the rights of doctors against discrimination based on moral convictions. In violation of federal labor laws. It is not so much an issue of abortion or religion. However closely related lets stick to the issue.

You have strong convictions, but President Obama says that doesn’t matter. He’s ready to rescind the Conscience Clause.

The Conscience Clause was implemented by former President George W. Bush to give physicians and nurses the choice to act according to their conscience — to not participate in abortion procedures if it conflicts with their personal convictions. If President Obama makes this damaging move, if he reverses the Conscience Clause, pro-life doctors and nurses will be forced into performing abortion procedures, despite their individual beliefs... more

Update on HB 430 Activity, for those interested.

EMK — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 02:06:56 EDT

I know that a few people were interested on the status of GA HB 430, so here's an update.

Yeah, its from C4L, but it's worth a look.

Apparently, the bill is stuck in committee, and the committee chairs, Rep. Calvin Hill, Chairman of the Financial Institutions & Services Subcommittee, and Rep. Mike Coan, Chairman of the Regulations & Oversight Subcommittee, did not allow the bill to come up for discussion, though the article says that they promised to do so.

A petition is available for those interested: http://www.sicm.com/constitutionaltender/BillRequest-HB430.pdf.

That's all the info I have on the status of the bill.

Until later,

EMK

Take Action: Senate Committee Ignores Outcry, Confirms Porn Lawyer

Visit SolidRockFaith.com! — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:14:18 EDT

I already signed the following petition and called both Senators to ask them to oppose Obama's nominations for the Justice Department. I do not approve of such scumbags. On citizenslink.org I found some helpful iniformation.

By Jennifer Mesko, editor

Sen. Specter said he has never seen so much opposition from voters — 11,000 phone calls, letters and other contacts.

The Senate Judiciary Committee dealt a blow to cultural morals last week by approving David Ogden's nomination for deputy attorney general, meaning the full Senate could vote anytime.

Sen. Arlen Specter, the committee's ranking Republican, reportedly told National Public Radio he had never seen so much opposition from voters — 11,000 phone calls, letters and other contacts with the committee.

Unfortunately, Specter joined the 13 Democrats in supporting Ogden. The other five Republicans on the committee voted against Ogden.

Ogden opposes restrictions on abortion and pornography, and has represented Playboy and Penthouse in court. He has filed a brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in support of child pornographer Stephen Knox, who possessed sexually explicit videos of children. Ogden argued that, because the children's genitalia were partially covered by clothing, such exploitation is protected by the First Amendment.

Committee member Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said that while he usually defers to a president's nominees, he was troubled by Ogden's representation of the pornography industry and other controversial clients, the Legal Times reported.

"Mr. Ogden has consistently taken very liberal positions over a long period of time on issues that are very important to me," Hatch said. "The pattern here is so consistent and the record is so long that it does give me pause."

Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy at Focus on the Family Action, said that rather than depoliticizing the Justice Department, the new Democratic administration is re-politicizing it.

"They take our breath away the more we learn about these people," Minnery told The Associated Press. "This is Left-wing politicization of the Justice Department. This is not a Justice Department that looks like America."

TAKE ACTION
Four nominees to the Justice Department — including David Ogden — are expected to go before the Senate soon. Please ask your senators to oppose all four nominations.

http://capwiz.com/fof/utr/1/HZZMJYRCMP/CRLQJYRDIX/2989036496

Source: http://www.citizenlink.org

America has made a serious mistake when it voted for "change". There is no need for "change" but rather repentance. Repent we must! Hopefully, repentance has come. Repentance to God we can believe in.

Statehood YES or NO

Felix — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:06:07 EST

Our goal is to encourage President O to make history as the first president that provides, through an executive order, for a true exercise of self determination that will give this right to more than 6 million American citizens living in the territory of Puerto Rico and abroad. Whereas as a colony of Spain and since 1898 when the U.S. took possession of the island, the people who now enjoy U.S. citizenship but have no voting representation, have not been given the opportunity to decide their future as a state of the union or as a republic.

The time has come to challenge the Congress of the U.S. for redress of the grievances of the American citizens from Puerto Rico. The Congress of the U.S. must decide on the question of Statehood for Puerto Rico.

As supporters of President O we must lead in the preparation of the plebiscite that will give the people of Puerto Rico a clear choice to end their perennial colonial/territorial political status. This transparent exercise of self-determination can not justifiably include the commonwealth colonial formula (ELA) because this formula violates the constitutional rights of the more than 3 million American Citizens living in Puerto Rico that lack full representation in Federal government.

In light of the urgency to correct the disparity that now exists in which the American Citizens residing in Puerto Rico have no right to be represented while those that reside in any of the states of the union enjoy all the guarantees of the Constitution we have to expedite a plebiscite that will give the people of Puerto Rico the option of deciding to become a state of the union.

Thereafter and once the plebiscite is completed and the Petition of Statehood is sent to Congress we will anxiously await their decision. In the meantime the people of Puerto Rico must prepare for the outcome that would necessarily include acceptance into the union or the process by which the United States will prepare the territory they now posses to become an independent country.

Click this link to sign petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/estado51/petition.html

Common Sense Taxpayer Bail-out

Sherry and Janel — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:28:08 EST

Why does the money from the "bail-out" go to Government infrastructure and private business when it could be better used in the hands of the people? If an impactful stimulus check were given to each registered taxpayer, would the economy not be better stimulated intrinsically? As a taxpayer $600 or $800 isn't big enough to make a dent in the economy as it is right now. A considerably larger sum to each person, totaling far less than the current projected/proposed bail-out amount, would trickle "up" with a much quicker effect.

If I have a substantial stimulus "check" I will buy a house, and a car, and furniture, and hire someone to do landscaping, and get medical attention that has been postponed. In other words I would be bettering not only myself but those in my community. Farther out, my actions would impact the banks with the funds I would invest in savings, 401K, and stocks, and pay more taxes directly back to the government, etc.

I would like to propose an amount of one million dollars per taxpayer. While that sounds at first like a lot of money wouldn't it be far less than the 700 billion currently on the table? The effect on the economy would be instantaneous and positive. This would lessen the "regulation and control" on agencies that are being "created" to implement the "rescue" and would put the forces of the natural economy back in balance and in the hands of those who drive it.

Please don't spend my money on GM, Ford, Chrysler or any other company that has been grievously mismanaged. Their record of fiduciary responsibility speaks for itself; they have already demonstrated the behaviors won't change.

Petition: Palin, eBay campaign clothes for charity

DragonMama — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:53:26 EDT

It's being reported that Gov. Palin has received approximately $150,000 worth of high-end clothes and accessories paid for by campaign contributions. This is more than 3x the median household income and OUTRAGEOUS! There is a new petition to ask her to sell the clothes on eBay and give the proceeds to charity, preferably one that serves teen moms or special needs kids.

Sign the petition here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/palin-clothes

Sign this petition!

Hellataz — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 23:36:16 EDT

Below is an email I received and I urge everyone to read, sign the petition and forward this to everyone you can.
______________________________________________________________________

Dear Friend,
John McCain and Sarah Palin have stopped talking about the issues, and have instead launched a strategy relying on fear-mongering, racial divisions, and hate. The result is McCain/Palin supporters saying "kill him!" "terrorist!" "traitor," and more, at rallies, with the McCain campaign playing dumb in response.It's outrageous and it must stop.

Together, we can show that Americans of all races won't stand for this.

I've signed onto ColorofChange's open-letter calling out McCain and Palin. ColorOfChange.org will publish it this week, and as they've shown in the past, when enough of us stand together, we can force the mainstream media to amplify our message. Will you join us?

http://www.colorofchange.org/united/?id=2126-682606

McCain-Palin rallies have started to look more like mob scenes than political events. The candidates keep asking "who is the real Barack Obama?" (a question that also kicks off almost every McCain television ad).In response, supporters have yelled "terrorist!" and "traitor!" And the venom goes beyond Obama--one McCain/Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at a Black member of a news crew, saying "sit down, boy."

McCain and Palin are going down a dangerous path. Watching some of their supporters being interviewed shows the kind of fear their campaign is stoking and exploiting.McCain and Palin are clearly in the driver's seat. They've personally made it a point to use "terrorist" and "Obama" in the same sentence; they have surrogates repeatedly refer to him by his middle-name;and they keep pushing the discredited guilt-by-association smears that have long been debunked.

All of it plays on the much more sinister rumors in anonymous smear emails which claim Obama is Muslim (a myth designed to tap into anti-Muslim bigotry), anti-American, and is somehow connected with terrorists. This strategy is powerful because Obama is Black, and it's designed to make Obama's race a disadvantage without appearing overtly racist.

As Americans of all stripes, we've seen how Barack Obama's historic candidacy has moved our friends and family to have a more honest conversation about race in this country. It's inspired a lot of people to step out of their comfort zone and confront racism in their own communities, with their friends, neighbors and families.

In the final days of this campaign, we can't let a desperate John McCain and Sarah Palin drag us down. If enough of us act, we can create a powerful story in the media about Black people and our allies of all races standing together against race-baiting and fear-mongering coming from the McCain/Palin campaign. But it will take a lot of us speaking in unison.

Will you sign an open letter to McCain and Palin, telling them who you are and why you won't let them move our country backward? ColorofChange.org will publish the letter and make sure John McCain is forced to respond.

http://www.colorofchange.org/united/?id=2126-682606

Thanks.

AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ

Juli Norwood — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:08:43 EDT

Please read the article from the New York Times titled The Terrorist Barack Hussein Obama by FRANK RICH - it is an absolute must read.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/opinion/12rich.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=opinion&adxnnlx=1224068595-ceLemDxk1ODM6l+rJ1rzbw

It discusses the toxic language seen at McCain and Palin rallies! The article goes on to say "Doing nothing is not an option." I did something! I signed the petition located here

The Petition for the Immediate Abandonment of Incendiary Rhetoric

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Obamashield/index.html

AND I wrote my Minnesota representatives warning them of the dangers of hate, violent, racist rheteric and told that something MUST be done! I asked them to investigate McCain and Palins campaigns for this explosive rheteric.

Juli Norwood

PLEASE SIGN PETITION

Juli Norwood — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:11:10 EDT

Perhaps you have already read my post titled PROOF MCCAIN IS PURPOSELY INCITING HATE, RACISM AND VIOLENCE!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/julinorwood/gGgFZ4

If you have, you will understand why I ask you to please sign this petition!

The Petition for the Immediate Abandonment of Incendiary Rhetoric

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Obamashield/index.html

Thank You!

Juli Norwood

Should we Recall?

EMK — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:03:03 EDT

I know there's an election going on, but maybe we can't wait too long.

I found out that these states allow for a petition to recall elected officials so that one can replace them before their term expires:

Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Georgia
Idaho
Kansas
Louisiana
Michigan
Minnesota
Montana
Nevada
New Jersey
North Dakota
Oregon
Rhode Island
Washington
Wisconsin

(Source: Campaign for Liberty)

The source also showed a link about the process, in brief: http://www.ehow.com/how_2096900_recall-us-senator.html.

If you live in one of these states, and would like to replace your senator(s), take a look and check out your state's website.

Well, just because your senator isn't up for reelection doesn't mean they can't be replaced in these states!

Just some info.

Lata!

EMK

We Won! Palin Not Speaking at Iran Rally: A vital story for all Jewish People to Know about, Especially in Florida, Pennsylvania, and in Ohio, who were thinking of Voting Republican! Please print out and explain to friends, neighbors, colleagues!

Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:37:30 EDT

From: Isaac Luria, J Street <info@jstreet.org>
Subject: We Won! Palin Not Speaking at Iran Rally
To: julia.milazzo@att.net
Date: Thursday, September 18, 2008, 4:14 PM

Dear Julia,

Congratulations! Your voice was heard.

I just received word that the Iran Unity Rally organizers have asked Sarah Palin not to speak on Monday.

This is the right decision. A unity rally to express communal solidarity is no place for partisan politics. And to give such prominence to Sarah Palin alone would have spoken neither to, nor for, the American Jewish community.

This is a victory not just for you and for the 20,188 others who signed J Street's petition. It's a victory for the broader community. And we're pleased the rally's organizers came to their senses so quickly.

Victories like these don't come easily - or often. But when they do, we should savor them, at least briefly.

We'll be back at it tomorrow, because our next task is making sure that the messages at the rally reflect the view of a majority of Americans - Jewish and otherwise - that the best way to deal with Iran is through tough, smart diplomacy - not saber rattling and threats of force.

Stay tuned.

- Isaac

------------------
Isaac Luria
Online Director
J Street
September 18, 2008 5:11

P.S. J Street's work depends on the support of people like you. Please consider making a gift to support us here.

----------

ABOUT J STREET
J Street is the political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement. J Street was founded to promote meaningful American leadership to end the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israel conflicts peacefully and diplomatically. We support a new direction for American policy in the Middle East and a broad public and policy debate about the U.S. role in the region. Learn more at our website by clicking one of the links above.

Watchdog group says McCain aired negative TV ad in violation of 9/11 pledge

Jennifer Mohr — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:22:24 EDT

Associated Press | 6 hours, 52 minutes ago in Politics

An independent watchdog group says that Republican John McCain's campaign violated a pledge not to air any negative TV ads on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Read more of the article

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, Governor Palin

Casey — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:56:12 EDT

To: U.S. Congress and the President of the United States

Since the day that Senator John McCain brought Governor Sarah Palin (R) of the of Alaska onto his campaign ticket as his choice for Vice-President, Governor Palin has repeatedly stated that she said "Thanks, but no thanks" to earmark funding for the "Bridge to Nowhere" (Gravina Island bridge in Ketchikan, Alaska). The facts support otherwise.

When running for governor, Palin expressed a different position. In 2006, the Ketchikan Daily News quoted her expressing optimism and support for the bridge at a Ketchikan campaign stop.

Palin, 2006: "People across the nation struggle with the idea of building a bridge because they’ve been under these misperceptions about the bridge and the purpose," said Palin, who described the link as the Ketchikan area's potential for expansion and growth. [...] Palin said Alaska’s congressional delegation worked hard to obtain funding for the bridge as part of a package deal and that she "would not stand in the way of the progress toward that bridge."

Palin also answered "yes" to an Anchorage Daily News poll question about whether she would continue to support state funding for the Gravina Island bridge if elected governor. "The window is now," she wrote, "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."

It was only after she won the governorship that Sarah Palin shifted her position on the funds. And even then, it is inaccurate to say that she "told the Congress thanks, but no thanks."

Palin accepted non-earmarked money from Congress that could have been used for the bridge if she so desired. That she opted to use it for other state transportation purposes doesn't qualify as standing up to Congress.

The State of Alaska did not return the money. They still haven't. And today, Governor Sarah Palin is telling the American Public a lie about her stance on the funds.

Please read about this and other statements made by the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Republican party here:

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/gop_convention_spin_part_ii.html

On behalf of the American taxpaying public, we are asking Congress and the President of the United States to ask the Governor of the State of Alaska and the State of Alaska to return the $433,000,000.00 in funding they received, since clearly such funds were, according to Governor Palin in 2008, unwanted, unneeded and scorned.

The American public can find other uses for such scorned funds.

Please sign this petition requesting that Congress and the President of the United States ask Governor Palin and the State of Alaska to return the funds they willingly took.

http://www.petitiononline.com/giveback/petition.html

THE CITIZENS OF THE WORLD URGE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO SUPPORT BARACK OBAMA PETITION

Dan from California City, CA — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 05:08:28 EDT

I started an Online Petition were I´m asking non American Citizens as well as American Citizens to join and support Barack Obama sending a strong message to the American people to vote for him, please sign the Petition and distribute it over the web, the more people the more impact it will have.

URL:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/SupObama/petition.html Help us be a huge voice Dan Fleitman

Action - Employee Free Choice Act - Petition

RhOrdway — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:59:56 EDT

It’s only getting worse for working families as the cost of everything from gas to groceries keeps going up. That’s why I signed a petition supporting the Employee Free Choice Act, which would help level the playing field by making it easier for workers to join unions.

The goal is one million signatures. Will you take a moment to sign, and pass this along? Go to: http://freechoiceact.org/araw

End Tax Breaks for Big Oil - Petition

RhOrdway — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:51:33 EDT

I signed a petition urging Congress to end tax breaks for big oil companies. Can you join me at the link below? http://pol.moveon.org/oiltaxbreaks/?r_by=13542-9214852-iG3c9.x&rc=confemail Thanks!

Sign the Petition - Make Your Voice Heard

Barbara — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:57:10 EDT

I have copied and pasted the following email note I've received today from Denise Kucinich. http://kucinich.us/

September 10th: The day before our world changed,
a day to change the world!

Dear Friends,

On August 1st, I delivered to Speaker Nancy Pelosi; a petition bearing the names of over 100,000 Americans that, like us, feel that the President must be held accountable for abusing executive power and disregarding his Constitutional obligations.

Your voices have been heard and your support continues to send a powerful message to lawmakers. That is why I call on you again to help us in a new effort to deliver 1 Million signatures to Speaker Pelosi on September 10, 2008.

Together we can:

Urge real Congressional action to hold President Bush accountable now
Reinstate the authority of our Constitution
Document crimes committed by President Bush for historical account
Facilitate post-Administration law enforcement and prosecution
Reset the standard for the incoming and future administrations
Demand justice for the over 3,000 who died on 9/11and whose deaths were tragically exploited to take us into an illegal war in Iraq
Demand justice for the estimated 30,324 U.S. military personnel who have been injured/wounded
Demand justice for the estimated 4,138 U.S. military personnel who have been killed or died
Demand justice for the 1 Million innocent Iraqis who have died*
Avert another illegitimate looming war – this time against Iran

We need your active participation to deliver 1 Million signatures to Congress by September 10, 2008.

Please give at least ten of your friends the opportunity to stand up for our country - the way you and I have, by inviting them to sign the impeachment petition online at www.Kucinich.us. Send your friends an email invitation to sign the petition by clicking here.

Together we can make September 10, the day before the world changed, a day we change the world!

Thank you for your active and ongoing citizenship.

Dennis Kucinich

Answers!

Get your questions about Impeachment answered!
Click here to find out why your involvement is essential and how we can succeed.

Justice!

After you have invited at least ten of your friends and family to sign the petition, consider sending your own member of Congress a personal letter urging him or her to support:

House Resolution 1258: President Bush
House Resolution 333: Vice-President Cheney.

Click on the link here to find a form letter and some guidelines which may help in your efforts.

Truth!

*Lancet reported 650,000 war-related Iraqi civilian deaths as of October, 2006. Nearly two years later, a reasonable projection of the conservative Lancet estimate would place war-related Iraqi civilian deaths at least 1 million.

ACTION: Protect America's Endangered Species - Petition

RhOrdway — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:59:46 EDT

America's landmark law protecting endangered species is under attack and we need your help. Late yesterday, news broke that the Bush administration has drafted proposed new rules to dramatically weaken the Endangered Species Act. We need your help to fight back. Add your voice to the chorus of opposition to this outrageous proposal.

http://action.edf.org/campaign/esa_action

ACTION: Preserve the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) - Petition

RhOrdway — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:10:09 EDT

I just wrote to my members of Congress urging them to preserve the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Over the last few years, there have been constant efforts to weaken this indispensable safeguard of our environment. These attacks have undermined a law that was passed to make sure the government "looks before it leaps" when considering any major federal projects that could impact our environment. NEPA is supposed to ensure that the government considers environmental and public health impact, and that it has real input from its citizens. These should be fundamental principles of a democracy, but now they are in danger! Please join me in protecting our environment by urging your members of Congress to uphold NEPA and to oppose efforts to undermine it. Send your message today by clicking the link below; it will only take a minute. http://ga3.org/campaign/nepa_action

YES: Barack Obama a US Citizen?

Marvin Michalove — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:46:32 EDT

Attention fellow supporters of Senator Barack Obama. Please help our Candadate for President shed these rumors once and for all of not being a citizen of this great country and consider the following two links to assure that Barack Obama not only is the best candadte but also no question to his citizenship. Let's be part of the solution and help...

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=71763

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Federal-Elections-Commssion/

The following is my personal response and only given as an example.....

Dear FEC/Donald McGahan:
Please confirm that United States Senator and Canadate for President of the United States of America Barack Obama is not in violation of 2 USC 437g filing a false statement on FEC Form 2.

I, Marvin E. Michalove, a Notary Public for the State of North Carolina, County of Buncombe, My Commission expires September 26, 2009, hereby attest that this request and my name is true and accurate.

Thanking you in advance for your assistance in the above mentioned matter.

Sincerely,

Marvin E. Michalove
marvinmichalove@yahoo.com

Action: FEC Investigate Wal-Mart - Petition

RhOrdway — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:42:32 EDT

You've got to check this out. Wal-Mart is telling its employees to vote against Democrats in the upcoming election. http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/campaign/FEC_WalMart Apparently Wal-Mart has been holding mandatory meetings with supervisors, threatening them that if they vote for pro-worker candidates like Barack Obama in November, the Employee Free Choice Act will pass, making it easier to form unions in Wal-Mart stores. This is potentially illegal, and there's a petition to demand an investigation of Wal-Mart. I just asked the Federal Election Commission to immediately investigate this story. No one should be told by their boss how to vote. Sign by Thursday to have your name included in our petition delivery to the FEC. Click this link: http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/campaign/FEC_WalMart

Action: Support Higher Gas-Mileage Standards - Petition

RhOrdway — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:50:35 EDT

I just took action on an issue that I consider very important: supporting higher gas-mileage standards. I urge you to take action yourself and spread the word. Find out more and sign the petition: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/t/5243/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1343

"Satirical or Offensive? Let the New Yorker Know" - Petition

RhOrdway — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:00:22 EDT

Dear Friends, I have just read and signed the petition: "Satirical or Offensive? Let the New Yorker Know". Please take a moment to read about this important issue, and join me in signing the petition. It takes just 30 seconds, but can truly make a difference. We are trying to reach 5000 signatures - please sign here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/549079982 Once you have signed, you can help even more by asking your friends and family to sign as well. Thank you! Rhonda

Fight against Fox Network

FloridaObamasupporter — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:40:12 EDT

Today, the Fox network in Manhattan was served with a petition with over 600,000 names and delivered by the hip hop rapper and Obama supporter NAS. In the petition, a request to denounce and reject (media term) their abuse of racism and stereotypes against the Obama campaign and Michelle Obama. We must stop hate and bigotry in it's tracks and fight with everything we have but peacefully to stand tall and refuse to fall.

Step by step: Gathering signatures

pservelle — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:09:01 EDT

Everyone likes the idea of gathering signatures at home. Here is step-by-step how to do it. To download Petition, go to: www.servelleforcongress08.com Scroll to bottom of Welcome box. Double click on petition 1. Copy and paste on to new page and print that page. Repeat to copy, paste and print petition 2. You now have hard copies, front and back, of the official “Petition-In-Lieu of Filing Fee” from Riverside County Registrar of Voters. What you need to know about gathering signatures on the Petitions. WHO & WHERE can you find people to sign?Start where you live. Are there other voters in your house? How about: at school; at work; at church; next door; across the street.Be realistic! If you only have two signers, get them to sign and have the petition ready for pick up. ABOUT those who sign the Petition.They must be registered to vote in 45thCD which is everything between Moreno Valley and the Salton Sea.By signing they DO NOT need to vote for me but they will be supporting additional candidate on the ballot. To sign the Petition takes as little as 10 seconds. They do NOT need to prove who they are. All signatures on the petitions will be checked before any signatures are validated. They must sign in pen. ABOUT me if those signing want to know.I am an Independent candidate for US Congress in California District 45. I support and endorse Barack Obama for President. What to do with Petitions with signatures.When I need to have them back: They will be picked up from you this Tuesday & Wednesday, July 22 & 23.(This pick up process will be done every Tuesday/Wednesday through the first week in August.) When do you complete the side with Circulator information?Last thing the circulator should do BEFORE the Petitions are picked up. Who can be a Circulator?Any one who is registered in the 45th congressional district is eligible.(District includes all cities in Coachella Valley plus cities near Hemet plus Moreno Valley plus Murrieta plus Temecula.) IF you still have questionsCall: (760) 567 5222Or emailpsgkservelle@earthlink.net

Helping from the comfort of home

pservelle — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:56:00 EDT

Want to help gather signatures for my petition from the comforts of your own home?

It is easy. To get one signature, or five, or ten (if you feed lots of relatives :-)

Go to: www.servelleforcongress08.com See Welcome box. See Petition 1 and Petition 2.

Click on and you have the official petition; print both sides. Signers must be registered in 45th. (For more details on how to get signatures, look at box on web site called News and scroll to entry on how and what of signers.

Let me know, see Feedback box on web site, you have one or more signatures and I will arrange to have them picked up at your door.

What could be easier? Now, CAN YOU HELP

Paul Servelle

Independent Candidate for Congress in the CA 45th CD

Stop President Bush's massive sellout of women's health care

RhOrdway — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:26:39 EDT

Hi, I have just learned that the Bush administration is about to release a rule that will make it possible for federal funding that is specifically designed to prevent unintended pregnancy and promote reproductive health to now be used for anything but that. If it happens, this will be a massive betrayal of women and families, and we must stop it. For example, this is what one result of Bush's rule change could be: Right now, anti-choice groups run so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" in communities all around the country -- often a block or two away from Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers. These facilities look like health centers, but in reality are run by anti-choice zealots who deliver only the reproductive health care options that fit their agenda. No birth control, no abortion -- and no choice for women and families who need it. If this rule takes effect, they're likely to receive a massive influx of our tax dollars to expand their deceptive operations and to attract hundreds of thousands of women who think they'll be getting medical care but instead will receive a large dose of anti-choice ideology. I believe that tricking women when they are most vulnerable is wrong -- and the federal government shouldn't pay people to do it. Please join me in telling President Bush "no." Here's the link with all the info you need.

http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/spp08adv2?rk=YdMFzNE1fKDNW

petition to Obama: Don't Cave on FISA

Rebecca from Mountain View, CA — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 02:30:17 EDT

I really, really appreciate being part of such a vibrant, active, and passionate group. I have gone back and forth between whether I should take down Obama signs, refuse to wear my t-shirts, no longer donate (recent mortgage could make that an easy decision!). Of course I will vote for Obama - no way would I vote for McCain, and even with how much Obama has disappointed me in this last week, he will still be light years better than Bush as a leader and commander in chief. So I guess what I want to put all of my efforts into now is getting him to reverse his absurd decision to support the FISA Amendments Act, which is complete reversal of his previous statements and votes.

To that end, I'm working on this petition to Senator Obama: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/obama-stopfisa

Every signature is being delivered as an individual message to him through his Senate webform. Please consider signing as one more means of pressuring him before this vote. Thank you!

FISA Part III

Bill F — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:16:32 EDT

I have created a group -- United Supporters of Obama (USO) for us all to show that we are united behind Obama. Even if you do not support him on FISA or any other issue, you can join the group just to say that even though we don't all agree with every issue, we all still support Obama, will vote for him, and will work hard to make sure others do as well.

We need to show the media that just because some followers have started groups protesting his support of the new FISA bill, that we still support him as the next President of the United States. I think we need EVERYONE possible to simply join the group so we can show EVERYONE is behind him. We can not afford to have the image out there that even his most ardent supporters are turning on him. This campaign has always been about us and has always been in our hands.

Let's show that this new people-first politics can work and help Barack change Washington!

FISA Whining, Part II

Bill F — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:08:11 EDT

I received so much good feedback about my post yesterday that I got an idea. Only I don't know how to do it. They started a petition on here, 10,000 strong I hear ON THE NATIONAL NEWS, telling Barack what to say and do about FISA. Appearently, he's not a presidential candidate but a left wing puppet. Why can't we start a petition on here that simply sets the record straight about FISA, why Obama is supporting the bill, and that we support his decision as a sign that his bipartisan new kind of politics are alive and well in his heart. He will change Washington by doing what he thinks is right, not what his party or a left wing minority thinks is right.

If you would like to do this, or simply know how and can tell me how, let me know. Do I simply create a post and let people respond to it and call that a "signature"? If so, how do I get that many people to read it? Even when I get a great response its only 5-6 people. Is there some other way I should be posting my blog to be more widely read?

Thanks. If you agree, we can make news of our own -- news that will HELP Obama get elected, not hurt.

Pardon Me -- Nix the FISA whining

Bill F — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:38:09 EDT

I was thinking...

I thought we were all here for the common goal of electing Barack Obama President of the United States of America. Somehow, some of you have put one issue ahead of the big picture and are actually helping John McCain in this election. Why would you start a segment of THIS website to protest Obama on FISA? I realize it's an important issue. I realize Barack needs to take a stand on this. I realize that it's dissapointing when the guy you want to be fighting for the liberal cause takes a different stand on an issue than you want him to. But when we are in the middle of a crucial general election, it is not the time or place to give McCain ammunition. This is all over the press. They're calling it a sign Obama has problems with his own base. I know you're all smart enough to realize that Obama not fighting FISA is not as terrible an event as MCCAIN WINNING THE WHITE HOUSE FOR THE REPUBLICANS.

First off, we all complained and got red in the face about Hillary Clinton. We told her supporters that no matter how much they don't like Barack, the important thing is to elect a Democrat. We all wanted her supporters to fall in line and help Barack win, even if they disagreed with a lot of his message. Now here we all, fighting within our own community, risking the election or at least weakening the strength of Barack's major point with the media -- his devoted, hardcore followers! Not a great idea to fight this fight now. Let's get Barack in the White House, THEN scream at him for decisions you don't like. You're just as bad as the Clinton followers who refuse to get in line with the party and just as bad as Hillary when she was saying she and McCain were fit to be Commander in Chief, but Barack wasn't. You're giving THEM ammo!

Secondly, part of Barack's core message, a message we all cheared for and championed, is that he is a new kind of politics, a new kind of politician, who will no longer be a slave to partisanship and special interest. He's lauding the fact that he will work with both sides to get things done and speak his mind even when it is unpopular. We cheered him when he talked about telling Detroit auto workers how much we need to change the auto industry to be more green and find new ways to power cars. Then, like hypocrits, we're going to get all upset when he follows that same mantra and compromises in the Senate. We want him to speak his mind and "tell us what we need to hear not what we want to hear" UNLESS it's us that are being told what we don't want to hear? Hypocrisy through and through.

You can't please all of the people, all of the time. You'll learn that soon enough. No president will ever be able to make every decision that pleases all of you. Barack never said he was Mr. Superliberal. In fact, he's been trying to show that he's not -- he's neither left nor right, he's Barack Obama. This is what we want in a leader. At least that's what we said. Seems we only think that when he's agreeing with us. I'm disspointed in you all.

So pardon me. But with all due respect, you've put one issue ahead of the whole of them. Unless you really think your freedoms are better protected by a McCain administration -- which YOU'VE called another four years of Bush/Cheney -- I suggest you hold your tongue until after November 4th. We could lose this thing. We can't afford ANY more distractions at this time. They, the Republicans, are going crazy trying to distract the American people. LET'S NOT HELP THEM!

Just a thought.

FYI

Marie — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:30:12 EDT

Sender: Kimberli Greene, Leader, Georgia For Obama Meetup
Subject: Help us with this please!
Received: 6/30/08 1:12AM

Hi All!

I've been in touch with the Campaign office in regards to a fundraiser that keeps with the spirit of the campaign - one where we ALL can participate (last time I looked, I didn't have a spare $2300.00 for a last-minute ticket!)

In fact, I'd been dialoguing with the office for some time prior to the announcement of the July 7th fundraiser. I think it will help our cause if we start a petition of the thousands of us who'd like to visit with the Senator in a fundraising capacity.

Please sign up at: http://www.ipetitions.com/p...

Pass It On!

Kimberli Greene, Organizer

GEORGIA FOR OBAMA

A Grassroots Organization

www.barackobama.meetup.com/135

Pastor Takes On Dobson over Obama

Deborah Simmel — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:14:36 EDT

Apparently, Kirbyjon Caldwell, the Methodist pastor who officiated at the marriage of Jenna Bush and Henry Hagar has apparently launched a webpage and online petition defending Senator Obama against Dr. James Dobson's recent attacks. The site does a nice job of referencing Dobson's remarks against the actual statements of Senator Obama. And when he says "James Dobson doesn't speak" for him, he counters with several biblical passages that do.

http://jamesdobsondoesntspeakforme.com/

Debate Thread: S. 1959

EMK — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:46:24 EDT

http://www.petitiononline.com/drop1959/

THOMAS: S.1959

U.S. Constitution

Okay, this is very important. Please take a look at the petition link at the top of the page, then look up the bill that I have, as well as the link to the Constitution.

DEBATE, DISCUSS, AND IF YOU LIKE, SIGN THE PETITION!

I'm sorry to get all worked up, but I don't like how they started this CBS story making the Internet look bad! (It's a bit personal because it is smearing my alma mater indirectly as well, as well as they are starting to use the story to smear the Internet!)

Disclosure: I did sign the petition!

I apologize for any misunderstandings, and thank you for taking a look at the information provided in this post.

Sincerely,

EMK

Petition to Stop Full Seating of MI and FL Off to DNC!

Monitor — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:09:43 EDT

[Cross-posted on my blog] [Please forward this on!]

Thanks to everyone that made the petition I started to stop Hillary Clinton from stealing the nomination by seating the Florida and Michigan delegations a roaring success. Only by word of mouth, and without any kind of mainstream exposure whatsoever, the petition has garnered over 4,500 signatures from people all across this great country of ours in a few short months.

Now that the time is upon us, I am printing out the 400 pages that all of these intrepid signers (and their commentary) take up and am sending them out in a package to Howard Dean, the DNC, and the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the DNC.

If you haven't signed the petition, do so NOW! I will send off an addendum next week with everyone that signs in the next 7 or so days.

Make your voice heard! Don't let Hillary Clinton bludgeon her way to some measure of power in this race! Down with the Washington politics of the last 16+ years!

If you want to see the 400-page petition, with the commentary of 4,500 signers across our great land, click here.

If you want to do a bit of data dissection on where everyone comes from and the comments they left, check out the .CSV file by clicking here.

The Uncommitted Superdelegates

Zax — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:48:11 EDT

213 Preference Unknown

Daniel K. Akaka, Senator, Hawaii Mr. Akaka will not make an endorsement, but is willing to support whoever the Democratic nominee is, according to a spokesman. All the major candidates are qualified, Mr. Akaka said.

Tom Allen, Representative, Me.

Jason Altmire, Representative, Pa. Says that he remains on the fence for now but was wondering whether he had a "moral obligation" to let voters know his preferred candidate.

Max Baucus, Senator, Mont.

Joyce Beatty, Party official, Ohio

Howard L. Berman, Representative, Calif.

Steven Beshear, Governor, Ky.

Joseph R. Biden, Senator, Del.

Donald Bivens, Party official, Ariz.

Anita Bonds, Party official, D.C.

Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Representative, Guam

Dan Boren, Representative, Okla. "I don't think Hillary will carry Oklahoma. I'm not going that far. But if you look at the tide across the country, Democrats rank ahead of Republicans on just about everything except terrorism."

Barbara Boxer, Senator, Calif. Although she does not plan to endorse either candidate as long as both are running, she says she plans to vote for Mrs. Clinton at the convention because Mrs. Clinton won the California primary, saying "the will of the voters is paramount."An aide to Senator Barbara Boxer of California said Ms. Boxer would cast her superdelegate vote for the winner of the California primary.

Nancy Boyda, Representative, Kan.

Bill Bradbury, Party official, Ore.

Robert A. Brady, Representative, Pa.

Donna L. Brazile, Party official, D.C. "I don't want to superimpose my personal views; I want to reflect the will of the voters. Honestly, I don't want to decide this."

Phil Bredesen, Governor, Tenn. Three years ago, he said that Mrs. Clinton would face an "uphill road" to win the White House. "Surely in the United States we can go further than having to have a single family dominate one side and a single family dominate the other."

Scott Brennan, Party official, Iowa

Sherrod Brown, Senator, Ohio

Raymond Buckley, Party official, N.H.

Elsie Burkhalter, Add on delegate, La.

Robert C. Byrd, Senator, W.Va.

Margaret Campbell, Party official, Mont. "I am very interested in endorsing Obama, but party rules preclude me from endorsing." "It's been emotional, it's been frustrating. It has been very frustrating. It is a huge responsibility."

Benjamin L. Cardin, Senator, Md.

Robin Carnahan, Party official, Mo.

Thomas R. Carper, Senator, Del. "I frankly don't care a lot who ends up at the top of the ticket, but I hope at the end of the day they could be convinced to run together."

Jimmy Carter, Party official, Ga. "Obama's campaign has been extraordinary and titillating for me and my family. We have four children with their spouses, we have 11 grandchildren, four or five of them are married, and all of them, except one, are for Obama. I think that Obama will be almost automatically a healing factor in the animosity now and the distrust that relates to our country and its government."

G. Nick Casey, Party official, W.Va.

Don Cazayoux, Representative, La.

Cheryl Chapman, Party official, S.D.

Maria Chappelle-Nadal, Party official, Mo.

Linda Chavez-Thompson, Party official, Tex.

James E. Clyburn, Representative, S.C. "I still remain studiously neutral. I think that the historical significance of so-called superdelegates — these are unpledged delegates — is very, very important for us to maintain. We are in place in order to either extend the wishes of the voters or to try to make corrections if they need to be made."

Gilda Cobb-Hunter, Party official, S.C. "I'm undeclared because I think it's important for the process to play itself out. I don't see inserting myself into the process. I'm not interested in being wooed. I'm not important." "It seems to be making me a pretty popular kind of girl in some circles, at least with the media."

Larry Cohen, Party official, D.C.

Jim Costa, Representative, Calif.

Ed Cote, Party official, Wash. "I am still firmly uncommitted and I am going to stay uncommitted. I do not have to vote until the week of Aug. 25. This is only Feb. 11."

Joe Courtney, Representative, Conn.

Robert E. Cramer, Representative, Ala. Has said that he would not been endorsing anyone in the nomination phase.

C. Richard Cranwell, Party official, Va. "I think the fray will be settled long before the convention starts."

Inez Crutchfield, Party official, Tenn.

John Daniello, Party official, Del.

Susan A. Davis, Representative, Calif.

Lincoln Davis, Representative, Tenn. Says he will head to the convention uncommitted, adding: "Senator Clinton won by a sizable margin in my district, better than 70 percent. I usually try to be sure I represent the wishes of the people in my congressional district."

Ralph Dawson, Party official, N.Y.

Howard Dean, Party official, Vt.

Jennifer DeChant, Party official, Me.

Joseph C. DeCotiis, Party official, N.J.

Nancy DiNardo, Party official, Conn.

Frank Dixon, Party official, Ore.

Joe Donnelly, Representative, Ind.

Wayne Dowdy, Party official, Miss.

Mike Doyle, Representative, Pa.

Nancy Drummond, Party official, Wyo. "I do have a favorite, but I'm remaining uncommitted. If it gets down to the superdelegates as a deciding factor, I want to be sure I represent Wyoming."

Brad Ellsworth, Representative, Ind. "I don't think anyone knows how long the race for the Democrat nomination will go or what role the superdelegates will play. But I am glad that, for the first time in a long time, Indiana will likely have a say on who the nominee will be."

Rahm Emanuel, Representative, Ill. "Everybody knows I worked for the Clintons. I'm very close to the Clintons. And I'm very close to Barack. Let's be honest, does anybody want to pick among friends? It's a human thing, not a political thing. At some point, if I have to make a decision, I will. But I prefer, you know, they've got to go on and develop their campaigns."

Bob Etheridge, Representative, N.C.

Sam Farr, Representative, Calif.

Jimmie Farris, Party official, Tenn.

Russ Feingold, Senator, Wis. "I'm having a hard time deciding between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, as are many people. Those are the two I take the most seriously. I go back and forth, to be honest with you. I'm torn on this whole issue of who's more likely to be progressive and really seek change vs. who's ready to do the job today. It really is a true dilemma in my mind."

Bob Filner, Representative, Calif. "It's my dream that each side will get 2,024 delegates, and I'll cast the deciding vote. There seems to be too many delegates this time. Too many people not making decisions who haven't had to be elected in support of a candidate."

Thomas Foley, Party official, Wash.

Carnelia Pettis Fondren, Party official, Miss.

Jim E. Frasier, Party official, Okla.

Lawrence Gates, Party official, Kan.

Yvonne A. Gates, Party official, Nev.

Alice Travis Germond, Party official, W.Va. "We're all hopeful that one way or another it will be resolved without having our first vote at the convention be a test vote or a vote that in any way appears to show Democrats in disarray."

Gabrielle Giffords, Representative, Ariz.

Terry Goddard, Add on delegate, Ariz.

Bart Gordon, Representative, Tenn.

Al Gore, Party official, Tenn.

Jenny Greenleaf, Party official, Ore. "Because I'm an officer of the state party, and we don't want the state party to be seen as providing more or better services to one candidate or another, I plan to stay neutral until Oregon's late primary in May."

Karen Hale, Party official, Utah Has said that she is considering switching her support to Mr. Obama because some party insiders believe the excitement of an Obama candidacy will boost the chances of Utah Democrats running in state races. "I'm conflicted. There has been a lot of pressure to change my vote."

David Hardt, Party official, Tex. Officially uncommitted because he is president of the Young Democrats of America, but plans to vote for Mrs. Clinton after fielding calls from her, Mr. Clinton and Chelsea, who also visited him in Nevada. "It's always shocking when you get a call from someone like that."

Tom Harkin, Senator, Iowa "I haven't made up my mind yet. I'm still neutral in this race, and I intend to remain that way."

Vicki Harwell, Add on delegate, Tenn. "At this point, I'm leaning toward Senator Clinton." She met Mrs. Clinton personally and found her to be a "dynamic, dedicated Democratic woman." "I certainly think she has earned the right to run and certainly to be our nominee."

Kamil Hasan, Party official, Calif. "I think the difference between the delegates for the two candidates will be so small that none of them will have the majority. It looks very likely that the superdelegates will end up deciding who the next Democratic nominee will be."

Alexis Herman, Party official, Va.

Tim Holden, Representative, Pa. "I haven't made a decision on either Obama or Clinton. I usually don't get involved in the primary when there is an open seat. We really haven't talked about it."

Chris Van Hollen, Representative, Md.

Ivan Holmes, Party official, Okla. "My inclination at this point is to stay uncommitted to the end."

Rush Holt, Representative, N.J.

Mike Honda, Representative, Calif.

Steny H. Hoyer, Representative, Md.

William J. Jefferson, Representative, La.

Blake Johnson, Party official, Alaska

Joe Johnson, Party official, Va.

Marcy Kaptur, Representative, Ohio

Awais Khaleel, Party official, Wis. "I don 't think anybody my age, 23 years old, expects to be this deep in the process right now."

Wayne Kinney, Party official, Ore.

Helen Knetzer, Party official, Kan.

Herb Kohl, Senator, Wis.

Debra Kozikowski, Party official, Mass. "I appreciate my position as a party leader and don't shirk those responsibilities. I just don't want to run out on a street corner and scream it out."

Dennis J. Kucinich, Representative, Ohio

Reggie LaFayette, Party official, N.Y.

Nick Lampson, Representative, Tex.

Mary L. Landrieu, Senator, La.

Frank R. Lautenberg, Senator, N.J.

Claude Leach, Party official, La.

Jim Leaman, Party official, Va.

Jerry Lee, Add on delegate, Tenn. Said he intends to "listen very closely" to both Democratic frontrunners in the coming weeks and then vote at the convention "for the one I think is most electable in November."

Belkis Leong-Hong, Party official, Md.

Sam Lieberman, Party official, Nev. "If it had been a blowout for one candidate, I would have probably gone with the Nevada candidate. Because of how close it was ... it will probably play only a small role in my decision."

Pilar Lujan, Party official, Guam

John Lynch, Governor, N.H.

Eileen Macoll, Party official, Wash. "They have so much to offer. It's an amazing experience to be a superdelegate and in this position. I truly am undecided." "I'm going to watch the traffic and watch the flow and see which way it's going. I'll especially be watching how the vote goes in the large states that remain, like Pennsylvania, Texas and Ohio. That will perhaps lead me to a decision."

Joe Manchin, Governor, W.Va.

Edward J. Markey, Representative, Mass.

Christine Schon Marques, Party official, Dem. abroad

Jim Marshall, Representative, Ga.

Catherine Cortez Mastor, Party official, Nev.

Jim Matheson, Representative, Utah

Jim McDermott, Representative, Wash.

Dennis McDonald, Party official, Mont. "Out of respect for this process, our superdelegates will not take a position. Certainly not until after the June 3 primary."

David T. McDonald, Party official, Wash. "Delegate-by-delegate fights are very emotionally intense. There is a great risk to all of us that the support base of the two candidates will not be able to work for the other. The single best way for a Republican to win is for us to have a fight that gets out of hand. Whoever we support, the overriding concern is to not have a Republican in the White House next year."

Mike McIntyre, Representative, N.C.

Jerry McNerney, Representative, Calif.

Leila Medley, Party official, Mo. "I still haven't made a commitment, and I still don't know what to do."

Charlie Melancon, Representative, La.

Michael H. Michaud, Representative, Me.

Glenard S. Middleton, Party official, Md.

Carole Migden, Party official, Calif.

Harry E. Mitchell, Representative, Ariz. "I've read the position papers of the candidates, I've been contacted by them and their surrogates and I'm still not committed yet."

George Mitchell, Party official, N.Y.

Heather Mizeur, Party official, Md.

Alan B. Mollohan, Representative, W.Va.

Dennis Moore, Representative, Kan.

Jennifer Moore, Party official, Ky.

Theresa Morelli, Party official, Dem. abroad "The fact that she has devoted her life to helping children and those less fortunate speak volumes about Hillary Clinton’s character. She has not only an incredible grasp of the issues facing America, but a track record of delivering real results. Hillary is the strongest Democratic candidate to beat John McCain in November and restore America’s standing in the world."

Mike Morgan, Party official, Okla.

Bob Mulholland, Party official, Calif.

Phil Murphy, Party official, N.J.

Jay Nixon, Add on delegate, Mo.

Donald Norcross, Party official, N.J. "We need to seize this momentum, attract a new generation of leaders to our party, while rallying behind the candidate who can best unite the country during these uncertain economic times. That candidate is Senator Barack Obama."

Cynthia Nunley, Party official, Wyo. "It's too early in the process to be in the mode of one-candidate-take-all. There are a lot of voices to be heard yet and there are a lot of questions to be asked."

Muriel K. Offerman, Party official, N.C.

John W. Olver, Representative, Mass.

Ben Pangelinan, Party official, Guam

David Parker, Party official, N.C. "Frankly, I'm torn both ways. My mind is with Hillary, my heart is with Obama, and I'm waiting for my gut to report."

Jay Parmley, Party official, Okla. "I guess if it's still undecided at the convention, I'll be free to make a decision one way or the other."

Gregory Pecoraro, Party official, Md.

Christine Pelosi, Party official, Calif.

Nancy Pelosi, Representative, Calif. Ms. Pelosi says she remains neutral in the race and that her "focus is on reelecting a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives".

Dwight Pelz, Party official, Wash.

John A. Perez, Party official, Calif.

Carol W. Peterson, Party official, N.C.

Collin C. Peterson, Representative, Minn.

Roberto Ramirez, Party official, N.Y.

Robert Rankin, Party official, Calif. "I try to listen to everybody. I would like to weigh everything together before I make a decision. We should consider our own people that we feel we represent."

Gail Rasmussen, Party official, Ore.

Richard Ray, Party official, Ga.

Chris Redfern, Party official, Ohio

Jack Reed, Senator, R.I. He has said the votes of Rhode Islanders will be a major factor in his decision about whom to back. He sees both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama as potentially "very capable" candidates and presidents. "But the qualities of the candidates are important, and so is electability." "There's no on-off switch, there's no simple formula."

Harry Reid, Senator, Nev. Says he is "not going to weigh in on this at all" until the states finish voting.

Jeffrey Richardson, Party official, D.C. "The Democratic Party has an opportunity, with the groundswell of support Sen. Obama has built in his campaign with independents and young people, to expand the party long-term."

Betty Richie, Party official, Tex.

Boyd Richie, Party official, Tex.

Bill Ritter, Governor, Colo.

Keith Roark, Party official, Idaho

Kevin Rodriguez, Party official, V.I.

Roy Romer, Party official, Colo.

James Roosevelt, Party official, Mass. "I would urge superdelegates who are undecided to wait and see to get a better gauge of electability of the candidates."

Eliseo Roques-Arroyo, Party official, P.R.

Ken Salazar, Senator, Colo. "How I'm going to decide the question is to look at each and determine who would be best for Colorado. I'll look at their positions on all the issues in detail."

John Salazar, Representative, Colo.

John Sarbanes, Representative, Md.

Gray Sasser, Party official, Tenn. Says he is fretting over the idea that insiders will "get in the back of some smoke-filled room and decide it." "I'm still hopeful this will be decided like every other nomination in recent history."

Brian Schweitzer, Governor, Mont.

Jerome Wiley Segovia, Party official, Va

.Lottie H. Shackelford, Party official, Ark.

Marva Smalls, Party official, S.C

.Nathan Smith, Party official, Ky.

Meredith Wood Smith, Party official, Ore. "We don't have to make a choice right now. It's too early for that. There are still caucuses and primaries going on."

Edward M. Smith, Party official, Ill.

Zack Space, Representative, Ohio

Cindy Spanyers, Party official, Alaska [Referring to the idea that superdelegates may override the decision of the voters] "I had no idea it would come down to this." "I find myself getting a little sickened over the prospect of that being the key decision."

Sam Spencer, Party official, Me. "I want to figure out how to most broadly represent Maine Democrats in the Democratic National Committee." "Superdelegates are sort of outdated; it's not a very democratic way of doing things."

John M. Spratt, Representative, S.C. He is "lying low," according to a spokesman.

Pete Stark, Representative, Calif.

Irene Stein, Party official, N.Y.

Crystal Strait, Party official, Calif. "I saw my role, being one of two women under 30 on the [Democratic National Committee], to advocate for young voters. It's crucial to understand what they think real investment in general election in the youth vote will be. Neither has come forward with that. The Clinton campaign has been much more serious in their delegate outreach. Senator Clinton and Chelsea Clinton have called me. Obama had Governor Napolitano call me."

David Strauss, Party official, N.D.

Robert Strauss, Party official, Tex.

Marie Dolly Strazar, Party official, Hawaii

John J. Sweeney, Party official, Md.

Gene Taylor, Representative, Miss.

Lena Taylor, Party official, Wis.

John Temporiti, Party official, Mo.

Jon Tester, Senator, Mont. "Jon will vote for the candidate he feels would best serve Montana and represents Montana values. But he won't make any decisions about his vote until at least after the Montana primary," Tester spokesman Aaron Murphy said in an e-mail message.

John F. Tierney, Representative, Mass.

Art Torres, Party official, Calif

.Niki Tsongas, Representative, Mass.

Susan W. Turnbull, Party official, Md

.Joe Turnham, Party official, Ala.

Mark Udall, Representative, Colo.

Tom Udall, Representative, N.M.

Keith Umemoto, Party official, Calif.

Peter J. Visclosky, Representative, Ind.

Patricia Waak, Party official, Colo.

Christine Warnke, Party official, D.C.

Vernon R. Watkins, Party official, Calif.

Henry A. Waxman, Representative, Calif.

Jim Webb, Senator, Va.

Yolanda Wheat, Party official, Mo.

Chris Whittington, Party official, La. He has said Mr. Obama's decisive victory in Louisiana will partly influence his thinking, but the main consideration is who looks to be the eventual nominee. "I think we need to go with a winner."

Charlie Wilson, Representative, Ohio

Harriet Smith Windsor, Party official, Del.

Joshua Wisch, Party official, Hawaii

Beverly Withington, Party official, Hawaii [Referring to Mrs. Clinton's plan for troop withdrawal in Iraq] "It can't be done in less than six months, that's for sure. I believe the sentiment of the majority of America is to get the troops out sooner, but everyone understands that can't be overnight because there needs to be a phase-out, but I don't believe anyone should be there until 2013."

Nancy Worley, Party official, Ala.

Ron Wyden, Senator, Ore.

Steven Ybarra, Party official, Calif. "Hillary Clinton's campaign is in trouble and the highest ranking Hispanic in her camp is paying the price. Campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle stepped down this weekend — after Barack Obama beat Clinton handily in four states scattered in different regions of the country."

Paula Zellner, Party official, Wis.

The Superdelegates Who Support Obama

Zax — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:37:12 EDT

New York Times Count of Superdelegates

265 Supporting Obama*

Based on public announcements, verified lists from the Clinton and Obama campaigns and telephone surveys by The New York Times and CBS News. The tally below does not include confidential responses to the telephone poll, unless the delegate's preference was subsequently publicly announced. Updated May 9.
*One superdelegate who expressed support for Mr. Obama on the telephone poll but wished to remain anonymous is not included in Mr. Obama's total below.
Neil Abercrombie, Representative, Hawaii "I think part of his appeal is the fact that he understands our diversity. He defines us, rather than divides us. And that's a message that I think needs to be taken into this poisonous political atmosphere. I believe he'll do very well. I believe he'll be nominated. I'm certainly going to work very hard for that to take place."

Anibal Acevedo, Governor, P.R. "Not only is he the right leader for Puerto Ricans, but he is the right leader for the Hispanic community and the right leader to unite all Americans. He has the determination to make our collective future great. Senator Obama demonstrates the strongest commitment to Puerto Rico that we have seen in recent times in U.S. politics."

Steven Achelpohl, Party official, Neb. "Sen. Obama continues to transcend 'politics as usual' and focus on the issues that really matter to American families and workers." "Our party can unite behind Sen. Obama and his positive campaign.""I am truly undecided. Hillary is such a lightning rod, and I know she would dampen turnout in our down-ballot races in Nebraska. I know Obama has greater appeal to young people, and I am influenced by the fact that Nebraska went so heavily for Obama."

Steven K. Alari, Party official, Calif.

Yvette Alexander, Add on delegate, D.C.

Joe Andrew, Party official, Ind. [On why he switched his support from Clinton to Obama] "I am convinced that the primary process has devolved to the point that it's now bad for the Democratic Party." "While I was hopeful that a long, contested primary season would invigorate our party, the polls show that the tone and temperature of the race is now hurting us." "John McCain, without doing much of anything, is now competitive against both of our remaining candidates. We are doing his work for him and distracting Americans from the issues that really affect all of our lives.""My commitment to her is profound, but I would be troubled if either she or Barack Obama actually became the nominee because superdelegates decided, opposed to actual voters going to the polls and pulling the lever."

Kitti Asberry, Party official, Okla.

Anthony Avallone, Party official, Conn.

Brian Baird, Representative, Wash.

John Barrow, Representative, Ga.

Willie Barrow, Party official, Ill. "I support Barack because exemplifies a real man. He is a Christian, husband and father. Universal healthcare, employment and education are the primary issues for me. Our children are not going to school and not graduating. The state is closing schools and opening jails. I think that people of faith have to broaden their ministries outside the walls of the church. Anyone can sing in the choir or serve on the deacon board but how many know the level of unemployment in their community or the number of people losing their homes?"

Melissa Bean, Representative, Ill.

Xavier Becerra, Representative, Calif. "Barack Obama is our strongest candidate for president because of his great crossover appeal that spans parties and regions and his unique ability to rally the American people behind a common purpose."

Teresa Benitez-Thompson, Party official, Nev.

Cecil R. Benjamin, Party official, V.I.

Jeremy Bernard, Party official, Calif. "The only way I could honestly sell her to people would be to say she's going to win. What's the point of that? When we started our company, we wanted to pick only candidates we would be enthusiastic about. Obama was that candidate. He absolutely has the best record on gay and lesbian issues."

Judy Bevans, Party official, Vt. "I'm personally very much leaning toward Obama. I'd love to be able to vote for a woman for president ... but I decided Obama represents a fresh start and it's time to be done with the Clinton-Bush years."

Jack Billion, Party official, S.D. "The overall mood of this state probably leans toward Obama."

Jeff Bingaman, Senator, N.M. "To make progress, we must rise above the partisanship and the issues that divide us to find common ground. We must move the country in a dramatically new direction. I strongly believe Barack Obama is best positioned to lead the nation in that new direction."

Sanford D. Bishop, Representative, Ga.

Margaret Blackshere, Party official, Ill. "Every day he was in the State Senate, he was standing up for working people. When the steel mills were shutting down, Obama said to me 'You know, I see the difference when someone belongs to a union and when they don't. You're their advocate, and I'm going to be an advocate for all of you.'"

Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor, Ill. "I know that Senator Obama will fight to make sure that working families have access to health care, good paying jobs, and opportunities to provide for their children. Senator Obama supports the very best of these Democratic values; they are values that he and I share, values I know he will fight for. Senator Obama has the vision, skills and dedication necessary to bring people together and make real progress in Washington to help solve our country's greatest and most pressing problems. Senator Obama offers real hope for the American people and I am proud to give him my support."

Earl Blumenauer, Representative, Ore. "Senator Obama is demonstrating a unique ability not just to unite Democrats, not just to bring in the vast pool of independent voters that are ultimately going to play such a critical role, but I'm convinced based on what I have seen, what I've heard, what I know, that Senator Obama can unite America."

Connie Borde, Party official, Dem. abroad

Rick Boucher, Representative, Va. "He has the broadest appeal of any of the candidates." "His positive message and steadfast focus on the future inspire hope and enable him to attract support from Democrats, independents and Republicans in a way that no other candidate can. He presents our best opportunity to win the presidency and to govern effectively with bipartisan support from the Congress."

Bruce Braley, Representative, Iowa "It's hard not to be excited about Barack Obama. On a cold January night, and again during Saturday's First District Convention in Iowa, I saw countless people participating in the political process for the very first time because they were so inspired by Senator Obama's unique ability to transcend the politics of fear and division that have crippled this country for the past eight years."

Gail Bray, Party official, Idaho

Joyce Brayboy, Party official, N.C.

Roy LaVerne Brooks, Party official, Tex. "I have listened to the words of many seeking to lead this Party and to lead this nation and I believe that the words, sincerity, vision and actions of Sen. Barack Obama prove he is the best candidate to lead our nation. Senator Barack Obama has gained my trust in that he, like I, seek to bring a better life to our communities. As I strive to make this a better place for future generations, I stand for a system of inclusion, a system of change and most of all a system of fairness and equality. Senator Obama will provide affordable health care for all Americans, end the war in Iraq and provide the care our veterans deserve, and I am proud to support him today."

Michael Brown, Party official, D.C.

Mark Bryant, Party official, Mo. "If the Missouri primary had been overwhelmingly in favor of Hillary Clinton, I would have felt obligated to support her."

Jeanne Buell, Party official, Idaho Said she backed Mr. Obama because he campaigned in the state. "I was tired of people flying over the state and not stopping." "I promised my support to the candidate, a serious candidate, who would come to Idaho."

Anna Burger, Party official, D.C. "S.E.I.U. members are waging an unprecedented effort to mobilize their co-workers and communities to elect Barack Obama. We are committed to bringing all of our resources to bear to ensure he is our next president."

Grant Burgoyne, Party official, Idaho

Stewart Burkhalter, Party official, Ala.

G.K. Butterfield, Representative, N.C. "In what has become a two-person race for the Democratic nomination, I believe our country needs Senator Barack Obama."

Carol Ann Campbell, Party official, Pa. "This used to be a Clinton city, but I don't know if this is going to be a Clinton city in this election." Referring to Obama, she added, "This is the first person I've seen on the horizon who is a wonderful example for a little black person — to set their goals higher."

Lois Capps, Representative, Calif. "This wasn't an easy decision for me. Democrats were blessed this year with many talented and capable candidates, and I believe both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama would make fine presidents. But Sen. Obama's proven judgment, his hopeful vision for America, and his unmatched ability to motivate millions of Americans eager for change made the choice for me.""As a superdelegate, I have decided to stay neutral in the race for the time being. I deeply respect and admire both Senator Obama and Senator Clinton."

Michael E. Capuano, Representative, Mass. "I wouldn't endorse him if I didn't think he could win in November. I've seen him on the stump and as a member of the legislative body. I think he's shown the ability to be a leader and to put his nose to the grindstone and keep pushing."

Ian Carleton, Party official, Vt. "Vermonters overwhelmingly embraced Senator Obama's message of hope and change in our State's primary earlier this week, and so it is with great excitement and optimism that I pledge my support for Barack Obama. Since the very beginning of his campaign I, along with so many Vermonters, have been deeply moved by Senator Obama's commitment to moving beyond the negative partisan rhetoric that has sadly characterized our nation's politics for so long. His leadership and vision for a more productive and decent future is exactly what this nation needs at this moment in history."

Russ Carnahan, Representative, Mo.

Andre Carson, Representative, Ind. "Senator Obama, I believe, will work day and night to ensure that the U.S. government is fighting for everyday hard-working American families."

Rob Carver, Add on delegate, Del. "I strongly believe that this country needs a leader who can lead and who has a fresh and positive outlook for our future. From what I have seen and heard, Barack has those qualities and that confident outlook we so desperately need!""The more they get to know Hillary, the more they realize she is not the right choice for the Democratic party. On the other hand, Obama is having just the opposite effect. As he continues to meet with and impress the likely voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, people get a real appreciation for his character, his positive message and his compassion and sincerity. He is the Bill Clinton of 1992, not Hillary."

Bob Casey, Senator, Pa. "I believe in my heart that there is one person who's uniquely qualified to lead us in that new direction and that is Barack Obama." "I really believe that in a time of danger around the world and in division here at home, Barack Obama can lead us, he can heal us, he can help rebuild America."He said he wants to avoid creating divisions within the party by endorsing a candidate.

Donna Cassutt, Party official, Minn.

Ben Chandler, Representative, Ky. "In these tough economic times, when many in our nation and right here in Kentucky are struggling to make ends meet and to provide for their families, too much is at stake for us to do nothing. I hope all Kentuckians and citizens throughout the nation will join with me in firmly supporting Barack Obama to lead our nation to a better future and to a place of respect for our country around the world."

Will Cheek, Party official, Tenn. "If they use the power to draw the process to a close with the candidate who has momentum, that's fine with me. But if we thwart the electorate, I'm offended by that."

Martha Fuller Clark, Party official, N.H.

William Lacy Clay, Representative, Mo.

Steve Cohen, Representative, Tenn. "Senator Barack Obama is the candidate that I trust to be the agent for change that our nation so desperately needs at this time. Barack Obama is the agent of change. He will demand higher ethical standards so that the government finally belongs to the people once again, and he will bring our troops home. This nation can be proud to have such a candidate running for president."

Brian Colon, Party official, N.M. "I believe that Senator Obama has presented a positive message of change while continuing to focus on our real opponent; a John McCain presidency and another four year term of failed Bush policies."

Toby Condliffe, Party official, Dem. abroad

Kent Conrad, Senator, N.D.

Jim Cooper, Representative, Tenn.

Jerry F. Costello, Representative, Ill.

Jeanette Council, Party official, N.C. "I know that we've got to do more than just talk about solutions. We've got to get people to the point where they work together and they are involved and are inspired enough to come up with solutions."

Michael Cryor, Party official, Md. "I have been inspired by what he represents."

Chet Culver, Governor, Iowa "I believe it's clear that the American people are hungry for change. I believe they're looking for a president to push back on the special interests, and I think it's also time for a fresh new approach to governing in Washington, D.C., and believe Senator Obama represents this new approach. I do think it matters too that Iowans have spoken loudly and clearly. And because of that, in part, I felt compelled to also stand with him."

Elijah E. Cummings, Representative, Md. "This campaign is the audacity of hope. Obama will be the next president of the United States."

Barbara Flynn Currie, Add on delegate, Ill.

Jean Lemire Dahlman, Party official, Mont. "At this point, after thinking about it long and hard, I would like to endorse Barack Obama." "I would just like to honor the Montana primary votes by saying that I would reconsider if there were a significant difference in the outcome on June 3." "I don't feel lukewarm about endorsing Obama. His leadership potential is amazing, and he has brought so many new people into politics."

Richard M. Daley, Add on delegate, Ill. "Of course, I'm endorsing Sen. Obama. He has made that decision and I think this is an exciting time for the country. It brings a new voice in regards to what is taking place far too long in Washington, D.C., the lack of moving the agenda forward in regard to the quality of life for the people of America."

Tom A. Daschle, Party official, S.D.

John Davies, Party official, Alaska [Referring to the role of longtime party activists as unpledged delegates] "The original intent by the party was to provide some long-term perspective on who should be the nominee."

Artur Davis, Representative, Ala. "What tonight shows, in every part of this state, in black neighborhoods and white neighborhoods, in every part of this state, people believed in this man."

Yvonne Davis, Party official, Tex.

Danny K. Davis, Representative, Ill.

Celita Arroyo de Roques, Party official, P.R.

Lois M. DeBerry, Party official, Tenn.

Peter A. DeFazio, Representative, Ore. "Senator Obama has proven he is able to energize young Americans, independents and even moderate Republicans to support his candidacy." "I believe he represents our best hope of winning in November.""You both claim to be better suited than the other to take on the so-called Straight-Talk Express, so prove it. Run the next six weeks of your campaign against McCain, not against the other Democrat. Go after McCain for his policy positions, not the other Democrat for theirs. Allow the Democratic voters to believe in a campaign that can provide a new direction for this country and stop McCain from continuing the failed policies of the Bush Administration. In the end, it is the candidate who can take the fight to McCain and win that deserves my support and, most importantly, the support of the Democratic Party.""This has never come up in my political lifetime. I have no idea how this will play out."

John deJongh, Governor, V.I.

Bill Delahunt, Representative, Mass. "The election of Barack Obama will restore America's image in the world and also reaffirm our claim to moral authority." "It will enhance our national security and our national interest."

Rosa DeLauro, Representative, Conn.

Arrington Dixon, Party official, D.C.

Christopher J. Dodd, Senator, Conn.

Lloyd Doggett, Representative, Tex. "Whether Obama or Clinton lead the ticket, it will be historic. I welcome the opportunity to work with both."

Byron L. Dorgan, Senator, N.D.

James E. Doyle, Governor, Wis. "Obama listens to competing points of view, but makes strong decisions; he identifies problems, and builds coalitions to confront them; and he inspires people to come together behind a vision of change. He has campaigned like he will govern, by bringing people together and inspiring average Americans to participate in the political process so that we can take on the special interests and the great challenges we face."

Martin Dunleavy, Party official, Conn.

Richard J. Durbin, Senator, Ill.

Mary Ellen Early, Party official, Calif.

Al Edwards, Party official, Tex.

Chet Edwards, Representative, Tex. "It's not Senator Clinton's fault, but the baggage she carries is the divisiveness of the 1990s. People are wanting to turn the chapter to the future rather than going back to the last chapter. It's not fair but that is the reality."

Keith Ellison, Representative, Minn. "Obama supporters were ecstatic about the explosion of democracy we saw."

Anna G. Eshoo, Representative, Calif. "Senator Obama's candidacy is historic, and so is the reaction to it. He has brought thousands of disaffected and skeptical people back into the political process, and he has struck a chord with thousands of young voters. Still more are poised to participate in the days ahead. Barack Obama is a true son of America."

Edward Espinoza, Party official, Calif. "This needs to be over and done with by Memorial Day."

Kathleen Fahey, Party official, Neb. "I think he's the one who could come up with something different in terms of being able to handle the nation's problems. It was a difficult decision because if there is any woman so qualified to be a great president, it would be Hillary. But you either love her or you hate her, and I don't think she could get elected in November."

Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, Party official, Am. Samoa "I have nothing against Hillary and respect her very much for her leadership and services to our country, but I believe Obama's style of leadership and his ability to bring people from all different walks of life and political persuasions is what our country needs right now."

Chaka Fattah, Representative, Pa. "This is a transformational moment in the history of America." Obama "motivates ordinary Americans to accomplish extraordinary things."

Adrian M. Fenty, Party official, D.C.

Charlene Fernandez, Party official, Ariz. "Senator Barack Obama is strengthening the Democratic Party by bringing in new voters, young and old, into the process. I believe Senator Obama has the best ability to win the White House in November and lead this country forward."

Michael L. Fitzgerald, Party official, Iowa "Endorsing a candidate this early is no ordinary occurrence in the Iowa caucuses — but Barack Obama is no ordinary candidate. He spoke out in opposition to the war in Iraq before it started, and today he has an aggressive plan to redeploy our troops out of Iraq by the end of March of 2008. We believe that Senator Obama has the vision to meet the challenges America faces, and that his message of hope and unity will lead us to a new kind of politics where we are not defined by our divisions but united by our love of country."

Stephen Fontana, Party official, Conn.

Bill Foster, Representative, Ill.

Carol Khare Fowler, Party official, S.C. She said she will base her decision on who she thinks is most likely to win in November, and "I don't have the answer to that yet."

Ken Foxworth, Party official, Minn.

Kalyn Free, Party official, Okla. "Barack Obama is a once-in-a-generation kind of leader and the best hope the American people have to rebuild the erosion our collective foundation has endured the last eight years. In 2008, we must elect a President who will restore our faith in the possibilities of each and every American, including the First Americans."

Dave Freudenthal, Governor, Wyo. "The negativity, partisanship and lack of purpose that characterize our national debate and government are crippling this country." "While no one individual can effect this change alone, the change must begin with someone. Senator Obama is the Democratic candidate with the openness, honesty and skill to end this vicious cycle of business as usual."

John Gage, Party official, Md. "Our people, I think, recognize the enthusiasm and vitality behind Senator Obama's campaign."

Alexandra Gallardo-Rooker, Party official, Calif.

Eric Garcetti, Party official, Calif.

Liv Gibbons, Party official, Dem. abroad

Parris N. Glendening, Add on delegate, Md. "I do not have anything against Senator Clinton. I just think Obama would provide the fundamental change we need."

Lauren D. Glover, Party official, Md. [Saying she based her decision to endorse Obama on his lead in pledged delegates and popular votes, she called him the best candidate to] "move our country past where we are now."

Charlie Gonzalez, Representative, Tex. "I think as people get to see him up close and personal, they will be moved and they will be inspired."

Enid Goubeaux, Party official, Ohio "I am endorsing Sen. Obama because his message, 'Yes we can' has inspired so many voters, especially younger voters, to take part in shaping our country's future."

Al Green, Representative, Tex.

Christine Gregoire, Governor, Wash. "He is leading us toward a positive feeling of hope in our country, and I love seeing that happen. I believe the nation faces significant challenges domestically and internationally and Obama is the person who has the ability to reach across artificial divides and move our national forward. Barack is that kind of leader."

Janice Griffin, Party official, Md.

Raoul M. Grijalva, Representative, Ariz. "The best opportunity to win in November rests with Senator Obama. I am proud to support Senator Obama as we move forward toward the nomination. This election is not merely about moving the pieces around in Washington, D.C., but to fundamentally change the rules of the game. I am proud to help Senator Obama work toward that change."

Stan Gruszynski, Party official, Wis. "Senator Obama will bring the change we need here in Wisconsin and across America to strengthen the middle class and standing for regular Americans." "From saving jobs from being sent overseas and creating new ones for our hard-working families, to creating universal health care and making college affordable to all, Senator Obama is a leader who will change America."

Luis V. Gutierrez, Representative, Ill. "In December of 2006, when he invited me to his office to talk about running for president [Mr. Obama asked] what do you think Luis, would you support me? And I said absolutely."

Dan Hannaher, Add on delegate, N.D. "Because Barack here won with 61 percent of the vote in a February 5th caucus, that brought out unprecedented numbers of new voters to the caucuses. He'll expand the map if he's the nominee and not start discounting the states before the race even starts."

Phil Hare, Representative, Ill.

Fred R. Harris, Party official, N.M. "I'll be [for] Obama for as long as he's in the race, unless he withdraws, which I don't expect."

Inola Henry, Party official, Calif.

Brad Henry, Governor, Okla. "Senator Obama is uniquely positioned to unite our nation and move beyond the divisiveness and partisan skirmishes that too often characterize politics as usual in Washington."

Stephanie Herseth, Representative, S.D. "I hope the superdelegates are not the ones deciding. It should be the pledged delegates who should be deciding."

Baron P. Hill, Representative, Ind. "Some have advised me to be cautious, to wait and see which way the electoral winds may blow. I confess that I have listened to those voices and been tempted by their reasoning. But, the stakes are just too high. We cannot continue to pursue the same politics of personal destruction we have engaged in for a generation, some never-ending 'groundhog day' endlessly playing out the cultural wars of forty years ago." "I believe Senator Obama has the capability to change the tone and tenor of politics in Washington."

Mazie K. Hirono, Representative, Hawaii

Paul W. Hodes, Representative, N.H.

Wayne Holland, Party official, Utah "Sen. Obama has helped to energize our State Party. Obama was clearly the choice of Utah Democrats on Feb. 5 and is the choice of the majority of Utah Democratic candidates to head the ticket in November. While it is not only important for me to reflect the sentiment of our Party, I also have a responsibility to endorse the candidate whom I believe will help unite the many voices of our 'big tent' Utah Party and help us build for the future.""I've always been pragmatic. I'll vote for what I think is best for the party."

Steven Horsford, Party official, Nev. "I think that the majority of the delegates — those that are representative of voters of states — should decide who the nominee is."

Constance Howard, Party official, Ill.

Waring Howe, Party official, S.C. "While I have great respect for the other two major candidates, Barack Obama has consistently demonstrated that he's the one candidate in this race who can move us past a '50 percent plus 1' politics and build a new, working majority to deliver change we can believe in. With him at the top of the ticket, Democrats will have a candidate they can run with, not run from."

Therese L. Hunkin, Party official, Am. Samoa

Thomas C. Hynes, Party official, Ill.

Jesse L. Jackson, Representative, Ill.

Wilber Lee Jeffcoat, Party official, S.C. Has said he could stay unpledged until the convention and that he was concerned about "taking away what the people back home voted."

Ben L. Jeffers, Party official, La.

Tim Johnson, Senator, S.D. "He is bipartisan and insists on bridging the difference between parties. That's what I see in him."

Denise Johnson, Party official, Tex.

Eddie Bernice Johnson, Party official, Tex. "Senator Obama's campaign has generated interest in young Americans who have never before been involved in politics. American needs these young people not only for their vote in this election, but for their continued participation in the future of our country."

Hank Johnson, Representative, Ga.

Emil Jones, Party official, Ill. "Barack Obama has spent 20 years delivering change we can believe in to communities across Illinois." "Every time we needed his help, Barack Obama stood up for us, and we need to stand up for him by voting on Feb. 5 to elect Barack our next president."

Raymond Jordan, Party official, Mass.

Peter Jorgensen, Party official, Wyo. "Having lived over 70 years and been down [in Cheyenne] six years, I know we need to tip the wheelbarrow over." "We need real change." "My inclination is to stick it out to the end." Saying you will support whoever wins your state "is a very popular thing to say until it comes down to analysis of who can win against McCain."

Steve Kagen, Representative, Wis. "What I plan to do is listen to the will of the people in my district. As they go, so will I."

Tim Kaine, Governor, Va. "Barack's success indicates his broad support and his ability to appeal to folks from across the political spectrum."

Edward M. Kennedy, Senator, Mass. "I'm not only supporting Barack because of what he has done. What counts in our leadership is not the length of years in Washington, but the reach of our vision, the strength of our beliefs, and that rare quality of mind and spirit that can call forth the best in our country and our people. That's why I'm most excited about the promise of President Obama."

Patrick J. Kennedy, Representative, R.I.

John Kerry, Senator, Mass. "I believe more than anyone else, Barack Obama can help our country turn the page and get America moving by uniting and ending the division we have faced."

Jane V. Kidd, Party official, Ga. "In Georgia, we're making grassroots voter contact our top priority in 2008, and I'm convinced that Senator Obama shares our dedication to neighbor-to-neighbor contact. I strongly believe that having Senator Obama as our nominee puts Georgia into play, and I know that, as the nominee, he will invest in our efforts to turn Georgia blue this year."

E. Lee Kinch, Party official, Kan.

Ron Kind, Representative, Wis. Has announced that his vote at the convention would go to whoever wins his district. "No person, regardless of position or office, should have his or her vote count more than anyone else's."

Paul G. Kirk, Party official, Mass. "After the attention paid to the poisonous and polarizing diatribe of recent days, Senator Obama's clear and compelling message which appeals to our best instincts as Americans is more important than ever. For all these reasons, I heartily endorse Senator Obama and hope my colleagues will do the same.""Once the contests are over, do the math. By mid-June, we must unite behind the candidate who has won the most delegates under a process we all understood and approved in advance. After eight years of Bush-Cheney, if we cannot unite our constituencies behind the Democratic nominee, shame on us!"

Amy Klobuchar, Senator, Minn. "I am endorsing Barack because he is a new kind of leader -- speaking with a different voice, bringing a new perspective and inspiring a real excitement from the American people. He is able to dissolve the hard cynical edge that has dominated our politics under the Bush Administration." "The energy that Barack has unleashed is impossible to contain."

John Knutson, Party official, Me. "It is clear that this presidential campaign will come down to a race for delegates, and I believe that by pledging to support the winner of Maine's caucuses, I will help to increase Maine's importance in the nomination process."

Frank LaMere, Party official, Neb.

Rick Larsen, Representative, Wash. "For me, what happened in North Carolina and Indiana ended up being a game changer." "Especially in Indiana where he came back after getting hit hard for a couple of weeks.""If I need to exercise my vote as a superdelegate in order to have a nominee this fall, then I will. I believe the grass roots of the party should select the candidate. The grass-roots process is not done. We should let it finish."

John B. Larson, Representative, Conn.

Nancy Larson, Party official, Minn. "I just think they are both wonderful candidates. Its been really difficult for me to make up my mind." "But I think the thing that really swung me over to Obama was his wonderful grassroots type of campaigning and the number of people he's got helping him out and supporting him.""They never anticipated that we would have two superstars locked in a dead heat, so I think there is no playbook for this." She hopes a decision gets made "before we have to step in."

Patrick J. Leahy, Senator, Vt. "Many around the world have lost respect for America and the hope that America once gave them. That's a tragedy. We need a president who can reintroduce America to the world and reintroduce America to ourselves."

Barbara Lee, Representative, Calif. "I am convinced that Senator Obama is the candidate who is a real agent of change; a man who can lead our nation in this young century in a new, progressive and positive direction. This century cries for social, environmental, diplomatic, global, and neighborhood solutions to the misery that confronts far too many people in our own country and around the globe. Senator Obama promises leadership to meet these challenges."

John Lewis, Representative, Ga. "In recent days, there is a sense of movement and a sense of spirit." "Something is happening in America and people are prepared and ready to make that great leap." "I've been very impressed with the campaign of Senator Obama. He's getting better and better every single day."

Cordelia Lewis-Burks, Party official, Ind.

Daniel Lipinski, Representative, Ill.

Dave Loebsack, Representative, Iowa "In a field of strong candidates, Barack is the strongest. What impresses me about Barack is his commitment to changing the way business is done in Washington. He understands that to pass universal health care, make energy independence a reality, and meet the other challenges we face, we need leadership that can bring all Americans together around a shared purpose."

Zoe Lofgren, Representative, Calif. "This year, above all, we need inspiration. We need a candidate and president who will summon us to unity, who will allow us to believe that America is a country whose ideals and principles matter and a country whose exceptional history can once again serve as a beacon of hope for the world."

Mary Long, Party official, Ga. "After careful thought, it is my honor today to endorse Sen. Barack Obama who day by day and state by state is challenging politics as usual and engaging so many new, diverse, Democratic voters -- voters who will propel Sen. Obama to victory in November and help elect great Democrats at the state and local level. As a delegate in August, I choose to be on the side of Georgians and on the side of history as I cast my vote for Barack Obama."

Leon Lynch, Party official, Pa.

Patrick Lynch, Party official, R.I. "The spirit, energy, intelligence, vision and inspiration that he offers is what our country needs right now."

Richard Machacek, Party official, Iowa "I think it needs to be over, and in good conscience, I can't fly in the face of my precinct, county and district. The raw numbers coming out of the district conventions really sat me down hard."

Michael Madigan, Party official, Ill. "For people who have had an opportunity to work with him and to see him and observe him, they are prepared to trust him with the most important office in the land."

Mark Mallory, Party official, Ohio

Debbie Marquez, Party official, Colo.

Iris Y. Martinez, Party official, Ill. "I really believe that, you know, we are headed towards a change in this country and I think the only one who can lead us there is going to be Barack Obama."

Jim Maxson, Party official, N.D.

Claire McCaskill, Senator, Mo.

Jennifer L. McClellan, Party official, Va. "My role is to vote in what is the best interest for my party as a whole."

Betty McCollum, Representative, Minn.

Rhine L. McLin, Party official, Ohio "I said all along that however Dayton and Montgomery County went, that's how I would use my superdelegate. I'm going with how the area went. That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

Jerry Meek, Party official, N.C.

John Melcher, Party official, Mont.

Brian Melendez, Party official, Minn.

Moses Mercado, Party official, Tex. "I thought he was the right candidate for the country."

Brad Miller, Representative, N.C.

George Miller, Representative, Calif. "Barack has the skills and experience that's necessary to really challenge the status quo in Washington, D.C. I'm very encouraged by the energy of the people responding to him and his vision of how people can come together to solve the problems that confront us."

John A. Millin, Party official, Wyo. "If Barack Obama is the Democratic presidential nominee, we will be the party of new ideas that understands that a united America will be much better able to address the serious problems facing our country than a divided America. If Hillary Clinton is our party's nominee, every Democratic candidate in Wyoming will be painted with that same liberal, big-government brush. We will also be the target of the locker room jokes that rightfully belong to Bill Clinton."

Susan Montee, Add on delegate, Mo.

Dannie Montgomery, Party official, N.C.

Gwen Moore, Representative, Wis.

James P. Moran, Representative, Va.

Mee Moua, Party official, Minn.

Patrick J. Murphy, Representative, Pa. "I am inspired by Senator Obama's call to service and believe he is best suited to bring about the changes we need in our country."

Christopher S. Murphy, Representative, Conn.

Janet Napolitano, Governor, Ariz. "I think we need fresh voices and fresh messages of unity and coming together. I think he's a new, young voice who has new appeal, particularly for those of us in the West."

Sonny Nardi, Party official, Ohio

Ben Nelson, Senator, Neb.

Nick Nemec, Party official, S.D. "South Dakota is a pretty bright red state, and I think a lot of South Dakota Democrats were sick of being beat around the head and shoulders with the Clinton name."

Mary Jo Neville, Party official, Md.

WASHINGTON -- Jeff Radjewski of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is pretty sure he's backing Barack Obama. Same goes for Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and Oakland County Commissioner Eric Coleman.

"Probably get the letter out next week," said Coleman.

All three are undecided superdelegates -- a group of Democrats virtually assured of deciding whether Obama or Hillary Clinton becomes the party's presidential nominee. While their support isn't written in stone, it suggests an unmistakable momentum swing.

On Thursday, that shift was evident when former U.S. Rep. David Bonior of Mt. Clemens endorsed Obama. Though he's not a superdelegate, Bonior, who has deep ties to organized labor and ran John Edwards' failed presidential campaign, could help sway those who are.

He called Obama the "one candidate who has proven he can bring the kind of change to Washington that will mean more jobs, better pay for American workers and health care for every single American."

Meanwhile, Michigan party leaders said they would move ahead with a plan to ask the Democratic National Committee to seat their disallowed delegation with 69 delegates going to Clinton and 59 to Obama even though Clinton -- who would have won 73 delegates if the results of the Jan. 15 primary had counted -- rejected it.

Although Obama's 14-point victory in North Carolina this week and the 2-point win Clinton eked out in Indiana appeared to make it almost impossible for her to catch him in the delegate count, many superdelegates still aren't prepared to decide the contest.

Michigan has 29 superdelegates; 27 have been named and two more will be appointed next month by state party Chairman Mark Brewer, if the state's disallowed delegation is reseated. Of those superdelegates, seven have endorsed Clinton, including Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Rep. John Dingell. Two are backing Obama: Rep. John Conyers and DNC member Virgie Rollins.

Of the undecided, the Free Press found three leaning strongly Obama's way, none who said they were moving toward backing Clinton and many who are outwardly or apparently waiting for more signals or the naming of a nominee.

The UAW, for instance, hasn't endorsed a candidate, and the union's two superdelegates aren't likely to make a pick public until it does. The same is true for other unions represented by superdelegates, like the National Education Association, which represents teachers.

Other superdelegates, such as U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, National Committeewoman Debbie Dingell, Reps. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick and Bart Stupak, and Brewer weren't expected to make a selection at least until the state's delegation is seated. The state lost its regular delegates because it scheduled an early primary.

"I'm going to wait," Levin said Thursday.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has a vote, too. His spokeswoman said Thursday, "He's talked to both campaigns and it's not going to be hard for him to make a decision, but he's not ready to make an announcement."

Rick Weiner, former chief of staff to Granholm and former head of the state party, said he has a preference but won't reveal it; not yet, not even to his wife. And Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence said she's close but wants to wait for one more primary -- next Tuesday's vote in West Virginia.

It may have been telling, though, when she said: "The numbers have to be there for a nominee."

Lauren Wolfe, a 25-year-old University of Detroit Mercy law student, is president of College Democrats of America, and she's appealing to students on YouTube.com for advice on who to back.

Radjewski, of IBEW Local 58 in Detroit, said he had been leaning toward Obama and "Tuesday really strengthened that." Making his decision official, he said, was a matter of making sure the people he represents know who he intends to back.

"I wanted to support the candidate who could best win in the fall," he said.

Said Ficano: "It's reaching a point where it seems the math is going to be difficult at best and is looking almost impossible" for Clinton.

The Wayne County executive was waiting to work out details before making an announcement.

As for Coleman, he'd pretty much made up his mind that Obama represents the fresh start the nation needs.

"All you've got to do is add up all the delegates from all the remaining elections and she still comes up short," he said.

• Watch Lauren Wolfe's YouTube video

Obama Now Takes The Lead in Superdelegates Too

Zax — Sat, 10 May 2008 10:24:29 EDT
    Obama Now Takes The Lead in Superdelegates Too
ABC News' Karen Travers Reports: For the first time this campaign season, Barack Obama has surpassed Hillary Clinton's support among superdelegates, according to the ABC News delegate estimate.
Sen. Obama, D-Ill., picked up two superdelegates this morning giving him a new metric to tout in addition to his current commanding leads in pledged delegates, popular votes, states won, and money raised.
Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., switched his endorsement from Clinton to Obama and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., endorsed Obama. DeFazio was previously uncommitted.
With these endorsements, Obama has the support of 267 superdelegates and Clinton has 265 superdelegates.
Every news organization's superdelegate count is a little different because it is an imperfect science. Since October 2007, the Political Unit has continuously reached out to the nearly 800 superdelegates to determine their candidate preference. We also reach out regularly to the Obama and Clinton campaigns for their superdelegate lists and work to confirm any that they include on their lists.
Clinton’s advantage among superdelegates was once massive and has been dwindling steadily since Super Tuesday, when she was ahead by over 60 superdelegates.
Clinton’s institutional support from within the Democratic Party allowed her to build a commanding lead in superdelegates over Obama in the early part of this nomination battle.
Despite several rough weeks on the campaign trail, Obama has maintained momentum in picking up superdelegates. Obama has outpaced Clinton at every marker of this campaign since Super Tuesday -- after the controversial comments of Rev. Wright came out, after Clinton’s big win in Pennsylvania and after the Indiana and North Carolina primaries.

Missing You All At mybrackobama.com

Zax — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:38:40 EDT

Hi everybody. Sorry I've been out for a while. i've been very busy caring for my 24 year old son. He was critically injured in an accident on his job close to three years ago. A forklift he was driving tipped over onto him. He has been going through surgery after surgery since then. He just recently had another surgery and is schuled for another surgery yet in about a month. Hopefully this will be his last one. I haven't forgot about my blog here on Obama.com, I just haven't had the time or mind set to concentrate on my blog recently. I will attempt to post at lease one blog day for now. Thank you all who read my blog and/or wondered what may have happened to me.
Zax
sTAY iN pEACE


Missing You All At mybrackobama.com

Zax — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:36:53 EDT

Hi everybody. Sorry I've been out for a while. i've been very busy caring for my 24 year old son. He was critically injured in an accident on his job close to three years ago. A forklift he was driving tipped over onto him. He has been going through surgery after surgery since then. He just recently had another surgery and is schuled for another surgery yet in about a month. Hopefully this will be his last one. I haven't forgot about my blog here on Obama.com, I just haven't had the time or mind set to concentrate on my blog recently. I will attempt to post at lease one blog day for now. Thank you all who read my blog and/or wondered what may have happened to me.
Zax
sTAY iN pEACE


Missing You All At mybrackobama.com

Zax — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:19:18 EDT

Hi everybody. Sorry I've been out for a while. i've been very busy caring for my 24 year old son. He was critically injured in an accident on his job close to three years ago. A forklift he was driving tipped over onto him. He has been going through surgery after surgery since then. He just recently had another surgery and is schuled for another surgery yet in about a month. Hopefully this will be his last one. I haven't forgot about my blog here on Obama.com, I just haven't had the time or mind set to concentrate on my blog recently. I will attempt to post at lease one blog day for now. Thank you all who read my blog and/or wondered what may have happened to me.
Zax
sTAY iN pEACE


Missing You All At mybrackobama.com

Zax — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:12:28 EDT

Hi everybody. Sorry I've been out for a while. i've been very busy caring for my 24 year old son. He was critically injured in an accident on his job close to three years ago. A forklift he was driving tipped over onto him. He has been going through surgery after surgery since then. He just recently had another surgery and is schuled for another surgery yet in about a month. Hopefully this will be his last one. I haven't forgot about my blog here on Obama.com, I just haven't had the time or mind set to concentrate on my blog recently. I will attempt to post at lease one blog day for now. Thank you all who read my blog and/or wondered what may have happened to me.
Zax
sTAY iN pEACE


Missing You All At mybrackobama.com

Zax — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:10:43 EDT

Hi everybody. Sorry I've been out for a while. i've been very busy caring for my 24 year old son. He was critically injured in an accident on his job close to three years ago. A forklift he was driving tipped over onto him. He has been going through surgery after surgery since then. He just recently had another surgery and is schuled for another surgery yet in about a month. Hopefully this will be his last one. I haven't forgot about my blog here on Obama.com, I just haven't had the time or mind set to concentrate on my blog recently. I will attempt to post at lease one blog day for now. Thank you all who read my blog and/or wondered what may have happened to me.
Zax
sTAY iN pEACE


Missing You All At mybrackobama.com

Zax — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:08:35 EDT

Hi everybody. Sorry I've been out for a while. i've been very busy caring for my 24 year old son. He was critically injured in an accident on his job close to three years ago. A forklift he was driving tipped over onto him. He has been going through surgery after surgery since then. He just recently had another surgery and is schuled for another surgery yet in about a month. Hopefully this will be his last one. I haven't forgot about my blog here on Obama.com, I just haven't had the time or mind set to concentrate on my blog recently. I will attempt to post at lease one blog day for now. Thank you all who read my blog and/or wondered what may have happened to me.
Zax
sTAY iN pEACE


Missing You All At mybrackobama.com

Zax — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:06:35 EDT

Hi everybody. Sorry I've been out for a while. i've been very busy caring for my 24 year old son. He was critically injured in an accident on his job close to three years ago. A forklift he was driving tipped over onto him. He has been going through surgery after surgery since then. He just recently had another surgery and is schuled for another surgery yet in about a month. Hopefully this will be his last one. I haven't forgot about my blog here on Obama.com, I just haven't had the time or mind set to concentrate on my blog recently. I will attempt to post at lease one blog day for now. Thank you all who read my blog and/or wondered what may have happened to me.
Zax
sTAY iN pEACE


Missing You All At mybrackobama.com

Zax — Sat, 10 May 2008 08:53:56 EDT

Hi everybody. Sorry I've been out for a while. i've been very busy caring for my 24 year old son. He was critically injured in an accident on his job close to three years ago. A forklift he was driving tipped over onto him. He has been going through surgery after surgery since then. He just recently had another surgery and is schuled for another surgery yet in about a month. Hopefully this will be his last one. I haven't forgot about my blog here on Obama.com, I just haven't had the time or mind set to concentrate on my blog recently. I will attempt to post at lease one blog day for now. Thank you all who read my blog and/or wondered what may have happened to me.
Zax
sTAY iN pEACE



Help Sway the Superdelegates - Petition

Sherry — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:41:19 EDT

The website below will allow you to petition the superdelagates to endorse Obama. They are listed by individual states or by House, Senate, Black Caucus, or Red States. Please visit this site and begin petitioning those who are either uncommited or are endorsing Hillary.
http://www.eyesonobama.com/superdelegates/groups/group_47/

Please sign this petition we only have 96 need 1000

CorpusMama — Sat, 03 May 2008 01:09:40 EDT
One of my groups posted this:

Please sign and circulate as soon as possible.

Thanks!

Yes WE Can

The urgency is now!

Please sign our Superdelegate Petition. Obama needs our help!

Henry Washu — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:59:35 EDT

Dear Obama Supporters,

I’m sure we all agree that Hillary Clinton should have conceded a long time ago so that Obama can start thinking about the GE against McCain. She's already done so much damage to the Democratic Party. We are doing a group petition on EyesOnObama.com. You may want to use that so that the Superdelegate doesn't get pissed off by a deluge of individual appeals. Here’s a link where you can sign a petition that we’ll send to the congressmen. We have so far 1,100 signatures. This is crucial, WE CAN make the difference. We should also really focus on getting Indiana Congressmen Hill, Ellsworth and Donnelly to commit. Obama helped get them elected, and now Sen. Bayh is trying to stop them from endorsing Obama, even though Bayh the hypocrite finds no problem with his endorsement of Clinton. Here’s a link where you can sign the petition that we’ll send to the congressmen.

http://www.eyesonobama.com/superdelegates/petition

Please help. Yes, WE can!

JOIN THE MOVEMENT!!!

Musicians4Obama — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 03:53:42 EDT

JOIN THE MOVEMENT...
to make the video, "A More Perfect Union" an Official Obama Campaign Video.
Inspired by Barack Obama's historic speech on race, this video features his vision of one America set to soulful and expressive original music.
SIGN THIS PETITION:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/amoreperfectunion?e
The petition contains a link to the video, if you haven't seen it yet.
It's Awesome! NOW SPREAD THE WORD!
Thanks!

SIgn My Petition- Tell Howard Dean it's time for HRC to get out of the race!

Tracey Malesa-Wheaton; Dyed-in-the-wool-DEM — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:56:45 EDT
ENOUGH! Enough already! Why won't she just go away!?Folks- it's time for Hillary to get out of this race. Beyond her wreckless policies (like threats to Nuke Iran), the fact that she seems to be staying in this race just to bring Obama down is killing this party.

She can't win- there is no path to victory for her and at this point each day she stays in the race serves no purpose except to tear Obama down and bring John McCain one step closer to winning in November. This game she is palying is dangerous and it smacks of the worst kind of megalomania I have ever seen.

Let's let Howard Dean know how we feel. Please sign my petition and pass it along to at least 5 friends.

thank you.

Obama 08!

Link

Kansas Muslim Attacked with 'Molotov Cocktail'

funkfresh01 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:38:06 EDT
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/17/08) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today asked local and national law enforcement authorities to bring appropriate hate crime charges against the alleged perpetrator of a March "Molotov cocktail" attack on a Kansas Muslim.

A clerk at a Lenexa, Kan., gas station told police that a man came into the store and asked the clerk if he was Muslim. When the clerk replied in the affirmative, the man reportedly started harassing him.

Soon after the man left the store, a Molotov cocktail incendiary device was thrown through the front window of the store. A similar incident occurred at another store in area. A 26-year-old man was later charged with two counts of criminal use of explosives and one count of criminal damage.

SEE: Molotov Cocktail Hurled At Gas Station (KCTV)

http://www.kctv5.com/news/15721008/detail.html

"We ask that local authorities and the FBI file any appropriate hate crime charges against the alleged perpetrator in this case," said CAIR Civil Rights Manager Khadija Athman. "The additional charges would send a clear message that bias-related attacks will not be tolerated in Kansas or anywhere in America."

Earlier this week, CAIR's Minnesota chapter asked the FBI to investigate reported threats against the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy charter school in that state as possible hate crimes.

SEE: Muslim Civil Liberties Group Seeks FBI Probe of School Threats (Star Tribune)

http://www.startribune.com/local/17673284.html

The Kansas assault and the threats to the Minnesota school came following other recent incidents such as a fire-bomb attack on a Minnesota Muslim-owned business and an arson attack on a Tennessee mosque by three members of the white-supremacist "Christian Identity" movement.

SEE: MN: Investigators Say Fire Could Be Hate Crime

http://www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?ArticleID=24208&&name=n&&currPage=1&&Active=1

SEE ALSO: CAIR Applauds Arrests in TN Mosque Arson

http://www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?ArticleID=24197&&name=n&&currPage=1&&Active=1

CAIR is urging Muslim individuals and institutions nationwide to review security procedures using advice contained in CAIR's "Muslim Community Safety Kit."

SEE: CAIR Muslim Community Safety Kit

http://www.cair.com/ActionCenter/CommunityToolKit.aspx

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Strategic Communications Director Ahmed Rehab, 202-870-0166, E-Mail: arehab@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

Some Articles from MSNBC 4/17 with commentary.

EMK — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:02:49 EDT

The debate: I wasn't going to post this MSNBC article, but with this petition that Edward has found (and I signed--throwing in Ammendment IX), I recommend using the article to help motivate you to sign the petition!
Carter: Carter and Hamas politician meet, embrace.
DNA: U.S. seeks to widely expand DNA database. Read the article and take the poll.
Gaza: Gaza doctors: Israeli shell killed cameraman.
There are more important stuff than the debates going on, and there are more than I can post!   Just read the articles, feel free to debate, and do the polls and petitions that I got out ther.
Here's a quote from Obama that is relevant now (also cited in my blog If you get bitter...):
From the post: Obama: Voters can be both angry and hopeful.
"Just because you're mad, just because it seems like nobody is listening to ordinary Americans, that's not a reason to give up hope," Obama told the Building Trades National Legislative Conference. "You get mad and then you decide you're going to change it. If you're not angry about something you're going to sit back and let it happen to you. If you're only angry, you don't feel hopeful, and you won't get the energy to change it. I'm mad, but I'm also hopeful."
--Barack Obama
And once again, thanks to Edward for the petition link!
"The society's depravation relies/ not on our differences/ but the separation within."
    --Linkin Park, "Frgt/10."
EMK

FOCUS On America's Working Families [NCEF]

Geoff Gilson — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:31:25 EDT

[What follows is an open letter to Barack and his team of Economic Advisers, that I will be taking with me to the Chapel Hill, North Carolina meeting of Barack's North Carolina Economic Forum.]

Dear Barack,

Better than 'Bitter': "FOCUS '08"

I will be attending the Chapel Hill meeting of your North Carolina Economic Forum on April 15, 2008.

There, I will be urging you and your team of Economic Advisers to adopt into your campaign policy my proposition, FOCUS '08, a simple, yet powerful proposition that offers comfort to all working families who currently live in fear of losing their homes and jobs, or who feel they can't make ends meet because of rising food and gas prices (www.focusonpoverty.blogspot.com).

FOCUS '08 declares that:

'Every man, woman and child in the United States should have access to adequate food, clothing, housing and healthcare.'

I am registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina, and frankly, I consider myself to be undecided until the moment my pen hits the ballot paper. However, there is much about you and your camapign, Barack, that attracts me. Not least your obvious empathy with working people.
It is, therefore, as a friend of your efforts that I write this letter, and although painfully blunt (and something tells me you won't mind that!), it is offered solely in a spirit of helpfulness. So, to business:
It is a brave man, Barack, who advances an honest analysis of dire economic conditions, without immediately accompanying it with a concise summary of the uplifting policy that will address resolution - wrapped up in language that enrolls rather than offends.
This last point, in particular, should now be crystal clear in light of the temporary hiccup that has followed your 'bitter' speech last weekend.
Mind you, what you said was spot on - as an incisive checklist of the frustrations of working people in America. I should know. I am one of America's angry working poor.
It is only those who are truly elitist and out of touch who would suggest our anxieties do not exist, and who would deny that it is all too easy to find unhealthy ways to vent those anxieties - and that there are those who would feed on the latter fact.
Goodness knows it's nice to have a politician who has the guts to be honest and straightforward. But, to be equally honest, what was a little unfortunate, Barack, was your language, and the fact that you chose not to accompany the analysis with a simple breakdown of your recommended solutions.
Without wishing to appear too presumptuous, I hope you won't mind if I use the opportunity of the Forum meeting to help you out a tad, and offer a couple of ideas that might assist you in addressing both of these issues.
For some years now, America's working folk - whether in the cities or in the country - have watched helplessly as power-mongers and the elite in political and financial circles have caused the American economy wildly to ride the waves, and then to crash into the abyss.
Why helplessly? Because all this has meant for us is more jobs lost, more plants shut down, our homes under threat, prices rising, the bar continually raised and our lives constantly squeezed.
Democrats, to whom I have spoken, have openly wondered why, through all this, more and more of my working friends have found themselves turning to the likes of George Bush, and now John McCain.
I tell these Democrats that, at a time of seeming inability to cope, at a time when all seems so weak, it is easy to turn to the appearance of strength and experience - however false the promise of that strength and experience may be.
When you sense that your country has abandoned you, and there is little point in trying, it is too easy to find paths of escapism. One of the easiest is a political philosophy that says it's ok to take that anger and convert it into hatred and envy and revenge.
When we are told that the real problem lies overseas, it's all too easy to respond to a pseudo-call for patriotism and sense of duty, and to cheer on a war, even though we now know that war is both futile and dishonest - and, moreover, it is killing a disproportionate amount of the sons and daughters of our working familes.
And where have the Democrats been, to offer we working people an alternative? Why, trying their hardest to pack themselves into those same Republican clothes - but without packing any conviction.
The problem is, when you're a sheep in wolf's clothing, it's a bit difficult to look anything other than…well…sheepish.
Until you, Barack, came along.
I'd had a bad feeling about voting for some 20 years. You are the first American politician in that time who's making me look forward to voting in November.
Now. We've hit a glitch. It's not the end of the world. And this is what I suggest to you and your Economic Team going forward:
1) Adopt FOCUS '08. The working folk of this country deserve a rallying cry that offers them a safety net, while preserving their dignity.
This is true, not just for those of us who already struggle below the poverty line, but also for those who, through no fault of their own, feel that they may be next.
We did not create the housing and jobs crisis, or cause gas and food prices to rise.
2) Enroll these same good people, Barack, in the campaign to sell you, your policies and FOCUS '08.
Do not pity us. We are a proud people. Appeal to our better nature. Challenge us. Turn the tables on your opponents, and make an appeal to genuine patriotism and a real sense of moral duty.
Go so far as to put it in military terms, if necessary.
Offer us a deal - "A New Compact." Tell us boldly and bravely: 'You take care of your business at home, and we'll back you up, by taking care of our business in Washington.'
[I expand on this approach in a separate document of talking points, which can be found as the next post in this blog.]
Call on America's working men and women to support a "Citizen's Code": family, country and honor.
'We take care of our family first; then we help our neighbor; then the folk around us. Not because of a political slogan or a grand economic strategy, and not for personal gain or ambition, but because it's the honorable, the right thing to do.'
Meanwhile, holding up the other side of the compact, you, Barack, have to clean up Washington. Clear out the logjams, get the necessary bi-partisan support, prioritize action, and get us the help we need to support what we're doing on the home and family front.
FOCUS '08 can be a part of that. Take George Bush's slogan, and turn it against our opponents. Make that slogan ours - and make it apply to all Americans under a Barack Administration. 'We will leave no-one behind.'
I have my own political line for all of this: 'Taking Care of America's Family Values.'
So, Barack, come one, why not give it a try? Visit the web-site (http://focusonpoverty.blogspot.com), sign the Petition (www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/483881699), even buy the T-shirt (http://197491.spreadshirt.com).
But. Most important of all. Adopt FOCUS '08, and enroll America's working folk in its implementation.

"I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" AMERICA IS BITTER AND FRUSTRATED

supportobama2008 — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 19:11:45 EDT

To: RESIDENTS OF AMERICA:
Here's how it is: in a lot of these communities in big industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania and all through out our United States, people have been beaten down so long. They feel so betrayed by government that when they hear a pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of them just doesn't buy it. But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter. Barack Obama, 4/11/2008 "The underlying truth of what I said remains, which is simply that people who have seen their way of life upended because of economic distress are frustrated and rightfully so," Barack Obama, 4/12/2008 "I want to campaign the same way I govern, which is to respond directly and forcefully with the truth," Barack Obama, 11/08/07 Qoute From the movie "Network" 1976 Howard Beale: I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's work, banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there's nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there's no end to it. We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat, and we sit watching our TV's while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that's the way it's supposed to be. We know things are bad - worse than bad. They're crazy. It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out anymore. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we are living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, 'Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone.' Well, I'm not gonna leave you alone. I want you to get mad! I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot - I don't want you to write to your congressman because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street. All I know is that first you've got to get mad. Howard Beale: [shouting] You've got to say, 'I'm a HUMAN BEING, Goddamnit! My life has VALUE!' So I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, [shouting] Howard Beale: 'I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!' I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell - 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Things have got to change. But first, you've gotta get mad!... You've got to say, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Then we'll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it: Howard Beale: [screaming at the top of his lungs] "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Howard Beale: All I know is, you've got to get mad. You've got to say, "I'm a human being, goddamn it. My life has value." Howard Beale: We'll tell you anything you want to hear, we lie like hell. Howard Beale: You're beginning to believe the illusions we're spinning here, you're beginning to believe that the tube is reality and your own lives are unreal. You do. Why, whatever the tube tells you: you dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube, you even think like the tube. This is mass madness, you maniacs. In God's name, you people are the real thing, WE are the illusion. If You Feel As An American That Because Of The Previuos Administrations of the last 20 Years, Actions or Inactions, Have Left You Bitter Or Frustrated and Angry. I Write This To Poll America Since The Media Can Poll Everything Else Except This. If You Can Identify With This Petition? Please Sign This Petition Sincerely, The Undersigned

IRAQ AWAITS CRITICAL FATWA

funkfresh01 — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:04:00 EDT
Date Posted: Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Posted By The Media Line Staff

IRAQ (The Media Line) April 8, 2008 — Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki announced on Monday he would ban a powerful Shi'ite parliamentary bloc from running in the next local elections unless it disarmed its 60,000-strong armed force.

The 'Sadri parliamentary bloc, led by Muqtada A-'Sadr, responded by saying it would disarm its armed force, known as the Mahdi Army, only if the Shi'ite religious authorities ordered them to do so.

"The Mahdi Army does not accept its orders from anyone except A-'Sadr and the religious authorities with whom he consults. If the religious authorities would ask him to disarm the Mahdi Army, he will definitely execute their demand," spokesman for the 'Sadri bloc, 'Salah A-'Ubeidi told reporters.

Ten things to know about Senator John McCain

funkfresh01 — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 22:54:51 EDT
For all the coverage this week of Senator John McCain's background, you will not learn some important things about him from the TV networks. His carefully crafted positive image relies on people not knowing this stuff—and some of it might surprise you.

Please check out the list below, and then forward it to your friends, family, and coworkers. We cannot rely on the media to tell folks about the real John McCain—but if we all pass this along, we can reach as many people as CNN Headline News does on a good night.

Click here to tell us how many people you can pass it on to—and to see our progress nationally:

http://pol.moveon.org/mccain10/?id=12407-5077189-XKR_ot&t=231

Ten things you should know about John McCain.

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he has continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2

3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban Waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3

4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4

5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5

6. He is one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6

7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he is too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7

8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than McCain has any of the other presidential candidates.8

9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a zero—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10

John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be. Please help get the word out—forward this email to your personal network. And if you want us to keep you posted on MoveOn's work to get the truth out about John McCain, sign up here:

http://pol.moveon.org/mccaintruth/?id=12407-5077189-XKR_ot&t=232

Thank you for all you do.

–Eli, Justin, Noah, Laura, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team

Saturday, April 5th, 2008

Sources:

1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html

"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008

http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/

2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us

"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/

3. "McCain Sides with Bush on Torture Again, Supports Veto of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/

4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/

5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008

http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007

"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/

6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80

"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home

7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022

"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/

8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What the Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/

"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251

9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008

http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html

"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/

"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/

10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/

Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by our 3.2 million members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, and no money from unions. Our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you would like to support our work, you can give now at:

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Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Obama shouldn't tap Clinton, most Democrats say.

Zax — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:07:03 EDT

by Mark Silva Posted April 1, 2008 2:40 PM
That sometimes-touted “dream team’’ of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton doesn’t sit well with most Democrats, if Obama is sitting at the top of the ticket. But, if Clinton is topping the ticket, more like Obama as a running mate.
Just 42 percent of Democrats surveyed nationwide say Clinton should be the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee, if Obama wins the party’s nomination. Yet 58 percent say Clinton should tap Obama, should she become the party’s nominee.
The reason for “the disparity,’’ the Gallup Poll reports, “is that a relatively small number of Obama supporters -- just 29 percent --favor Obama choosing Clinton as a possible running mate. Seventy percent say they'd rather he choose someone else. And 55 percent of all the Democrats surveyed say he should choose someone other than Clinton.
In contrast, a majority of Clinton supporters – 53 percent -- would want Clinton to choose Obama for vice president if she is nominated.’’
Similar percentages (a majority of both Clinton and Obama supporters) say they would want their own candidate selected for vice president should the other candidate win the Democratic nomination for president.
The findings are based on a survey of 502 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents on March 24-27, with a possible margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Clinton surrogate says Obama will win presidency

Zax — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:41:46 EDT

Posted April 1, 2008 2:30 PM By Jim Tankersley
Ok, we'll ask: What's up with all this Canadian meddling in our presidential election? First there was a leaked government memo claiming a top economic advisor for Barack Obama had privately assured America's northern neighbor that Obama didn't really mean those nasty things he said about NAFTA (a charge the campaign denied).
Now, it appears a Canadian radio show managed to get a Hillary Clinton surrogate - a member of Congress no less - to say he believes Obama will win the presidency. Even worse for Clinton, the congressman compares her to the anemic Kansas City Chiefs.
Christopher Beam of Slate.com has a post up today on the subject:
"Surrogates seem to think that telling something to a foreign news agency means that their words won’t get back to the United States," he writes. "How else to explain Sam Powers’ 'monster' comment to the Scotsman or a new statement on Canadian radio by Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Clinton superdelegate, that 'Barack Obama is going to be the next president'?
"To call Cleaver’s remarks off-message would be an understatement," Beam continues. "Cleaver goes on to say with brutal, hilarious honesty that '[i]f I do the party line, I'm supposed to say—and maybe I'll say just so if anybody hears it they can say well, "Cleaver did the party line before he told the truth,"—we believe that a contest going all the way to the convention is good for America,' he said. But he calls that scenario a 'tragedy of tragedies.' Cleaver then reveals that he knows he’s supporting the losing team: 'Even though I don't expect the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the Indianapolis Colts, I cheer for the Kansas City Chiefs.'"
     The audio is here.

Former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton to Endorse Obama

Zax — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:11:02 EDT
By TOM DAVIES – 10 hours ago
Former Rep. Hamilton
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton, the top Democrat on the Sept. 11 commission, is backing Barack Obama in an endorsement that could boost the presidential hopeful's national security standing, The Associated Press has learned.
The Illinois senator "champions the politics of consensus and not of partisan division," Hamilton said in an interview. "I think he is driven by the search for the common good."
Hamilton planned to announce the endorsement Wednesday.
The former Indiana lawmaker served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee during his more than three decades in Congress and is best known as vice chairman of the panel that investigated the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Hamilton also was co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan commission that assessed U.S. policy in Iraq.
Although Hamilton is not a Democratic superdelegate, his backing comes on the heels of several high-profile endorsements for Obama, who leads Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in delegates for the party's nomination. Sens. Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota endorsed Obama in recent days.
Hamilton is the highest-profile Indiana Democrat to back Obama before the state's May 6 primary. Sen. Evan Bayh and the bulk of Indiana's Democratic Party leadership have campaigned actively for Clinton in a state where neither candidate is regarded as a natural front-runner.
Hamilton, once mentioned as a possible running mate for Bill Clinton, told the AP he believed Obama was the candidate most likely to unite the country.
"I begin by asking myself what kind of leadership the country needs at this juncture and I think, for me at least, the answer is that you want a candidate that will try to bring together a country that is very evenly divided, a country in which partisanship has been very sharp and to try to get a candidate who will create a new sense of national unity and will try to transcend the divisions within the country," he said.
Hamilton spent 34 years in Congress representing a southern Indiana district. He served as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees, and was a Democratic leader on international relations before retiring in 1999.
Hamilton now leads the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. In a speech there last year, written by a longtime aide to Hamilton, Obama warned Pakistan that he would use military force if necessary to root out terrorists.

Dinner Table Debates

Zax — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:03:15 EDT
By Suzanne Smalley | Newsweek Web ExclusiveMar 28, 2008 | Updated: 5:20 p.m. ET Mar 28, 2008
In Pennsylvania, many young voters are pushing their parents to back Obama.
All over Pennsylvania, parents and their college-age children are battling over the state's Democratic primary. In one dining room in a small industrial town in northeastern Pennsylvania, the animus grew especially strong on Easter Sunday. Over honey-baked ham, Kathleen, 22, a student at a local Catholic college, and her mother, a hairdresser, got into a fight that brought the family dinner to a standstill. Kathleen and her mother have been arguing about the relative virtues of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for months—largely, Kathleen says, because her mother is deeply worried about the economy and doesn't think Obama is capable of fixing it."She says Obama is too idealistic," says Kathleen, who asked to be identified only by her middle name because she's working for a local media outlet that does not permit her to publically express her political views. "And I told her I want someone idealistic. I think she believes he's promising too much." Kathleen said the Easter argument began when her 76-year-old grandfather warned her and her brother that he's never seen the country in such bad shape. "'You and your brother are going to have to work to fix this country'," Kathleen recalls him saying. Kathleen says her mother then provoked her by pointing out that life was great under Bill Clinton. "I don't like my mom equating [Hillary] with her husband," Kathleen said. "I said, 'Her husband's not gonna be president, Mom'." That was enough to send grandpa over the edge. He stopped the conversation and demanded the family get back to eating.
Kathleen's family is not the only one grappling with fierce generational rivalries in this election's Democratic contests. In Pennsylvania—as in Ohio, which Hillary won by 10 percent—Clinton currently has bedrock support from the so-called Reagan Democrats: white, blue-collar, middle-age men and women who defected from the Democratic Party in 1980 and 1984 to vote for Reagan. Many voters fitting this profile are now solidly back in the Democrats' corner but have proven difficult for Obama to win over in Pennsylvania, fueling Clinton's 12-point lead in one recent state poll. But Obama may see his support among that group increase soon, thanks to Sen. Bob Casey's endorsement of him, announced this morning. Against abortion and in favor of gun rights, Casey, a Roman Catholic, is the son of a popular Pennsylvania governor who, like Reagan, succeeded by winning over those blue-collar, socially conservative Democrats.
Casey explained his endorsement by describing the intense enthusiasm his kids feel for Obama. "Let me tell you a little story about my four daughters, one by one," he said. "First of all, my daughter Caroline, our second, she saw Senator Obama speak at the 2004 convention. She was not only listening … by the end of his speech, she was standing on her chair. And that's the same reaction that we've all had about his campaign and about his character. My daughter Elyse was sitting in our home the night of the Iowa caucuses. Senator Obama was speaking, and she was transfixed looking at the television set. And all of a sudden—I was standing there in the kitchen with her—the telephone rang, her cell phone rang. One of her good friends called her, she picked up the phone and she said, 'I can't talk to you now, I am listening to Barack Obama,' and she hung up ... My daughter Julia is reading 'The Audacity of Hope' right now. And my daughter Marena, who's our youngest, is 11, she's been giving me messages for Senator Obama that I'm supposed to impart to him later."

Like Casey's daughters, Angie McNie, a 20-year-old sophomore at Penn State and a member of the university's Students for Obama club, has persuaded her dad and stepdad to give Obama a second look. McNie, a   student from a blue-collar Pittsburgh family—her dad works as a bus driver—said she's been steadily campaigning to convince her parents to vote Obama. She said she told them that Clinton's universal health-care plan might not be as great as it sounds. "I tried to explain … that if Hillary does institute this it means you are forced to buy this health care, and if you can't afford it for whatever reason they take it out of your wages," she said. "A couple weeks later my dad said, 'I'm sorry, hon. I'm still voting for Hillary.' I said, 'It's OK, but it would be so much better for me if you'd look into both candidates and their platforms instead of just [thinking] their husband was a good president'." McNie says her dad is still leaning toward Clinton, but has promised he'll think about Obama. She said she made inroads with her stepdad by pointing out that Obama doesn't accept money from special-interest groups. "He didn't believe me at first, and then he looked into it and he said, 'I really agree with that'," McNie said. But she said her stepdad still thinks Obama is too young and inexperienced. McNie said she hasn't stopped trying to persuade them, but her parents are tiring of the conversation. "A lot of people don't like to discuss these things with me," she said, "because they know I get so passionate. Especially my parents."
Andrew Craft, a 19-year-old Penn State student from the western Pennsylvania town of Mars, is also passionate. He does volunteer work for the campaign almost daily—even as he juggles exams, parties and a part-time job. His mom, Nancy, a teacher, and dad, Donald, a FedEx carrier, support Hillary Clinton. They think Bill Clinton was a great president and care deeply about health care and other issues they believe Clinton is more qualified than Obama to fix. The debate over which Democrat will make a better president has grown so heated that the family has adopted guidelines to keep their discourse civil. "We have come to a consensus in our family," says Nancy Craft. "Around the country it's very polarized right now. Some [Democrats] are saying they're gonna vote for John McCain … In our house, we've decided that no matter who gets the nomination, we'll support the [Democratic candidate]." The family still debates, Nancy Craft says, but the tone is good-natured and often stems from Andrew's penchant for flaunting Obama gear around the house. "He has Obama pins on his backpack and on his car he has a bumper sticker," she said, adding that her car is adorned with a Clinton bumper sticker. After months of trying to sell his parents on Obama, whom he respects for being a "real, straightforward positive thinker," Andrew says he has pretty much given up on converting them. But that hasn't stopped him from trying. "I give them my little spiel every now and then, but we're both pretty solidly in support of one or the other," he said.
The debate has brought him closer to his parents. Andrew was upset about the negative tenor of the campaign, especially as the scandal surrounding Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, exploded, and he confided in his mom. "We both agreed that both of those are silly talking points," he said of the warfare between the campaigns about Obama's association with Wright as well as Clinton's made-up encounter with sniper fire in Bosnia. Nancy said she comforted Andrew by telling him that negativity is as old as politics. "He was very upset about the Reverend Wright fracas," Nancy recalled, "and I said, 'It's kind of like Monica Lewinsky and the blue dress'." The younger generation is quickly getting wise to the ways of politics—but hasn't given up on getting their elders to try to see things afresh.
Senator Casey credited his kids in explaining his endorsement of Obama

Joyce Brayboy has endorsed Barack Obama

Zax — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:44:26 EDT

Brayboy endorses Obama

Pledged Delegates 1414
Superdelegates 222
Total 1638`
Joyce Brayboy has endorsed Barack Obama. The Democratic superdelegate, whose day job is as a Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist, made the decision recently.
Previously, she told Dome that she would study both candidates' electability and their stances on health care and education before making a decision.
U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield and two other superdelegates, Everett Ward and Dannie Montgomery, are also backing Obama, while Charlotte City Councilwoman Susan Burgess backs Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Encourages Cancelling Out the Rules of Fairness

Kenne — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:52:13 EDT

Hillary Clinton has an issue on her web site to seat the delegates from Michigan and Florida. (Yes, I go there to see what the H@#$% is going on. It's not spying it's investigating.) There is a comment submision box anyone can access. Here's the link if you want to take a look.
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/action/flmi/
I am not encouraging anyone to be subversive or vindictive but the thought that she would be so blatant is atrocious. She refuses to play by the rules! What a B#%$^ ! Pardon me. She knew what the rules were. She knew what would happen. and now, in the "Fourth quarter" as she puts it, she wants to alter the game with a petition. Man, is she duping her supporters and alienating anyone with an once of common sense.
I am beginning to feel sorry for the Clintons. They are going to be remembered in history as a smug, divisive, selfish, philandering family.

America's Kids Speak Out

Zax — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:46:11 EDT

Posted by Pam Spaulding, Pandagon at 8:48 AM on March 29, 2008.
High School Kids in the Bronx Reflect on Obama's Race Speech
VIDEO- Listen to these young people.

Being Mutiracial in America

Zax — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:55:15 EDT

Multiracial Americans echo Obama's struggle to fit in
By Mireya Navarro
Published: March 31, 2008
Jenifer Bratter once wore a T-shirt that read "100 percent black woman." Her black friends would not have it.
"I remember getting a lot of flak because of the fact I wasn't 100 percent black," said Bratter, 34, recalling her college years at Pennsylvania State University.
"I was very hurt by that," said Bratter, whose mother is black and whose father is white. "I remember feeling like, Isn't this what everybody expects me to think?"
Being accepted. Proving loyalty. Navigating the tight space between racial divides. Americans of mixed race say these are issues they have long confronted, and when Senator Barack Obama recently delivered his campaign speech about race in Philadelphia, it rang with a special significance in their ears. They saw parallels between the path trod by Obama and their own.
They recalled the friends, as in Bratter's case, who thought they were not black enough. Or the people who challenged them to label themselves by innocently asking, "What are you?" Or the relatives of different races who can sometimes be insensitive to one another.
"I think Barack Obama is going to bring these deeply American stories to the forefront," said Esther John, 56, an administrator at Northwest Indian College in the state of Washington, who identifies herself as black, American Indian and white.
"Maybe we'll get a little bit further in the dialogue on race," John said. "The guilt factor may be lowered a little bit because Obama made it right to be white and still love your black relatives, and to be black and still love your white relatives: to love despite another person's racial appearance."
Americans of mixed race say questions about whether Obama, with a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya, is "too black" or "not black enough," as the candidate himself brought up in his speech March 18, show the extent to which the nation is still fixated on old categories.
"There's this notion that there's an authentic race and you must fit it," said Bratter, now an assistant professor of sociology at Rice University in Houston who researches interracial families. "We're confronted with the lack of fit."
The old categories are weakening, however. The 2000 census counted 3.1 million interracial couples, or about 6 percent of married couples. For the first time, the census that year allowed respondents to identify themselves as of "two or more races," a category that now includes 7.3 million Americans, about 3 percent of the population.
Many people still stick to a one-race label even if they are of mixed descent, sometimes because of strong identification with one racial group, and occasionally because of a conscious effort not to dilute the numbers of the group they most identify with, researchers say.
In interviews, people of mixed race said their decision about how to identify themselves is deeply personal, not political; it is influenced by how and where they were reared, how others perceive them, what they look like and how they themselves came to embrace their identity.
James McBride, who described growing up in a Brooklyn housing project with his Jewish mother in a memoir, "The Color of Water," said that like Obama, he identifies himself primarily as a black man of mixed race. As a child whose father was black, he said, "I really wanted to be like all the other black kids. It was the larger group around me." And through life, because of his brown skin, society has imposed its own label. "If cops see me, they see a black man sitting in a car," he said.
But being proud to call himself black, said McBride, 50, does not negate his connection to his "Jewish part," his mother's heritage. Asked which part of him was dominant, he said, "It's like grabbing Jell-O."
"But what difference does it make?" he asked. "When you're mixed, you see how absurd this business of race is."
McBride and other mixed-race Americans said they took pride that Obama was presenting his biracial identity as an asset for the presidency. Even if he calls himself African-American, and has made a central element of his campaign biography the quest to claim that identity after his father left him, Obama is seen as giving equal weight in his story to his white mother and grandparents.
"He's really having to play the field and know his audience really well," said Phillip Handy, 21, a junior at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, whose mother is white and father is black. "In the end, when I hear his message, I don't think he's bailing out on any of us."
Many mixed-race people described their struggles to decide their own racial identity, often in the face of pressure from others to pigeonhole them. McBride said his books invariably were shelved in the black sections of bookstores. "Why can't I be a white author? I'm half white," he said.
Shafia Zaloom, 36, a teacher in San Francisco who is Asian and white, said she was often asked if her two children, who look like her white husband, were adopted. "Sometimes, when I'm at the playground, people think I'm the nanny," she said.
Zaloom, who gets her looks from her Chinese mother, said she had been on the receiving end of insensitive racial remarks and gestures about Asians. But she fully identifies as being of mixed race. "It's really unfair to expect people to choose," she said. "It's like asking to be loyal to one parent or the other."
Although still small, the mixed-race population is increasingly visible among the young. The 2000 census found that 41 percent of the mixed-race population was under 18.
And at least, many multiracial Americans say, they are no longer seen as oddities. Zaloom expects her 6-year-old daughter's and 4-year-old son's journeys to self-identity will be different from hers. At times while growing up, Zaloom recalled, she struggled with questions about not being white or attractive enough. She rebelled against Chinese language lessons, her mother's Chinese food and eating with chopsticks.
But when her daughter was born, she named her Mei Lan, like her maternal grandmother, to honor her Chinese roots. Her son was named Kyle in deference to her paternal Irish side. Her wish for them, she said, is that they realize the benefits outweigh whatever challenges come with a mixed identity, and "ultimately, to not have to check a box."
VIDEO-Being Multiracial in America

Hillary Campaign "In The Red"

Zax — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:33:00 EDT

Clinton's Campaign "In The Red"
The latest FEC reports appear to suggest that Hillary's campaign may be "in the red". My questiion is, if she cannot contol her campaign expenses, how will she handle the U.S. budget?
Clinton’s February F.E.C. Filings
By Michael Luo
Despite a strong month of fund-raising in February in which she brought in $35 million, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton finished the month essentially in the red, once her campaign’s outstanding debts are factored in, as well as her personal loan, according to filings submitted late last night to the Federal Election Commission.
After spending about $31 million in her efforts to keep up with Senator Barack Obama, Mrs. Clinton finished February with more than $33 million in cash on hand, but $21.5 million of that is earmarked exclusively for the general election, leaving her with $11.7 million for the primary.
Mrs. Clinton, however, loaned her campaign $5 million earlier this year and she listed $8.7 million in debts to various vendors, making clear why she has not yet paid herself back from her loan.
By way of comparison, Senator Barack Obama, her Democratic opponent, brought in $55 million in February, a record-setting sum, and spent about $43 million, leaving him with $31.6 million in cash on hand available for the primary and $7.3 million set aside for the general. He also did a much better job paying his bills, listing just $625,000 in outstanding deb

North Carolina's seven Democratic House members are poised to endorse Sen. Obama

Zax — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:48:07 EDT
New Backing for Obama As Party Seeks Unity
By JACKIE CALMES

WASHINGTON -- Slowly but steadily, a string of Democratic Party figures is taking Barack Obama's side in the presidential nominating race and raising the pressure on Hillary Clinton to give up.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is expected to endorse Sen. Obama Monday, according to a Democrat familiar with her plans. Meanwhile, North Carolina's seven Democratic House members are poised to endorse Sen. Obama as a group -- just one has so far -- before that state's May 6 primary, several Democrats say.
Helping to drive the endorsements is a fear that the Obama-Clinton contest has grown toxic and threatens the Democratic Party's chances against Republican John McCain in the fall.
Sen. Clinton rejects that view. Over the weekend, she reiterated her intent to stay in the race beyond the last contest in early June -- and all the way to the party's convention in Denver, if necessary.
"There are some folks saying we ought to stop these elections," she said Saturday in Indiana, which also has a May 6 primary. "I didn't think we believed that in America. I thought we of all people knew how important it was to give everyone a chance to have their voices heard and their votes counted."
Sen. Obama told reporters, "My attitude is that Sen. Clinton can run as long as she wants."
In earlier eras, the standoff between the two candidates might have been resolved by party elders acting behind the scenes. But no Democrat today has the power to knock heads and resolve the mess. Party Chairman Howard Dean says he was "dumbfounded" at the suggestion by Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy Friday that Sen. Clinton should pull out.
"Having run for president myself, nobody tells you when to get in, and nobody tells you when to get out," Mr. Dean said. "That's about the most personal decision you can make after all the time and effort you put into it."
New York Sen. Clinton still hopes that by turning in strong performances in the final primaries, she can blunt the momentum of her rival from Illinois and make the case that she is best-positioned to take on Sen. McCain. With Mr. Dean, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Vice President Al Gore and other party leaders remaining neutral, the question is whether the trend of party figures endorsing Sen. Obama will build enough momentum to tip the race.
The expected move by Minnesota's Sen. Klobuchar follows Friday's endorsement of Sen. Obama by Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, which holds its primary April 22.
Both senators had planned to remain neutral, according to party officials, but decided to weigh in as the Democrats' campaign became more negative and Sen. McCain was free to exploit the confusion looking to the November election.
One North Carolinian confirmed that at least several of the state's House members would go public in favor of Sen. Obama before long. Meanwhile, elected officials in other states with upcoming contests, including Indiana, Montana and Oregon, are weighing whether to endorse Sen. Obama.
What makes such endorsements significant is that they're from superdelegates. These delegates -- members of Congress, governors and other party officials -- can vote for whomever they want at the Democratic convention in August. Sen. Obama has a slight lead over Sen. Clinton in the pledged-delegate count -- the delegates won during primaries and caucuses -- but neither can amass enough pledged delegates for a majority. That makes the vote of the superdelegates decisive.
Since the "Super Tuesday" primaries on Feb. 5, Sen. Obama has won commitments from 64 superdelegates and Sen. Clinton has gotten nine. Sen. Obama has a total of 217 superdelegates in his camp while Sen. Clinton has 250, and her margin has been shrinking with each week. Sen. Clinton would have several more in her tally, but they're from Michigan, and delegates from Michigan and Florida won't be seated -- at least for now -- because both states defied party rules and held their primaries earlier than permitted.
"I think that says a lot about just where people are and what they're thinking," says former Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle, an Obama supporter. "And I think the numbers are just going to keep getting better" for Sen. Obama. Counting Sen. Klobuchar, Sen. Obama leads 13-11 among their Democratic colleagues in the Senate.
Even raising the prospect of a convention fight could backfire for Sen. Clinton by antagonizing the superdelegates she needs. Many superdelegates are on the ballot themselves this year, and the last thing they want is a chaotic convention that plays into the hands of Republicans.
In interviews, some House Democrats said Sen. Obama has the edge in the chamber. They noted that he has proved himself the stronger fund-raiser and has attracted more new voters to the party than anyone in recent memory -- both advantages that could benefit other Democrats. They worry that Sen. Clinton's high negative ratings in polls would incite more Republicans to mobilize against her and the Democratic ticket.
Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, a former presidential candidate and a past party chairman, told National Journal Friday that Sen. Obama's nomination is "a foregone conclusion" and "enough is enough." Sen. Dodd has endorsed Sen. Obama.
Mr. Dean, the party chairman, is urging uncommitted superdelegates to take sides no later than July 1, and effectively name the nominee. "If we go into the convention divided, it's pretty likely we'll come out of the convention divided," he said.
Democrats across the board, he said, "are haranguing me to show leadership." But they're often partisans for one candidate or the other, he added. Meanwhile, he said he is conferring with other party leaders, including Mrs. Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada; former Vice President Al Gore; civil-rights veteran and Clinton confidante Vernon Jordan; former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo; and Jesse Jackson and his son, Chicago Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
"Most of their advice is, 'Let this play out, let's get through the primaries,' " Mr. Dean said. "And I think that's right....Voters have to have their say. It's painful, because that means we've got another two months of this."
                           MORE ON ELECTIONS
• Complete Coverage: Campaign 2008
• Washington Wire: Updates from the campaign trail

Minn. Senator Endorses Obama

Zax — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:42:01 EDT

Posted by The Associated Press 9 hrs ago

Pledged Delegates 1414
Superdelegates 217
Total 1631`
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is picking up the endorsement of Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, giving him another superdelegate.
Klobuchar, a freshman Democrat, said in a statement provided to the Associated Press on Sunday night that Obama has "inspired an enthusiasm and idealism" that the country hasn’t seen in a long time.
She called Obama "a new kind of leader" who brings a new perspective and inspires excitement among Americans.
In a statement, Obama said he is grateful for Klobuchar’s support. According to the Obama campaign, Klobuchar is the 64th superdelegate to endorse him over rival Hillary Rodham Clinton since the Feb. 5th Super Tuesday contests.
Neither Democratic candidate is expected to be able to secure enough delegates to cement the presidential nomination before this summer’s national convention in Denver. As a result, the superdelegates — elected officials and party insiders — will probably determine whether Clinton or Obama gets the Democratic presidential nomination.
Klobuchar joins eight other Minnesota superdelegates who are supporting Obama: Reps. Jim Oberstar, Keith Ellison, Tim Walz, Betty McCollum and Democratic National Committee members Mee Moua, Ken Foxworth, Brian Melendez and Donna Cassutt.
Clinton has the backing of three Minnesota superdelegates: former Vice President Walter Mondale and DNC members Jackie Stevenson and Rick Stafford.
Two other Minnesota superdelegates remain uncommitted: DNC member Nancy Larson and Rep. Collin Peterson.
On Sunday, former President Bill Clinton was in California courting superdelegates. "He talked a little bit about letting the process play out," said Christine Pelosi, an undecided superdelegate from San Francisco who described Clinton as "very good, very intense." Pelosi is the daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Undecided superdelegates say they see no urgency to make up their minds, despite the campaigns’ pleas.
Bob Rankin, an uncommitted superdelegate from Carson, said he was still figuring out how to make up his mind.
Senator Amy Klobuchar

US ELECTION DIARY - THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT

funkfresh01 — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:07:56 EDT

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E4C51233-2D21-4FBB-85FD-7D7F5AF173D9.htm

By Rob Reynolds in Columbus, Ohio

On the road to clinching the Republican Party nomination for president, John McCain worked hard for the endorsement of influential Evangelical Christian ministers.

The ministers are helping shore up McCain's support on the party's right wing, which has always been skeptical about whether the Arizona senator is a true-blue conservative.

But one of those minister's beliefs about Islam and Muslims raise disturbing questions.

Rod Parsley, the pastor of a large and profitable Ohio mega-church, calls Islam a false religion. He says Allah is a demon spirit and that Muslims are bent on world conquest.

Parsley endorsed McCain in February, praising him as a "strong, true, consistent conservative".

Sharing a Cincinnati, Ohio, stage with Parsley, McCain said: "I am very honored today to have one of the truly great leaders in America, a moral compass, a spiritual guide, Pastor Rod Parsley. Thank you for your leadership and your guidance. I am very grateful you are here."

He certainly had reason for gratitude - a week later, Parsley's support helped McCain win the important Ohio primary.

Evangelist

Reverend Parsley, who often holds services in which people are supposedly cured of disease by divine intervention, runs the sprawling World Harvest church near Columbus, Ohio.

World Harvest has a 12,000 member congregation, a bible college, and a television studio, which broadcasts his sermons.

A frequent theme of those homilies is the threat to Christian values posed by gays, liberals, and Muslims.

In his book, Silent no More, Parsley says the United States was ordained by God to defeat Islam.

In one chapter, titled The Deception of Allah he writes: "I cannot tell you how important it is that we understand the true nature of Islam, that we see it for what it really is. In fact, I will tell you this: I do not believe our country can truly fulfil its divine purpose until we understand our historical conflict with Islam. I know that this statement sounds extreme, but I do not shrink from its implications. The fact is that America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed, and I believe September 11, 2001, was a generational call to arms that we can no longer ignore."

We asked Parsley for an interview, but through a church spokesman, he declined. We also sent him written questions, but he did not respond to those either.

Dividing communities

Abukar Arman, a Muslim community leader, says Parsley's remarks are threatening.

"It has a psychological toll on Muslims in central Ohio and beyond, that you are not part of the society that America was founded, in his words, to obliterate Islam," says Arman, president of the Central Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

McCain and other politicians should "distance themselves from the politics of hate and polarization", Arman said, noting that rhetoric that marginalizes American Muslims only contributes to poor relations between communities.

"In the grand scale of things," he says, "it hurts even the national security of this country because it fuels anti-Americanism."

Media interest

Interestingly enough, Parsley has been largely ignored by the US media, in sharp contrast to the intensive scrutiny given to sermons by Jeremiah Wright, Democrat Barack Obama's pastor.

Wright's homilies were widely criticized as unpatriotic and racially inflammatory, and have been replayed over and over on cable TV news channels.

Obama rejected Wright's remarks, but McCain has not denounced Parsley's comments about Islam, nor has he sought to distance himself from the minister.

In fact, some of McCain's campaign rhetoric virtually echoes Parsley's sermons. McCain, too, talks about a threat - although he focuses on extremism in Islam, not the religion as a whole.

"I'd like to talk to you for a minute about why I'm running, primarily," McCain told a Wisconsin rally on February 19.

"We face the transcendent challenge of the 21st century. That is the threat of radical Islamic extremism. My friends, I know you know that this is an evil of transcendent and unbelievable magnitude. You can see other times when our nation and our way of life were threatened, but this ranks among the greatest."

McCain's campaign told Al Jazeera that "... he [McCain] rejects politics that degrade our civics, and will be running a respectful campaign".

However, in seeking a path to the White House, it seems McCain is counting on the politics of fear and relying on a disturbingly belligerent spiritual guide.

Oklahoma Conference to Examine Islamic Perspective on Terrorism

funkfresh01 — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:42:03 EDT

(OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, 3/25/08) - On Saturday, April 5th, the Institute of Interfaith Dialog will host a day-long conference, "Denouncing Violence in the Name of God: The Case of Islam." Participants at the event will have an opportunity to hear Islamic scholars, academics, law enforcement officials, and journalists discuss the "Islamic perspectives on terror, especially terror that is associated with Islam."

WHAT: Institute of Interfaith Dialog's "Denouncing Violence in the Name of God: The Case of Islam"

WHEN: Saturday April 5, 2008, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Oklahoma City University, The Henry Freede Center (Southwest corner of 27th and Florida)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. Cherif Bassiouni - Professor of Law at DePaul University College of Law and President Emeritus of the International Human Rights Law Institute

ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS: Robert Pape - University of Chicago; Muhammad Abu Laylah - Al-Azhar University, Egypt; Fred Von Der Mehden - Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University; Greg Barton - Monash University, Australia; Dr. Robin Myers - Oklahoma City University; Ekrem Dumanli - Editor of Zaman newspaper, Turkey; John Coyle - Special Agent of FBI, Oklahoma; Andrew Tevington - Daily Oklahoman; and Dr. Imad Enchassi – Imam of Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City (ISGOC)

CONTACT: Orhan Kucukosman, Phone: (405) 426 5425, E-Mail: osmanokc@gmail.com

The conference is free of charge and open to the public. Lunch will be provided.

Orhan Kucukosman, from the Institute of Interfaith Dialog, stated the reason for holding the conference in Oklahoma: "In the early days of Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995, there were speculations on individuals associated with a religion who might be responsible for the bombing.

As the truth was revealed, the bombing had no connection with any religion, but was a consequence of mentally challenged personality."

Sponsors include Wimberly School of Religion at Oklahoma City University, OU Religious Studies, Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism Texas, Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City and Mainstream Baptists, and the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK).

For more information goto:

http://www.interfaithdialog.org/

Let Pelosi know we're behind her

AmyMcCabe — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:25:50 EDT
Let Nancy Pelosi know that we appreciate her position that the superdelegates should not overturn the pledged delegate outcome to decide the Democratic nomination:
http://pol.moveon.org/democracy/o.pl?id=12391-9093633-fcmX7A&t=273
The statement reads:"The Democratic nomination should be decided by the voters - not by superdelegates or party high-rollers. We've given money and time to progressive candidates and causes and we'll support Speaker Pelosi and others who stand up for Democracy in the Democratic Party."

The goal is to deliver tens of thousands of signatures to Pelosi and other Democratic leaders at the end of this week to let them know that the overwhelming grassroots support for a democratic Democratic primary process outweights any threats of a few manipulative big-time donors.

A group of 20 big-time Democratic donors who have each given Democrats an average of $2.4 million per year wrote a letter to Pelosi all but openly threatening to withdraw their support if she doesn't back down from her position on this primary. But they overlooked the fact that politics has changed - internet-based grassroots fundraising has raised more than $47 million for Clinton and Obama in just one month. We need to let Pelosi and other Democratic leaders know that we will stand up for leaders who say no to being bullied by a few wealthy contributors. A Daily Kos diarist analyzed who these donors are. Several were guests in the Lincoln Bedroom during the Clinton years, enjoyed special influence on issues ranging from Israel to the estate tax, and all clearly feel they own the party.

Barack Obama & the Politics of Division

Zax — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:06:23 EDT

A Spadecaller Editorial
http://www.freewebs.com/spadecaller/barackobama.htm
Spearheaded by mainstream media the corporate despots of American politics are waging a ruthless and devious war against the rise of a new leader who threatens to undermine their power and influence. And that leader appears to have already become the people’s favorite, the man with the peculiar name, Barack Obama.
Using their arsenal of weapons to destroy his reputation, the corporate rulers of K Street and the owners of mainstream media have sent out their troops to curtail the rising popularity of a true American, who dares to advocate the invocation of the principles outlined in our Constitution. Who is this energetic upstart who has come before us; who dares to resurrect these ideals that have been stowed away behind gilded doors? Does he actually believe that Americans should strive to "form a more perfect union"? In this age of cynicism, what kind of individual would ask his fellow Americans to heed such a call? There are many people especially in the media who are only too glad to provide their insalubrious descriptions of such a man.
Unnerved by this spirited newcomer, the corporate elitists who control mainstream media and who are the benefactors of that infamous crowd of spoilers that have come to be more widely known as Washington insiders and superdelegates, have discharged their front line troops to destroy the reputation and growing popularity of Barack Obama. While CNN, Fox, and the other major networks repeatedly flash ugly images of Obama’s former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, their media’s lackeys make sure to keep the focus off the issues that matter most to the American people. The isolated and overemphasized incendiary comments of Reverend Jeremiah Wright do not stack up against the continuous and malicious assaults generated by Fox’s Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, or Clear Channel’s Rush Limbaugh, and even the seemingly innocuous drone of CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Lou Dobbs. They are only the fingers of an insidious and inconspicuous goliath that is responsible for painting a distorted portrait of the Democratic candidate.
Continual snapshots of Barack Obama dressed in African robes inundate the airwaves. Politicians who travel to foreign nations may often put on the traditional dress of those countries. Yet, when a picture of Barack Obama wearing the Somali ceremonial garb is given to the media, it becomes a source of absurd propaganda, and suddenly the mainstream Christian patriot is accused of being a radical Muslim. When Minister Louis Farrakhan simply praised Obama when speaking to his members of the Nation of Islam at an annual convention in Chicago, the anti-Semitic remarks from Farrakhan’s past were immediately dredged up for the bottom feeders to tag onto Obama. This devious ploy to alienate the Jewish vote from the Obama campaign was just one more swipe to divide up the voters and to weaken a candidate that is challenging the presiding power structure.
Has Hillary Clinton’s cunning attempts to derail Obama’s rising popularity gone beyond the ethical standards that Americans will tolerate? How will the voters view the former first lady, who had often criticized Republicans, the Bush administration, and Carl Rove for using the same smear tactics that she has employed against Senator Barack Obama? Neglecting her primary responsibility to protecting her own party, she has selfishly resorted to a barrage of sinister attacks that are detrimental to the Democratic Party and its chances of winning the presidential election this November.
The quest for power and control of the White House has become a clear reflection of the ugly divisiveness characterized by the politics of destruction. The manipulation of voters by exploiting racial bias, gender favoritism, and class warfare has reached a shameful plateau. Is Barack Obama right; can a candidate who is under assault by these kinds of allegations still deliver the message of unity and hope that Americans need in order to deal with the serious challenges that this nation must confront?
The politics of division first swallowed up George W. Bush, who had promised the American people that he would be a "uniter" -- not a divider. Were his intentions sincere or did he succumb to other forces? And now the former first lady, Hillary Clinton, and her husband have joined in the foul quagmire that the politics of division creates. The former president from Hope Arkansas, Bill Clinton, who had once beseeched the electorate to choose hope over fear now tells Americans to fear Barack Obama -- that his message of hope and change will not protect the nation from terrorism.
With the looming possibility of two dynasties coming to an end after 16 years, the Clintons and the Bushes have become mirror images of the culture of corruption. On some level, most Americans know this; but will their votes be reflected? Will the politics of division and the foot soldiers of the corporate autocracy have their way once again?
It is indeed astounding; the nerve of such a man with a name like Barack Obama to challenge a divided nation that has grown accustomed to corruption, political bribery, and war profiteering. Is it not clear that Obama‘s attempt to unite Americans to their most cherished and shared goals has marked him a target by corporate tyrants?
Who is he to remind Americans that we have long forgotten the vision and the hope that inspired our founders to assemble in Philadelphia in order to form a more perfect union? Is that a message that can be carried by man who is too black for some and too white for others? Is that a message any man could deliver today? Who is this man that dares to remind us of the vision that once compelled the crafters of our constitution to gather in Philadelphia in 1787? Who is this brown-skinned Senator from Illinois with a funny name, who urges his fellow Americans to embrace the principles of our constitution, to rise above the politics of division, to confront the bitterness of racism, to see past the shortsightedness of partisanship, and to reject the despair created by cynicism? Who is he?
His name is Barack Obama. He’s an American who loves his country and is running to become the next president of the United States

The full story behind Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s 9/11 sermon

Zax — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:21:53 EDT
Posted: 10:09 AM ET
Editor’s note: CNN Contributor Roland Martin has listened to several of the sermons of Rev. Jeremiah Wright from Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Portions of the sermons have been excerpted in recent stories.
As this whole sordid episode regarding the sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has played out over the last week, I wanted to understand what he ACTUALLY said in this speech. I’ve been saying all week on CNN that context is important, and I just wanted to know what the heck is going on.
I have now actually listened to the sermon Rev. Wright gave after September 11 titled, “The Day of Jerusalem’s Fall.” It was delivered on Sept. 16, 2001.

One of the most controversial statements in this sermon was when he mentioned “chickens coming home to roost.” He was actually quoting Edward Peck, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and deputy director of President Reagan’s terrorism task force, who was speaking on FOX News. That’s what he told the congregation.
He was quoting Peck as saying that America’s foreign policy has put the nation in peril:
“I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday did anybody else see or hear him? He was on FOX News, this is a white man, and he was upsetting the FOX News commentators to no end, he pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, he pointed out that what Malcolm X said when he was silenced by Elijah Mohammad was in fact true, he said Americas chickens, are coming home to roost.”
“We took this country by terror away from the Sioux, the Apache, Arikara, the Comanche, the Arapaho, the Navajo. Terrorism.
“We took Africans away from their country to build our way of ease and kept them enslaved and living in fear. Terrorism.
“We bombed Grenada and killed innocent civilians, babies, non-military personnel.
“We bombed the black civilian community of Panama with stealth bombers and killed unarmed teenage and toddlers, pregnant mothers and hard working fathers.
“We bombed Qaddafi’s home, and killed his child. Blessed are they who bash your children’s head against the rock.
“We bombed Iraq. We killed unarmed civilians trying to make a living. We bombed a plant in Sudan to pay back for the attack on our embassy, killed hundreds of hard working people, mothers and fathers who left home to go that day not knowing that they’d never get back home.
“We bombed Hiroshima. We bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted an eye.
“Kids playing in the playground. Mothers picking up children after school. Civilians, not soldiers, people just trying to make it day by day.
“We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff that we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.
“Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. And terrorism begets terrorism. A white ambassador said that y’all, not a black militant. Not a reverend who preaches about racism. An ambassador whose eyes are wide open and who is trying to get us to wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice upon which we are now poised. The ambassador said the people we have wounded don’t have the military capability we have. But they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with them. And we need to come to grips with that.”
He went on to describe seeing the photos of the aftermath of 9/11 because he was in Newark, N.J., when the planes struck. After turning on the TV and seeing the second plane slam into one of the twin towers, he spoke passionately about what if you never got a chance to say hello to your family again.
“What is the state of your family?” he asked.
And then he told his congregation that he loved them and asked the church to tell each other they loved themselves.
His sermon thesis:
1. This is a time for self-examination of ourselves and our families.
2. This is a time for social transformation (then he went on to say they won’t put me on PBS or national cable for what I’m about to say. Talk about prophetic!)
“We have got to change the way we have been doing things as a society,” he said.
Wright then said we can’t stop messing over people and thinking they can’t touch us. He said we may need to declare war on racism, injustice, and greed, instead of war on other countries.
“Maybe we need to declare war on AIDS. In five minutes the Congress found $40 billion to rebuild New York and the families that died in sudden death, do you think we can find the money to make medicine available for people who are dying a slow death? Maybe we need to declare war on the nation’s healthcare system that leaves the nation’s poor with no health coverage? Maybe we need to declare war on the mishandled educational system and provide quality education for everybody, every citizen, based on their ability to learn, not their ability to pay. This is a time for social transformation.”
3. This is time to tell God thank you for all that he has provided and that he gave him and others another chance to do His will.
By the way, nowhere in this sermon did he said “God damn America.” I’m not sure which sermon that came from.
This doesn’t explain anything away, nor does it absolve Wright of using the N-word, but what it does do is add an accurate perspective to this conversation.
The point that I have always made as a journalist is that our job is to seek the truth, and not the partial truth.
I am also listening to the other sermons delivered by Rev. Wright that have been the subject of controversy.
And let me be clear: Where I believe he was wrong and not justified in what he said based upon the facts, I will say so. But where the facts support his argument, that will also be said.
So stay tuned.
- Roland S. Martin, CNN Contributor www.rolandsmartin.com
Here's the link to the audio:
http://odeo.com/show/17889043/4/download/Rev.JeremiahWrightsControversial911Sermon.mp3
Here's the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOdlnzkeoyQ
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/21/the-full-story-behind-rev-jeremiah-wrights-911-sermon/

We Won't Be Distracted. Not This Time!

Loulair — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:20:48 EDT

If Barack Obama can stay above political mudslinging when he's under attack, we, the voters can promise not to be distracted from the issues that really matter as well.

Tell the media that you're focused on the real difficulties facing our nation. Because you're sick of hypocritical political mudslinging that serves to divide our country and divert us from discussing the significant and very real problems that affect us every day.

Sign this petition because you're inspired by Obama's More Perfect Union speech -- it reminds us of what matters most to this country and the changes we desperately need. Health care, jobs heading overseas, global warming, a crashing economy, collapsing schools, and a never-ending war. These are things that matter to all of us whether we vote for Obama, Clinton, or McCain.

Last time we were distracted from the issues that matter to us we got George W. Bush and a trillion dollar war. Sign to tell the media and the world, "We won't be distracted. Not this time!"
         http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/we-wont-be-distracted-not-this-time
         Target: Fox News, CNN

Source:Hilary Stamper (sponsor)

US deaths in Iraq approach 4,000

funkfresh01 — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:40:48 EDT

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080322/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb killed three American soldiers north of Baghdad on Saturday, pushing the U.S. death toll in the five-year conflict to nearly 4,000.

Also Saturday, Iraqi authorities reported that a U.S. airstrike north of the capital killed six members of a U.S.-backed Sunni group — straining relations with America's new allies in the fight against al-Qaida.

Two Iraqi civilians also died in the roadside bombing, which occurred as the Americans were patrolling an area northwest of the capital, the U.S. military said in a statement.

Two of the soldiers were killed in the blast and the third died of wounds, the statement said. The soldiers were assigned to Multinational Division-Baghdad, the statement said, but gave no further details.

The latest deaths brought to 3,996 the number of U.S. service members and Pentagon civilians who have died since the war began on March 20, 2003, according to an Associated Press count. Rocket or mortar fire killed one U.S. soldier and wounded four others Friday south of Baghdad, the military said.

Army Vet Speaks Against Mistreatment of Guantanamo Bay Detainees

funkfresh01 — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:52:54 EDT
http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2008/03/21/University/Army-Vet.Speaks.Against.Mistreatment.Of.Detainees-3278241.shtml

Author: Lee Ann Holman

James Yee went from being a decorated U.S. Army soldier serving in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to being accused of espionage, spying and aiding the facility's detainees.

He spoke to students about his experiences Thursday night at the UT Law School Auditorium.

When returning to the U.S. for vacation after serving 10 months as chaplain, Yee was arrested in secret and accused of having classified documents in his backpack. While being transferred to prison Yee was subject to sensory deprivation, a torture tactic. He was held in solitary confinement for 76 days without being charged.

He was exonerated and honorably discharged after deciding to quit the army.

Yee converted to Islam shortly after graduating from West Point. He said it was a way to solidify his monotheistic faith in one God. Yee was hand-picked to serve as a Muslim minister to facility detainees.

While ministering detainees, Yee said he advised commanders on proper religious practices. He made suggestions on treatment of the detainees and spoke out against soldiers violating prisoners' human rights. Yee said that though he never participated in interrogation tactics, he counseled prisoners on their treatment.

Yee said he witnessed the desecration of the Quran. Prisoners also spoke of sexual harassment by female interferometers and being put in a pentagram while being forced to renounce Allah.

This treatment will not win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world, he said.

"People in the military have a gross lack of misunderstanding of the Muslim culture, which is counterproductive," Yee said.

Kristine Huskey, a clinical law professor, has been representing Guantanamo detainees since 2002. She said she believes any new presidential administration will shut down Guantanamo Bay, because it is not helping the U.S. fight terrorism and is breeding more people who hate America.

Muslim Leader Has Opposed War

funkfresh01 — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:31:54 EDT
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/localnews/columnists/sblow/stories/032008dnmetblowcolumn.6a03f9a.html

Author: Steve Blow

We first sat and talked in those numb days right after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.We mourned together, and Mohamed Elmougy helped me understand a little more about what had befallen us.

I returned several times over the years to visit with the local Muslim community leader. And this week's fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq seemed a good time to once again glimpse the world through his eyes.

Mohamed, 49, owns the Pyramids Hotel in Allen. He's Egyptian by birth and American by choice.

He opposed the war from the start. "You will remember that I said getting out won't be nearly as easy as going in," he said.

I remembered, particularly since I had bought the argument that Iraqis would welcome us.

"We were fools to think we were going to be seen as liberators," Mohamed said. "We are seen as occupiers, and we always will be."

Mohamed agreed that Saddam Hussein needed to go but says he should have been captured in a surgical strike and put on trial in an international court, like Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic.

Of course, hindsight is of little help at this point. I was most eager to hear his thoughts on what we should do now. And since the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates offer such divergent strategies, I asked the question in that context.

"Six months ago I had every intention of voting for John McCain," he said. "I felt he was very sincere, that he was speaking his mind, and I respected him as someone who really understands war.

"But after seeing how he has changed his tone to cater to the evangelical right, I just can't support him anymore. It would just be more of the same," he said.

He believes Hillary Rodham Clinton would be seen overseas as simply the return of the Bill Clinton administration, with whatever lingering baggage that involves.

After 5 Years, the Tragedy Continues

funkfresh01 — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:29:49 EDT
http://www.masnet.org/views.asp?id=4959

From the Desk of Ibrahim-Abdil-Mu'id Ramey, MAS Freedom Civil and Human Rights Directo

WASHINGTON, D.C. (MASNET) March 18, 2008 — The conundrum of American primary politics, American Idol worship, and the fall from grace of the former Governor of New York, may have shifted the market-based media focus from the story, but for those who may otherwise be unaware, March 19, 2008 marks the fifth anniversary of the most recent U.S. invasion of Iraq - yet another tragic date in U.S. history that will live in infamy.

What, exactly, has been the cost of the U.S. adventure in Iraq? We are now careening to the number of 4,000 American combat deaths and 40,000 seriously wounded troops. Many of the wounded have been abandoned by their government to a fate of permanent disability and mental distress from the psychological wounds of combat. But this number is dwarfed by the devastation suffered by the Iraqis themselves: 650,000 to one million dead; 400,000 persons displaced from their homes; and the bitter reality of a raging sectarian civil war that has left the nation terrorized and divided.

The recent U.S. troop "surge" has been a useful diversion for the proponents of the war, who now claim some hollow "victory" because of ephemeral military gains in the combat operations against Al-Qaeda and other assorted armed insurgents. But the fundamental contradictions and divisions in the country remain. And Iraq, for all the horrors of it's own history of dictatorship and war, is a far more dangerous and oppressive place that it was under the rule of Saddam.

In the meanwhile, the Iraq war has not only divided U.S. citizens, it has also consolidated world opinion against this nation in a way that no one could have anticipated five years ago. Blatant torture of Iraqi captives, attacks on the civil liberties of Muslim individuals, institutions, and charities in America, and countless violations of both domestic and international law have become the hallmark of the arrogant and recalcitrant regime in Washington that continues the prosecution of the war.

But the conflict in Iraq has also resulted in countless casualties at home, measured in increased domestic violence, family disintegration, alcoholism, and drug abuse suffered by returning U.S. combatants.

War, in every case, results in the massive transfer of wealth from one social class to another. The war in Iraq is no different.

But what is different is the reality of the naked ambition of the global energy and arms oligarchies that have feasted on the $1.2 trillion dollars spent by American taxpayers on the war to date. This violence continues, despite the deepening economic crisis in the nation and the devastation of the national social infrastructure.

In Washington, DC, activists from 40 states plan to gather to mark this tragic anniversary, and in some cases, to engage in non-violent direct action in opposition of the war in Iraq. We must continue to press for the demand to end the war, even if the Democratic Congress lacks the will to oppose the Bush regime's war machine.

The popular tide of resistance to the war will—and must—continue, until the war is ended, and the massive damage to both the United States and to the people of Iraq is fully repaired.

For more information about upcoming events and gatherings, please visit:

www.5YearsTooMany.org

New Mexico Governor Richardson Endorses Obama

Zax — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:44:06 EDT

Posted: Friday, March 21, 2008 1:39 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: 2008 , Obama , Richardson
                                                         Richardson: 'He appealed to the best in us'
From NBC's Mark Murray
In his remarks today, Bill Richardson specifically cited Obama's speech on race Tuesday as a reason for his endorsement.
"Earlier this week, an extraordinary American gave a historic speech. Senator Barack Obama addressed the issue of race with the eloquence and sincerity and decency and optimism we have come to expect of him," he said, according to his prepared remarks. "He did not seek to evade tough issues or to soothe us with comforting half-truths. Rather, he inspired us by reminding us of the awesome potential residing in our own responsibility."
Richardson continued, "Senator Obama could have given a safer speech. He is, after all, well ahead in the delegate count for our party's nomination. He could have just waited for the controversy over the deplorable remarks of Reverend Wright to subside, as it surely would have. Instead, Senator Obama showed us once again what kind of leader he is. He spoke to us as adults... He appealed to the best in us."
"As a Hispanic, I was particularly touched by his words. I have been troubled by the demonization of immigrants--specifically Hispanics-- by too many in this country... Senator Obama has started a discussion in this country long overdue and rejects the politics of pitting race against race."
Governor Richardson's Prepared Remarks
Barack Obama Rally Speech
Portland, Oregon
Friday, March 21, 2008
My friends,
Earlier this week, an extraordinary American gave a historic speech.
Senator Barack Obama addressed the issue of race with the eloquence and sincerity and decency and optimism we have come to expect of him.
He did not seek to evade tough issues or to soothe us with comforting half-truths.
Rather, he inspired us by reminding us of the awesome potential residing in our own responsibility.
Senator Obama could have given a safer speech.
He is, after all, well ahead in the delegate count for our party's nomination.
He could have just waited for the controversy over the deplorable remarks of Reverend Wright to subside, as it surely would have.
Instead, Senator Obama showed us once again what kind of leader he is.
He spoke to us as adults.
He asked us to ponder the weight of our racially-divided past, to rise above it, and to seize the opportunity to carry forward the work of many patriots of all races, who struggled and died to bring us together.
Senator Obama reminded us that cynicism is not realism, and that hope is not folly.
He called upon us not just to dream about a less racially-divided America, but also to do the hard work needed to build such an America.
He asked every American to see the reality and the pain of other Americans, so that together we can rise above that which has divided us.
He appealed to the best in us.
As a Hispanic, I was particularly touched by his words.
I have been troubled by the demonization of immigrants--specifically Hispanics-- by too many in this country.
Hate crimes against Hispanics are rising as a direct result and now, in tough economic times, people look for scapegoats and I fear that people will continue to exploit our racial differences-and place blame on others not like them.
We all know the real culprit -- the disastrous economic policies of the Bush Administration!
Senator Obama has started a discussion in this country long overdue and rejects the politics of pitting race against race.
He understands clearly that only by bringing people together, only by bridging our differences can we all succeed together as Americans.
His words are those of a courageous, thoughtful and inspiring leader, who understands that a house divided against itself cannot stand.
And, after 8 years of George W. Bush, we will desperately need such a leader.
Our national security and our global standing have been gravely damaged by the divisive partisanship of recent years.
We need a President who can bring us together as a nation so that we can face urgent global challenges and repair the damage done in the last 7 years.
Barack Obama will make the historic and vital investments into renewable energy, to help create clean energy jobs and fight global warming.
Barack knows that the safety and future of every American child requires that we restore our shared sense of national purpose, so that we can then set about the hard work of rebuilding our alliances and rehabilitating our image in a dangerous world.
By uniting our nation, we can reverse America's global decline.
We need a realistic, principled, and bipartisan foreign policy again.
We must restore our international reputation, our influence and our capacity to lead others.
America must become the beacon for the world again.
We need a foreign policy based upon American ideals, and not upon the mere ideology of a President.
A foreign policy of diplomacy and respect for international human rights.
We prospered and prevailed in the Cold War because both our friends and our enemies knew that containment of the Soviet Union and the promotion of democratic values was not a Democratic or a Republican policy - it was an American policy--the very essence of what America was.
Senator Obama understands the importance of realism, principle, and bipartisanship in foreign policy.
He opposed the Iraq war from the beginning because he knew that, despite what the Administration claimed, this war would not be easy.
He also opposed the war because he saw President Bush's rush to employ military force, and to do so without the support of most of our allies, as dangerous and unwarranted.
And he saw the war also for what it so quickly became - a terrible source of partisan political division -- and a catastrophic distraction from the war that had united us against the real threat posed by Al Qaeda.
Now, I trust him to do what is so long overdue-End the Iraq war and bring our troops home!!
I know Senator Obama well.
I first got to know him when I chaired the last Democratic National Convention, where he gave that wonderful keynote address.
And then, last year, as we campaigned against each other for the Presidency, I came to fully appreciate his steadfast patriotism and remarkable talents.
I also felt a kinship with him because we both had one foreign-born parent and we both lived abroad as children.
In part because of these experiences, Barack and I share a deep sense of our nation's special responsibilities in the world.
[Turn toward Obama and smile]
Barack Obama, you are an extraordinary leader who has shown courage, sound judgment and wisdom throughout your career.
You understand the security challenges of the 21st century, and you will be an outstanding Commander in Chief.
Above all, you will be a President who brings this nation together and restores American global leadership.
You will make every American proud to be an American, and I am very proud indeed to endorse your candidacy.
Before concluding my remarks, I would like to say that we are blessed to have two great American leaders and great Democrats running for President.
My great affection and admiration for Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver.
It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the Fall.
The 1990's were a decade of peace and prosperity because of the competent and enlightened leadership of the Clinton administration, but it is now time for a new generation of leadership to lead America forward.
Barack Obama will be a historic and a great President, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad.
I know that all Democrats will work tirelessly to get him elected.
It is my distinct honor and privilege to introduce to you the next President of the United States, my friend, Barack Obama.

VIDEO: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson endorses Barack Obama for president before an enthusiastic crowd in Portland, Ore.

Delegate Total*1,622
Pledged: 1,413
Superdelegates: 209
Superdelegate Endorsement List
Superdelegates that have officially endorsed a candidate Superdelegates who have not endorsed
Superdelegates by Position
Ultimate Delegate Tracker

The Re-Branding of America

Zax — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:15:58 EDT

Andrew Sullivan 24 Apr 2007 10:43 am
The interest in the candidacy of Barack Obama is at fever-pitch for a reason. The United States confronts a crisis in leadership, a paralysis not seen since the waning days of Jimmy Carter. Then the paralysis stemmed from almost pathological passivity; now it springs from almost pathological reliance on violence without order to impose values that can only be chosen. It is long past time to retire the idea that physical force alone - from bombs and bullets to torture - can solve the crisis of global Islamist terror, an ominously shifting climate, and the collapse of America's moral standing in the world. Neither extreme of Carter-style passivity nor Bush-style aggression works; neither reflects the core character of America. And yet America remains the indispensable nation. Without America's force, moral leadership, engagement and diplomacy, evil will win, as it is winning in Iraq and in so many places right now. The president, moreover, is partly responsible for the enemy's success. He has divided a country when it desperately needs uniting; he has misused military power; he has permanently stained the moral tradition of this country by the indelible evil of torture. And in all this, he has made the United States far weaker than it was seven years ago. We can and should debate how this came to be the case - whether tragedy or accident or deceit or incompetence or arrogance or some hideous, toxic combination of them all. But the first thing we have to acknowledge in looking for a new leader is the bankruptcy of the current one.
Obama's speech yesterday is his most detailed yet on foreign affairs. Read it. It is emphatically not isolationist; it is emphatically not against the use of military force when necessary; it is emphatically pro-military in its call for many more troops. On the critical issue of Iraq, Obama has taken a stand - a clear one for withdrawal, with the possibility of a strike-force over the horizon. This is a very difficult call, and the timing and execution of withdrawal will be dispositive. But one core strength of Obama's candidacy is that he got this war right when many of us got it wrong. He deserves more of a listening than many of us do. If his speech yesterday was any indication, there will be much to chew on. I'm sorry to see no commitment to a carbon tax; I'm unsure of whether diplomacy can or will work with Pyongyang and Tehran. We will all have to listen and watch Obama closely these next few months in weighing his candidacy against others'.
But this much we can already say: Obama brings something no one else does to this moment. By replacing one of the most globally despised and domestically divisive presidents in American history with a young leader half-Kansan and half-Kenyan, America would be saying something to the world: Bush-Cheney is not who we are. America is not what it has come to appear to be. This country is among the most culturally and racially and religiously diverse on the planet. America has long been a powerful and vital beacon for human rights - not, as recently, the avatar of torture, rendition and executive tyranny. The simple existence of Obama as a new president in a new century would in itself enhance America's soft power immeasurably, just as a clear decision to leave Iraq would provide much greater leverage for diplomacy and military force in a whole variety of new ways. Obama would mean the rebranding of America, after a disastrous eight years. His international heritage, his racial journey, his middle name: these are assets for this country, not liabilities.
This is the reason for his ascendancy. This is what the American people sense and the world awaits. This is what the Islamists fear. That last alone is reason to feel hope. Money quote:
We must [lead] not in the spirit of a patron, but the spirit of a partner – a partner that is mindful of its own imperfections. Extending an outstretched hand to these states must ultimately be more than just a matter of expedience or even charity. It must be about recognizing the inherent equality and worth of all people. And it’s about showing the world that America stands for something – that we can still lead...
[I]f the next President can restore the American people's trust – if they know that he or she is acting with their best interests at heart, with prudence and wisdom and some measure of humility – then I believe the American people will be ready to see America lead again.

They will be ready to show the world that we are not a country that ships prisoners in the dead of night to be tortured in far off countries. That we are not a country that runs prisons which lock people away without ever telling them why they are there or what they are charged with. That we are not a country which preaches compassion and justice to others while we allow bodies to float down the streets of a major American city.

That is not who we are.

Hillary's Nasty Pastorate

Zax — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:47:51 EDT
article | posted March 19, 2008 (web only)
Barbara Ehrenreich

There's a reason Hillary Clinton has remained relatively silent during the flap over intemperate remarks by Barack Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. When it comes to unsavory religious affiliations, she's a lot more vulnerable than Obama.
You can find all about it in a widely under-read article in the September 2007 issue of Mother Jones, in which Kathryn Joyce and Jeff Sharlet reported that "through all of her years in Washington, Clinton has been an active participant in conservative Bible study and prayer circles that are part of a secretive Capitol Hill group known as "The "Fellowship," also known as The Family. But it won't be a secret much longer. Jeff Sharlet's shocking exposé The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power will be published in May.
Sean Hannity has called Obama's church a "cult," but that term applies far more aptly to Clinton's "Family," which is organized into "cells"--their term--and operates sex-segregated group homes for young people in northern Virginia. In 2002, Sharlet joined The Family's home for young men, forswearing sex, drugs and alcohol, and participating in endless discussions of Jesus and power. He wasn't undercover; he used his own name and admitted to being a writer. But he wasn't completely out of danger either. When he went outdoors one night to make a cell phone call, he was followed. He still gets calls from Family associates asking him to meet them in diners--alone.
The Family's most visible activity is its blandly innocuous National Prayer Breakfast, held every February in Washington. But almost all its real work goes on behind the scenes--knitting together international networks of right-wing leaders, most of them ostensibly Christian. In the 1940s, The Family reached out to former and not-so-former Nazis, and its fascination with that exemplary leader, Adolf Hitler, has continued, along with ties to a whole bestiary of murderous thugs. As Sharlet reported in Harper's in 2003:
During the 1960s the Family forged relationships between the U.S. government and some of the most anti-Communist (and dictatorial) elements within Africa's postcolonial leadership. The Brazilian dictator General Costa e Silva, with Family support, was overseeing regular fellowship groups for Latin American leaders, while, in Indonesia, General Suharto (whose tally of several hundred thousand "Communists" killed marks him as one of the century's most murderous dictators) was presiding over a group of fifty Indonesian legislators. During the Reagan Administration the Family helped build friendships between the U.S. government and men such as Salvadoran general Carlos Eugenios Vides Casanova, convicted by a Florida jury of the torture of thousands, and Honduran general Gustavo Alvarez Martinez, himself an evangelical minister, who was linked to both the CIA and death squads before his own demise.
At the heart of The Family's American branch is a collection of powerful right-wing politicos, who include, or have included, Sam Brownback, Ed Meese, John Ashcroft, James Inhofe and Rick Santorum. They get to use The Family's spacious estate on the Potomac, The Cedars, which is maintained by young men in Family group homes and where meals are served by The Family's young women's group. And, at The Family's frequent prayer gatherings, they get powerful jolts of spiritual refreshment, tailored to the already powerful.
Clinton fell in with The Family in 1993, when she joined a Bible study group composed of wives of conservative leaders like Jack Kemp and James Baker. When she ascended to the Senate, she was promoted to what Sharlet calls the Family's "most elite cell," the weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast, which included, until his downfall, Virginia's notoriously racist Senator George Allen. This has not been a casual connection for Clinton. She has written of Doug Coe, The Family's publicity-averse leader, that he is "a unique presence in Washington: a genuinely loving spiritual mentor and guide to anyone, regardless of party or faith, who wants to deepen his or her relationship with God."
Furthermore, The Family takes credit for some of Clinton's rightward legislative tendencies, including her support for a law guaranteeing "religious freedom" in the workplace, such as for pharmacists who refuse to fill birth control prescriptions and police officers who refuse to guard abortion clinics.
What drew Clinton into the sinister heart of the international right? Maybe it was just a phase in her tormented search for identity, marked by ever-changing hairstyles and names: Hillary Rodham, Mrs. Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton and now Hillary Clinton. She reached out to many potential spiritual mentors during her White House days, including New Age guru Marianne Williamson and the liberal rabbi Michael Lerner. But it was the Family association that stuck.
Sharlet generously attributes Clinton's involvement to the under-appreciated depth of her religiosity, but he himself struggles to define The Family's theological underpinnings. The Family avoids the word Christian but worships Jesus, though not the Jesus who promised the earth to the "meek." They believe that, in mass societies, it's only the elites who matter, the political leaders who can build God's "dominion" on earth. Insofar as The Family has a consistent philosophy, it's all about power--cultivating it, building it and networking it together into ever-stronger units, or "cells." "We work with power where we can," Doug Coe has said, and "build new power where we can't."
Obama has given a beautiful speech on race and his affiliation with the Trinity United Church of Christ. Now it's up to Clinton to explain--or, better yet, renounce--her long-standing connection with the fascist-leaning Family.

What Kind of Prophet? Reflections on the Rhetoric of Preaching

Zax — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:13:34 EDT
The Rev. John H. Thomas General Minister and President United Church of Christ
Responding to Wright controvery
The Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, released the following statement on March 17 on the rhetoric of preaching, in light of recent news coverage of Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., and Chicago's Trinity UCC.
                                                                                      What Kind of Prophet?

Reflections on the Rhetoric of Preaching
in Light of Recent News Coverage of Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.
and Trinity United Church of Christ
The Rev. John H. Thomas
General Minister and President

United Church of ChristOver the weekend members of our church and others have been subjected to the relentless airing of two or three brief video clips of sermons by the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ for thirty-six years and, for over half of those years, pastor of Senator Barack Obama and his family. These video clips, and news stories about them, have been served up with frenzied and heated commentary by media personalities expressing shock that such language and sentiments could be uttered from the pulpit.
One is tempted to ask whether these commentators ever listen to the overcharged rhetoric of their own opinion shows. Even more to the point is to wonder whether they have a working knowledge of the history of preaching in the United States from the unrelentingly grim language of New England election day sermons to the fiery rhetoric of the Black church prophetic tradition. Maybe they prefer the false prophets with their happy homilies in Jeremiah who say to the people: "You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you true peace in this place." To which God responds, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name; I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. . . . By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed," (Jeremiah 14.14-15). The Biblical Jeremiah was coarse and provocative. Faithfulness, not respectability was the order of the day then. And now?
What's really going on here? First, it may state the obvious to point out that these television and radio shows have very little interest in Trinity Church or Jeremiah Wright. Those who sifted through hours of sermons searching for a few lurid phrases and those who have aired them repeatedly have only one intention. It is to wound a presidential candidate. In the process a congregation that does exceptional ministry and a pastor who has given his life to shape those ministries is caricatured and demonized. You don't have to be an Obama supporter to be alarmed at this. Will Clinton's United Methodist Church be next? Or McCain's Episcopal Church? Wouldn't we have been just as alarmed had it been Huckabee's Southern Baptist Church, or Romney's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?
Many of us would prefer to avoid the stark and startling language Pastor Wright used in these clips. But what was his real crime? He is condemned for using a mild "obscenity" in reference to the United States. This week we mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, a war conceived in deception and prosecuted in foolish arrogance. Nearly four thousand cherished Americans have been killed, countless more wounded, and tens of thousands of Iraqis slaughtered. Where is the real obscenity here? True patriotism requires a degree of self-criticism, even self-judgment that may not always be easy or genteel. Pastor Wright's judgment may be starker and more sweeping than many of us are prepared to accept. But is the soul of our nation served any better by the polite prayers and gentle admonitions that have gone without a real hearing for these five years while the dying and destruction continues?
We might like to think that racism is a thing of the past, that Martin Luther King's harmonious multi-racial vision, articulated in his speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 and then struck down by an assassin's bullet in Memphis in 1968, has somehow been resurrected and now reigns throughout the land. Significant progress has been made. A black man is a legitimate candidate for President of the United States. A black woman serves as Secretary of State. The accomplishments are profound. But on the gritty streets of Chicago's south side where Trinity has planted itself, race continues to play favorites in failing urban school systems, unresponsive health care systems, crumbling infrastructure, and meager economic development. Are we to pretend all is well because much is, in fact, better than it used to be? Is it racist to name the racial divides that continue to afflict our nation, and to do so loudly? How ironic that a pastor and congregation which, for forty-five years, has cast its lot with a predominantly white denomination, participating fully in its wider church life and contributing generously to it, would be accused of racial exclusion and a failure to reach for racial reconciliation.
The gospel narrative of Palm Sunday's entrance into Jerusalem concludes with the overturning of the money changers' tables in the Temple courtyard. Here wealth and power and greed were challenged for the way the poor were oppressed to the point of exclusion from a share in the religious practices of the Temple. Today we watch as the gap between the obscenely wealthy and the obscenely poor widens. More and more of our neighbors are relegated to minimal health care or to no health care at all. Foreclosures destroy families while unscrupulous lenders seek bailouts from regulators who turned a blind eye to the impending crisis. Should the preacher today respond to this with only a whisper and a sigh?
Is Pastor Wright to be ridiculed and condemned for refusing to play the court prophet, blessing land and sovereign while pledging allegiance to our preoccupation with wealth and our fascination with weapons? In the United Church of Christ we honor diversity. For nearly four centuries we have respected dissent and have struggled to maintain the freedom of the pulpit. Not every pastor in the United Church of Christ will want to share Pastor Wright's rhetoric or his politics. Not every member will rise to shout "Amen!" But I trust we will all struggle in our own way to resist the lure of respectable religion that seeks to displace evangelical faith. For what this nation needs is not so much polite piety as the rough and radical word of the prophet calling us to repentance. And, as we struggle with that ancient calling, I pray we will be shrewd enough to name the hypocrisy of those who decry the mixing of religion and politics in order to serve their own political ends.
The Rev. John H. Thomas speaking at Trinity UCC on March 2, 2008

Obama Speech: 'A More Perfect Union'

Zax — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:19:43 EDT

"We the people, in order to form a more perfect union."
Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.
The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation's original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.
Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution - a Constitution that had at is very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.
And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part - through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.
This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign - to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together - unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction - towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren.
This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.
I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.
It's a story that hasn't made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts - that out of many, we are truly one.
Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.
This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either "too black" or "not black enough." We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.
And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.
On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.
I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.
But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.
As such, Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems - two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.
Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way
But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth - by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
In my first book, Dreams From My Father, I described the experience of my first service at Trinity:
"People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend's voice up into the rafters....And in that single note - hope! - I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion's den, Ezekiel's field of dry bones. Those stories - of survival, and freedom, and hope - became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn't need to feel shame about...memories that all people might study and cherish - and with which we could start to rebuild."
That has been my experience at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety - the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America.
And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions - the good and the bad - of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.
I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.
These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.
Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.
But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America - to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.
The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through - a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.
Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.
Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven't fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today's black and white students.
Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments - meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today's urban and rural communities.
A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family, contributed to the erosion of black families - a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods - parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement - all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us.
This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them.
But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn't make it - those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations - those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright's generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicians, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician's own failings.
And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.
In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.
Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren't always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.
Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.
This is where we are right now. It's a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naïve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.
But I have asserted a firm conviction - a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people - that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.
For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances - for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives - by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.
Ironically, this quintessentially American - and yes, conservative - notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright's sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change.
The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It's that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country - a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old -- is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know -- what we have seen - is that America can change. That is true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope - the audacity to hope - for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds - by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.
In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world's great religions demand - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother's keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister's keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.
For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle - as we did in the OJ trial - or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.
We can do that.
But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.
That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.
This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.
This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.
This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should've been authorized and never should've been waged, and we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.
I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation - the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.
There is one story in particularly that I'd like to leave you with today - a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King's birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta.
There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.
And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that's when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.
She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.
She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.
Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother's problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn't. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.
Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he's there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, "I am here because of Ashley."
"I'm here because of Ashley." By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.
But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.
Listen To Obama's Speech Now
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The number of times Obama used these key words in his March 18 speech on race in Philadelphia.

11,000 pages detailing Hillary Clinton's White House years released

Zax — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:36:55 EDT

Daniel Nasaw in Washington, Wednesday March 19 2008

The National Archives and the Clinton presidential library released more than 11,000 pages of records today from Hillary Clinton's time as first lady.
The release, in response to a conservative organisation's Freedom of Information Act request and subsequent lawsuit, includes schedules from nearly 3,000 days Clinton was in the White House, and will detail meetings, trips, speaking engagements and social activities.
"We are pleased we are finally getting Hillary's daily schedules despite the Clintons' delaying tactics," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, which requested the records in April 2006 and sued in July 2007.
The records wer made available on CD this morning at the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas, and at the National Archives Building in Washington. They will eventually be put on the Clinton library website.

Bruce Lindsey, a Little Rock attorney and long time Clinton confidant, vetted the pages prior their release. He and national archives staff checked the documents for information sensitive to national security and law enforcement matters.
Nearly a third of the pages have redactions, most of which the archives said were made to protect the privacy of Clinton's associates. The redacted material includes home addresses, telephone numbers and social security numbers, the archives said.
The records have taken on heightened significance with Hillary Clinton's presidential run. Conservative groups have accused the Clintons of delaying release of the material, and Barack Obama's campaign has repeatedly called for their expedited release.
The most pored over details in the schedules will be records of Clinton's meetings, with media and Clinton's political opponents sifting through the agendas and itineraries to see if she met with controversial figures from the Clinton era.
The National Archives release presidential records in accordance with a 1978 law that makes them public property. But a 2001 executive order by president George Bush gave him and former presidents unlimited review over which documents may be released.
A federal judge in October invalidated the indefinite review for former presidents.
Fitton said the Clinton library in Little Rock has yet to act on requests for her telephone logs and records from her health care task force.
"The archives has been derelict and have only released a minute part of the Clinton records," he said.These records are now available at: <http://www.clintonlibrary.gov/hrcschedules.html>.

McCain's ‘Spiritual Guide’ Says Destroy Islam

funkfresh01 — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:19:31 EDT

McCain's ‘Spiritual Guide’ Says Destroy Islam

http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html

Author: David Corn

Senator John McCain hailed as a spiritual adviser an Ohio megachurch pastor who has called upon Christians to wage a "war" against the "false religion" of Islam with the aim of destroying it.

On February 26, McCain appeared at a campaign rally in Cincinnati with the Reverend Rod Parsley of the World Harvest Church of Columbus, a supersize Pentecostal institution that features a 5,200-seat sanctuary, a television studio (where Parsley tapes a weekly show), and a 122,000-square-foot Ministry Activity Center. That day, a week before the Ohio primary, Parsley praised the Republican presidential front-runner as a "strong, true, consistent conservative."

The endorsement was important for McCain, who at the time was trying to put an end to the lingering challenge from former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a favorite among Christian evangelicals. A politically influential figure in Ohio, Parsley could also play a key role in McCain's effort to win this bellwether state in the general election. McCain, with Parsley by his side at the Cincinnati rally, called the evangelical minister a "spiritual guide."

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