Posts with the tag basketball

DREAM BIG DREAMS

i am rasa — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:16:09 EDT

WE came to Washington DC for http://chalkthewhitehouse.com, to celebrate the Presidents Birthday and to express our individual unique miraculous creative genius with the President in forming a more perfect union. The participants in this years events are planning on amazing things for celebrating 2010. We learned so much this trip. Thank YOU ALL for participating.

Makiah was hoping to realize his "Dream BIG Dreams" of playing some basketball hoops on the White House Basketball Court but was threatened by the secret service to have him talken away by child custody and have his father experience some very very unpleasant times. Still totally puzzeled how a ten year old special needs boy who adores the secret service can be a threat to them or anyone.... or me, who claims to be one of the most peaceful experts on peace on the planet...interesting learning experiences.

I am currnetly working on the book "dream big dreams" the summation of our celebrational journey to DC and the first annual ChalkTheWhiteHouse event. WE learned alot about national archetypes concerning the male and female counterparts ..thank you Mary Mother of God and all things Michelle Obama. We are looking forward to being SIM orchestrators with the Institue of Peace. Balancing all aspects of forming a more perfect union with "happy hands, happy feet, happy heart...happyplanetindex.org" ....WE feel that the simple easy educational and health shifts of experiencing the ultimate health of oneself is here and now...an integral part of our history and future coming together to cross paths on that most rewarding road of being oneself.

Hoping to share more with everyone when the book "Dream Big Dreams" is completed. Until then giving all your focus and support to Michelle Obama in all she does for the ultimate goal of THE CHILDREN is absolutely appreciated by ALL of us who are "Dreaming Big Dreams" .....

Obama Picks Winners

Henry M — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:15:10 EDT

A Man of the People

Henry M — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:54:54 EDT

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama took a break from politics Friday to sit courtside at a basketball game between his hometown team Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/28/obama-attends-wizards-gam_n_170731.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA4P50_hDbY

Unlike the former owner of the Texas Rangers, our new POTUS sat courtside and obviously really enjoyed the watching the Bulls, even though they lost to the Wizards.

are you LISTENING????

i am rasa — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:01:33 EDT

My top priority in life is LISTENING to my son Makiah Miller and acting accordingly.

Sometimes, hearing him, getting outside the box of my own perceptions...to listen to what HE is teaching me...is difficult.

Go HERE, inside the box labeled Nate Hutcheson...inside that box is THE ISSUE, click on it ...see if you can hear what lessons HE has to teach...

May your day be perfect and may you act on it accordingly...or....." Be the love. Share the love." as Makiah tells me.....

--
rasa
Robert Allan Schueler Artist
Peace City, Utopia.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

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

The Pickens Plan: For those who would like to become an active participant in a solution for our nations energy needs I urge you to join with T.Boone Pickens in his quest for a cleaner planet through alternative energy.

Also see Green Wave Energy: Green Wave was founded by Mark Holmes and was formulated for viable alternative energy solutions. Green Wave Energy is promoting state-of-the-art energy-saving products and services throughout the country.

Green Wave Energy understands alternative energy technology will become “main stream” when

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

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

Alternative Energy
Source: David Apperson

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

White House Dream Team .US

i am rasa — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:45:43 EST

I have applied to be in charge of the White House Basketball Court where the Dream Team will be meeting for the next four years or more. Join the Dream Team as play begings January 20th 2009.

And when the Dream Team isn't meeting I have applied to be on the board of the Peace Institute, time we make a real peace with the natives, and work our way outward from the heart of reality.

Hoops Before Election 2008

Nina Calahan-James, Freelance Writer — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:29:26 EST

What a way to prepare for the biggest news of his life! Basketball.

Sports will always be a great passtime pleasure of Americans!

As the day drew night fall, election night arose!

Charlie Bell needs you to vote on November 4

Josh In Michigan — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:42:57 EDT

Flint native, MSU basketball great (and current member of the Milwaukee Bucks) Charlie Bell needs you to go vote on November 4! Visit voteforchange.com to find out how to vote early or absentee, and to find your polling place (you can even get directions!)

Basketball

Harry from Aptos, CA — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:47:42 EDT

I have an idea that might help the Obama national campaign but I can’t figure out a way to get it to the people who make campaign decisions. If you like my idea and know how to reach someone in that position please forward this message.

Many people don't vote intellectually, they vote emotionally. So we should start using people's emotions with the same effectiveness that Republicans do.

Images influence people’s emotions more strongly than words. The campaign needs to create images that portray Obama’s personality in a way that connects with undecided voters who find him too cerebral or too intellectual or just too different from themselves and their neighbors. How?

Basketball.

Why basketball? Weeks ago, when Obama was in Germany, I saw shots of him on the TV news playing basketball with some American soldiers stationed there. He hit at least one 3 pointer.

Basketball is an American sport. It was his sport in high school (or college) so he won’t look out of place playing with some well chosen young men. Basketball is a place where a lot of Americans cheer like mad for a bunch of strong black men who dominate the game. Americans want a strong president. Obama is strong. There’s no way the short elderly McCain could match this. No words are needed to convey the idea.

Also, it would give him a refreshing break from the tedium of campaigning. It might not hurt to throw in some endorsements from basketball stars, white and black.

The Art of Politics...The Politics of Art

i am rasa — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:48:16 EDT

I am a stay at home dad. That simply means I have chosen to make Makiah, my special needs nine year old son, my highest priority in life. His first two rides in life were on an ambulance, he experienced heart surgery his second day on the planet. Because of lack of oxygen during surgery, the state of Iowa refers to him as mentally retarded. Makiah, is my greatest inspiration, most amazing guru and the genius that is teaching me more about life than all my other teachers combined.

Makiah fell asleep during Sarah Palin's speech last night at the Republican Convention in St Paul Minnesota. He NEVER falls asleep and has never taken a nap in his life. I listen to Makiah, even when he is asleep.

Art is a very simple way of being and living THE TRUTH of life. WE were all born individual unique miraculous geniuses, with the most amazing and wondrous individual unique perspectives concerning the beauty, truth and goodness before us, as within us. WE are all artists, WE are all born the most amazing masterpiece WE will ever experience. Just BEING ONESELF is the ultimate happiness, joy, bliss and ecstasy of any mission or purpose one can attain to. Experiencing the peace, harmony and integration with all of life is the ultimate...it is the game of all games.

Politics is very simple. When two or more individual unique geniuses get together to co-create and co-design systems of playing the game of life...politics is the play. The play is the way WE manifest the combined heart of reality with the system of utopia which is the system WE are all experiencing. (from two individual unique cells to ONE wondrous miraculous individual unique genius cell...into amazing systems of 100 trillion cells working in perfected harmony) WOW!!! Politics is the shared cooperative venture of playing the ultimate game. WE know the final end game, to live in peace and harmony while experiencing the most amazing emotions of love with one another. Politics has no real rules to the game, which makes perfect sense to the ones controlling the game and the illusions of the game. If all the worlds greatest scientists and artists got together to co-create and co-design the RULES of the game. My genius tells me, that the one and only rule would be "WE ARE ALL ONESELF, BE ONESELF!"

Makiah and I are a system of playing the game of life. We love playing it and have even gotten others to join the play. (see theartofbasketball.com) WE love to laugh. watch movies together, play basketball, walk together, discover new places and adventures, meet new people, swim, bike and dance. WE love sharing life together.

We are selling art to support our game, our play, our adventurous journey through life. All our works are in the ART BANK of AMERICA where you can purchase, rent, buy shares or just stop by and enjoy the beauty of our game.

The Art of Politics and the Politics of Art, is utopia reflected back at oneself....the quality of emotions are the score to knowing the ultimate balance or health by which the game is being played. When all aspects of poverty changes and transforms into wealth, hilariousness. will be the combined score.

Owaken, Ompower Oneself to being a player in the game. All aspects of changing and transforming poverty into wealth is the score of the ultimate game. Feel the hilariousness of it ALL! Be a player in the ultimate game.

ps Sometimes a need to express oneself arises form the cracks in the ceiling. Sometimes the insanity of the situation demands clarity and balance into sanity. Sometimes ompowering oneself to be in charge of gaia...is the practice of the game....gaia.org, gaiaonline.com...gaiadesign.us....so many courts to play the game on.

Political Analysis, Basketball Style

Cindy in Salt Lake — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:22:42 EDT

From Michelle's brother, Craig Robinson, in his speech tonight:

If you're looking for a political analysis based on his playing, here it is: he's confident but not cocky, he'll take the shot if he's open, he's a team player who improves the people around him, and he won’t back down from any challenge.

Afghanistan Email Refuted by The ARMY

Michael Hubbard — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:33:50 EDT

I know, I know, everybody already knows this but.............

I thought you Republicans surely were better scholars than to repeat false rumors without verifying them first. Hell, even the Army itself refutes this story and they say in the article in ARMY TIMES (see below and reference link from ARMY TIMES itself) that they were indeed delayed at Bagram Airbase as he TOOK TIME TO SHAKE HANDS WITH THE TROOPS AND THANK THEM FOR THEIR SERVICE.

Having been in the Army I'm sure this Captain (and probably the other officers signing their names to it are getting reamed over it right now. I find it ironic though that Porter tries to put Obama's calibre down, looks like the bullet's in the other chamber now though eh Captain?
1 it was reported on our local right wing radio station today that this email was false. Obama didn't even play basketball in Afghanistan, those pictures were in fact from Kuwait. 2 This From Obama's "fight the smears" website: The truth about Barack's foreign trip Lie:

Barack Obama didn't take time to meet with troops on his overseas trip.

Conservative blogs, referencing an inaccurate email from abroad, have been spreading the rumor that Barack Obama gave troops the cold shoulder on his foreign trip.

Truth:

Barack Obama spent time throughout his trip visiting with and thanking our troops in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. He was proud to meet so many of our troops overseas and has repeatedly praised their service and dedication.

UPDATE FROM ARMY TIMES: "Anti-Obama e-mail was wrong"

"An Army officer's negative e-mail account of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's visit with the troops in Afghanistan that set the blogosphere ablaze prompted Army officials to correct aspects of the e-mail and resulted in a statement from the message's author that "some of the information that was put out in my e-mail was wrong." 3 This from ARMY TIMES website: .. -->StartFragment --> Anti-Obama e-mail was wrong
By Matthew Cox and Rick Maze - Staff writers
Posted : Monday Jul 28, 2008 16:16:12 EDT

An Army officer's negative e-mail account of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's visit with the troops in Afghanistan that set the blogosphere ablaze prompted Army officials to correct aspects of the e-mail and resulted in a statement from the message's author that "some of the information that was put out in my e-mail was wrong."

The e-mail, signed by Capt. Jeffrey S. Porter at Bagram Airbase, characterized Obama's July 19 visit with soldiers there as contrary to the positive portrayals of the mainstream press.

"As the soldiers where (sic) lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the general," the e-mail said.

Porter wrote that Obama then went straight to the base's "Clamshell" or recreation facility to pose for "publicity pictures playing basketball" and "shunned the opportunity to talk to soldiers to thank them for their service. I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States. I just don't understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-in-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country."

Army Times sent an e-mail to Porter, a Utah Army National Guard member assigned to the 142nd Military Intelligence Battalion, asking if he could verify that he wrote the controversial e-mail and requesting an interview.

Porter's reply declined the interview request, but said:

"I am writing this to ask that you delete my e-mail and not forward it, after checking my sources some of the information that was put out in my e-mail was wrong. This e-mail was meant only for my family. Please respect my wishes and delete the e-mail and if there are any blogs you have my e-mail portrayed on I would ask if you would take it down too."

When contacted, Tiffany Porter who identified herself as his wife, said: "There were discrepancies in the e-mail, but I am not at liberty to say more."

The Army refuted the accuracy of the account of the Obama visit.

"These comments are inappropriate and factually incorrect," Bagram spokesman Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green told the New York Daily News.

Obama didn't play basketball at Bagram or visit the Clamshell, she said.

"We were a bit delayed ... as he took time to shake hands, speak to troops and pose for photographs," Nielson-Green said.

Opinion aside, Obama campaign officials cited factual errors in the e-mail. Porter said Obama had gone to play basketball; Obama aides said that during the trip he only played basketball in Kuwait, not during stops in Iraq or Afghanistan.

An Obama campaign Web site, called "Fight the Smears," labels it a "lie" that Obama refused to meet with the troops. It includes links to news stories and videos showing Obama interacting with crowds of service members as evidence

Reference: http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/troopssmear

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/military_blog_obama_072508w/

McCain Ad Shows Barack Obama Playing Basketball With The Troops in Kuwait

gina — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:58:49 EDT

Jake Tapper notes an oopsie by McCain's marketers in New McCain Ad Bashes Obama for Not Visiting Troops Using Footage of Obama Visiting Troops

The ad begins with misrepresentations of Barack Obama's trip over seas, but right at second 14 karmic justice begins kicking in. For a full 8 seconds, 25% of the ad time, the video shows Barack Obama playing basketball with troops in Kuwait. You have to see it to believe it.

Try as they might, they just can't counter Barack Obama's sincerety about supporting the troops.

Basketball game with celebrities and politicians.

Coonsey — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:47:44 EDT

Imagine seeing Senator Barack Obama, a couple of professional basketball players, a couple of movie stars (man or woman), another politician or two, a business man/woman, etc..., all of them playing against one another in a basketball game. Would you pay big bucks to see that? I know I would.

Obama Talks Hoops on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Cindy in Salt Lake — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:42:02 EDT

If you missed it, Obama appeared on Jimmy Kimmel's game night show yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHIMBYa7D7A

A personal reflection on race

Beth from ColoradObama — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:17:06 EDT

I'm copying and pasting an e-mail exchange between me and some MYBO friends:

Obama Shoots Some Hoops With North Carolina Tarheels Today

Cindy in Salt Lake — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:44:28 EDT

From the New York Times Caucus Blog, "Dribbling Past Reverend Wright". Read the article and watch a video of him playing here.

Hoops for Change

Anthony from Portland, OR — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:57:57 EDT

Before a North Portland crowd of volunteers, local activists, and basketball fans last night, the campaign held an exciting Hoops for Change event featuring some of the biggest names in Oregon sports.

Craig Robinson, Oregon State's new men's basketball coach (who also happens to be Barack's brother-in-law), refereed a 3-on-3 game with some young Obama supporters who had collected voter registration forms over the weekend. Participants were picked after answering a couple of Craig's Obama-centric trivia questions, such as "What state does Barack represent in the Senate?" and "On which island did he spend his childhood?"

Coaching the opposing teams were Portland Trail Blazers Channing Frye and James Jones, taking some time away from the Rose Garden to lend a hand in Barack's campaign for change. KXL "voice of the Trail Blazers" (and former Blazer himself) Antonio Harvey did some hilarious play-by-play at the event.

Frye's team came up short both times, but there was little disappointment among the 100 or so fans who showed up for a good time and a good cause. Of course, pictures and autographs were part of the post-game package.

Earlier in the day, "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" actress and Yes We Can star Tatyana Ali made a string of campus appearances for Obama at colleges around the state. Hitting UofO and OSU, she wrapped up the day at Portland State University on the eve of the voter registration deadline. She encouraged students to make their voices heard in the process, and to support Sen. Obama in the May primary.

Ali cited Obama's message of hope and change for getting her first involved with the campaign. She also discussed how having a leader who is able to "cross so many lines and divides" to inspire the American people is absolutely critical in our next president. The voter registration period ends Tuesday, April 29th, and ballots are due by May 20th.

Obama '08 ~ 3 on 3

alyce rocco — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:17:11 EDT

Headline news: Obama wraps up day with hoops, and his team wins 15-5 The article did not list an author who wrote, in part:

"...he proved to be effective, scoring four baskets that included a nifty left-handed three-pointer, along with four rebounds and a couple of steals.

... Obama's team won 15-5."

You Tube video of the 3 on 3 pickup game with middle school students. Not much competition. Obama had to work harder when he played against the young in-training military guys/gal.

My younger brothers stayed active in sports. More volleyball than hoops (and baseball, I guess). The older one had two knee operations on account of it, before he turned 50. Obama's knees at 46 are probably in better shape.

Now if Obama can arrange a game with his endorsers Barkley, Abdul-Jabbar, Craig Robinson or scratch the bro-in-law and add Magic Johnson to the mix~yeah, that would make headline news.

Obama Plays Basketball in Kokomo, Indiana

Cindy in Salt Lake — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:14:56 EDT

Obama speaks, then shoots hoops in Kokomo

Richard Essex/Eyewitness News

Kokomo - Senator Barack Obama took timeout from hitting the campaign trail Friday evening, hitting the hardwood during a campaign stop in Howard County.

The Democratic presidential candidate took part in a 3-on-3 basketball game with a Marion high school student and three of his friends. Blake Hancock was selected to play in the game after collecting 150 voter registration forms. The Illinois senator is known to regularly use basketball as part of his workout regimen.

But before he was hitting jump shots, Obama was hitting talking points in a speech at another gym.

"No more homeless veterans, no more begging for disability payments. They have earned our respect and they will get it," he told the crowd at Kokomo's Memorial Gymnasium.

While the basketball game gave the candidate a rare chance to stretch his legs on the campaign trail, his presentation stayed consistent.

"Here is what we have to do," Obama said. "We got to rebuild the capacity of our economy to generate good jobs and that means investing in infrastructure."

Kokomo gyms have not seen this type of excitement in years. Senator Obama supporters say he is changing that feeling.

"I think there is a little bit of excitement about the Obama campaign coming to Kokomo," said Greg Moore. "I think people are embracing the ideal that Obama has about change. We're hoping that he comes up with a little more concrete ideas."

Obama is the first Democratic presidential hopeful to visit Kokomo in 40 years. He'll continue his Indiana campaign on Saturday with stops at Marion and Anderson.

Indiana and North Carolina: Where basketball and politics meet

Cindy in Salt Lake — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:57:19 EDT

Article today from CNN's political ticker:

(CNN) — The pageantry, the emotion, the packed gymnasiums — basketball fanatics in Indiana and North Carolina have seen it all before.
Democrats in both primary states are beaming about their newfound roles in this extended nomination contest, but long after the bumper stickers and campaign buttons are packed away, and when the awkward sports metaphors are nothing but distant memories, Hoosiers and Tar Heels will always have that familiar sound of sneaker-on-hardwood to fall back on.
Still, with politics and hoops now crossing paths, a handful of basketball icons have become caught in the moment, stepping off the court to endorse presidential candidates this cycle.
Here's a quick look at which basketball celebrities from North Carolina and Indiana have weighed in on the 2008 race, according to Federal Election Commission data and news reports.

Barack Obama on Real Sports Talking & Playing Basketball

Mary — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:57:21 EDT

I went to youtube to look at more Obama videos and came across in my opinion the best I've seen! I go there and watch Obama videos when I need to just chill and relax.

Information about the video:Bryant Gumbel interviews Barack Obama on how Basketball has impacted his life. Real Sports, HBO, Audacity of Hoops

Title of the video:Barack Obama on Real Sports Talking & Playing Basketball

Youtuber who posted the video: style6919

Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CmvDQK3k2w

Barack Obama talks to Bryant Gumbel in one of the most fair pieces of journalism. You also get to see movies of a young high school age Obama playing for his team. It's the best interview I think I've seen and Obama is really good at hoops!

Barack plays basketball

Meredith — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 06:57:01 EDT

From HBO Sports -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1Lqm5emQl4

Bryant Gumbel's 14-minute feature on Barack Obama as basketball player.

This might be a clip to send to any wavering fathers, brothers, uncles, sons who might be tempted by McCain....

Nice bio of Obama interwoven with hoop play.

STEPHANOPOULOS:You have a very cool style. And I wonder, how much of that is tied to your race?

KravitzKravitz — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:57:20 EDT

Yes folks. Stephanopoulos actually asked if being cool is an inherently black trait. In May 2007.

But make sure you also see the second article in this post, "The Conciliator." And remember it too is from May 2007.

     SENATOR BARACK OBAMA ON “THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS” from ABC News... MAY 13, 2007

    ...

    STEPHANOPOULOS: When we sat down in Des Moines, I asked Obama where he got that confidence.

    ...

    OBAMA: Well, you know, I think it comes from the set of experiences that I brought with me to this race.

    As somebody who worked as a community organizer in Chicago, not knowing anybody when I arrived and being able to pull people together around the issues that folks were facing after they'd gotten laid off of work; the work that I've done as a civil rights lawyer and a constitutional law professor.

    And then in the state senate, being able to get Democrats and Republicans together around tough issues like reforming the death penalty or expanding health insurance for kids -- those skills seem to have translated in Washington.

    ...Did Someone Say 3AM?...

    STEPHANOPOULOS: What's the most difficult crisis you've had to manage in your public life?

    OBAMA: Well, you know, the truth is, in my public life as a legislator, most of the difficult tasks have been to build consensus around hard problems.

    And what I think the country needs more than anything right now is somebody who has the capacity to identify areas of common interest, common good, build a consensus around it and get things done.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: That is part of the job. There's no question about it.

    OBAMA: Yes.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: But you know a big part of the job of a president is what you do in a crisis...

    OBAMA: Right.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: ... the crisis you didn't expect.

    OBAMA: Right.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: And you never really ever had to deal with something like that, right?

    OBAMA: Well, what I think is absolutely legitimate is that my political career has been on the legislative side and not in the executive branch.

    Now, that's true for a lot of my colleagues, you know, who aren't governors.

    And one of the things that I hope over the course of this campaign I show, is the capacity to manage this pretty unwieldy process of a political race. And one of the great things about the press is that they're going to be watching very carefully...

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Every move you make.

    OBAMA: ... every move you make, and to make sure that people have a sense of how I deal with adversity, how I deal with mistakes, who do I have around me to make sure that we're executing on the things that need to get done.

    ....

    STEPHANOPOULOS: One of your heroes is Abe Lincoln. He was ruthless when he had to be. Can you be ruthless?

    OBAMA: You know, I think that somebody who has arrived where I am out of Chicago politics has to have a little bit of steel in him.

    I have not made a promise -- and I won't make a promise -- that I'm going to be able to perfectly balance the budget immediately.

    What I can say is that we're going to pay as you go; that if I start a new program, I'll find a way to pay for it; if I want tax cuts, then I'm going to find a way to pay for them; and that, over the long term, we get a stable budget that is not simply running up the credit card on our children.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: You've also said that with Social Security, everything should be on the table.

    OBAMA: Yes.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Raising the retirement age?

    OBAMA: Everything should be on the table.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Raising payroll taxes?

    OBAMA: Everything should be on the table. I think we should approach it the same way Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan did back in 1983. They came together. I don't want to lay out my preferences beforehand, but what I know is that Social Security is solvable. It is not as difficult a problem as we're going to have with Medicaid and Medicare.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Partial privatization?

    OBAMA: Privatization is not something that I would consider, and the reason is this: Social Security, I think, is -- that's the floor. That's the baseline. Social Security is that safety net that can't be frayed, and we shouldn't put at risk.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Your candidacy brings the issue of race right to the top...

    OBAMA: Right.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: ... of the national conversation. You've been a strong supporter of affirmative action...

    OBAMA: Yes.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: ... and you're a constitutional law professor, so let's go back in the classroom. I'm your student, I say, "Professor, you and your wife went to Harvard Law School. You've got plenty of money. You're running for president. Why should your daughters, when they go to college, get affirmative action?"

    OBAMA: Well, first of all, I think that my daughters should probably be treated by any admissions officer as folks who are pretty advantaged, and I think that there's nothing wrong with us taking that into account as we consider admissions policies at universities.

    I think that we should take into account white kids who have been disadvantaged and have grown up in poverty and shown themselves to have what it takes to succeed.

    So I don't think those concepts are mutually exclusive. I think what we can say is that in our society, race and class still intersect, that there are a lot of African-American kids who are still struggling, that even those who are in the middle class may be first generation as opposed to fifth or sixth generation college attendees, and that we all have an interest in bringing as many people together to help build this country.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Sandra Day O'Connor wrote that in 25 years, affirmative action may no longer be necessary. Is she right?

    OBAMA: I would like to think that if we make good decisions and we invest in early childhood education, improve K-12, if we have done what needs to be done to ensure that kids who are qualified to go to college can afford it, that affirmative action becomes a diminishing tool for us to achieve racial equality in this society.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: You have a very cool style when you're doing those town meetings, when you're out on the campaign trail. And I wonder, how much of that is tied to your race?

    OBAMA: That's interesting.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: One of your friends told the New Yorker Magazine that "the mainstream is just not ready for a fire-breathing black man." Did you turn down the temperature on purpose?

    OBAMA: You know, I don't think it has to do with race. I think it has to do with when I'm campaigning, I'm in a conversation. And what I don't do when I'm campaigning is to try to press a lot of hot buttons and use a lot of cheap applause lines, because I want people to get a sense of how I think about this process.

    OBAMA: I want them to have some ability to walk through with me the difficult choices that we face.

    (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

    OBAMA: We're spending $275 million a day, a day, in Iraq.

    (END VIDEO CLIP)

    OBAMA: And I think that one of the problems with political speeches is that we all know what folks want to hear. We know who the conventional, stereotypical enemies are on any given issue, and we have a tendency, I think, to play up to that. And I actually think that we're in this moment in history right now where honesty, admitting complexity is a good thing.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: How about passion? How about anger? I mean, you've written about how you dealt with issues of anger. Don't you think sometimes voters need to see that too?

    OBAMA: Oh, absolutely, and I think they do see it. Listen, the one thing that I don't think people are going to be able to accuse me of is not being able to give a fiery speech. I came onto the national scene after getting folks fired up pretty good.

    (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

    OBAMA: There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America. There's the United States of America.

    (END VIDEO CLIP)

    OBAMA: But keep in mind, I'm not interested in bringing people together just for the sake of bringing people together. I'm not naive enough to think that if we all hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" that somehow health care gets solved or, you know, education gets solved. Right now, what we need to make significant progress on these problems is to be able to build enough bridges to get things done.

    So, I'm furious about the young men that I see standing on corners on the South Side of Chicago without hope, without opportunity, without prospects for the future. I am furious about the mothers I meet here in Iowa who are giving me hugs and telling me about their son who died in a war and asking, did their son die for a mistake? It breaks my heart. But what I know is that the only way we're going to solve the problem is not to assign blame. It's to say, "Here's a vision for the future that we can do something about."

    STEPHANOPOULOS: You've had to ask for Secret Service protection awful early in this campaign. Were you reluctant?

    OBAMA: Yes.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Why?

    OBAMA: I'm not an entourage guy. You know, up until recently, I was still, you know, taking my wife Michelle's grocery list and going
    to the grocery store once in awhile. And so obviously it's constrained, but I'm obviously appreciate of their efforts. They're extraordinarily professional.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator Durbin, your friend, who talked to the review board, said a lot of the threats that were coming in are racially motivated. How serious are they? How much are you told? How much do you worry about it?

    OBAMA: You know, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it or considering the details of this. But just to broaden the issue, are there people who would be troubled with an African-American president? Yes. Are there folks who might not vote for me because I'm African-American? No doubt.

    What I'm confident about, though, as I travel around the country, is that people are decent at their core in America. The vast majority of folks want to do the right thing.

    If I don't win, it's not going to be because of my race. It's going to be because I didn't project a vision of leadership that gave people confidence. It's going to be because of something I didn't do as opposed to because I'm African-American.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: You've been thinking about running for president a long time. Your brother-in-law says he talked to you about it in the early '90s.

    OBAMA: He might have brought it up. I'm not sure.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: So you dispute that?

    (LAUGHTER)

    OBAMA: You know, what's wonderful about this whole process is that everybody has -- everybody looks at me now through the lens of where I am now. You know, I had my high school teacher saying what a wonderful, studious guy he was. And I was goofing off the whole time, and they were calling up the principal. I think there's a lot of self-correction that takes place (inaudible).

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, but there's one more. Valerie Jarrett, a good friend of the family says, you told her in your Senate race, "I just think I have some special qualities, and wouldn't it be a shame to waste them."

    OBAMA: That, I think I probably did say.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: What are they?

    OBAMA: I think that I have the capacity to get people to recognize themselves in each other. I think that I have the ability to make people get beyond some of the divisions that plague our society and to focus on common sense and reason.

    OBAMA: And that's been in short supply over the last several years.

    You know, I'm not an ideologue. Never have been. Even during my younger days when I was tempted by sort of more radical or left-wing politics, there was a part of me that always was a little bit conservative in that sense, that believes that you make progress by sitting down, listening to people, recognizing everybody's concerns, seeing other people's points of views, and them making decisions.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: One final question. Everyone is going to be watching this on Mother's Day, and a lot of America is going to get to know a lot about you over the next year, but they're never going to know your mom. She passed away a little more than 10 years ago. What's the most important lesson she taught you?

    OBAMA: She was the sweetest soul I've ever known, and I think that quality that I just talked about, the capacity to see the world through somebody else's eyes or to stand in their shoes, is what she gave to me in great abundance. And I think that capacity is what's needed right now in this moment.

    There have been other moments in history where maybe some other skills were needed, but I think bringing the country together -- and, by the way, bringing the world together -- so that there's that sense of mutual recognition is something that I get directly from my mother. And I think her spirit acts powerfully on me throughout the course of this campaign.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator, thanks very much.

    OBAMA: Thank you so much, George. I appreciate it.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: The roundtable is next with George Will, Cokie Roberts and Sam Donaldson. And later, Brooke Shields.

Transcript exerpts from - Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times. The scoop from Washington May 31, 2007

Steph also refers to this article, from The New Yorker.

The Conciliator
Where is Barack Obama coming from?
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/05/07/070507fa_fact_macfarquhar?printable=true

He's talking to farmers about ethanol.

Interesting point about when he gets into detail as opposed to rousing rhetoric.

"This mode of his is often called professorial, and Obama himself likens these forums to the constitutional-law classes that he taught at the University of Chicago. But “professorial” implies that he seems cerebral or didactic, and he doesn’t. Despite the criticism he has received for being all inspiration and no policy, Obama has so far stuck to what appears to be an instinct that white papers belong on Web sites, not in speeches."

"Obama’s calm is also a matter of temperament. The first thing almost everybody who knows Obama says about him is how extremely comfortable he is with himself. “He was almost freakishly self-possessed and centered,” Christopher Edley, Jr., one of Obama’s professors at Harvard Law School, who is now a dean at Berkeley, says. There is something freakish about Obama’s self-possession—it’s conspicuous, it draws attention to itself, like the unnatural stillness of someone able to lower his blood pressure at will. He doesn’t strive for an Everyman quality: he is relaxed but never chummy, gracious rather than familiar. His surface is so smooth, his movements so easy and fluid, his voice so consistent and well-pitched that he can seem like an actor playing a politician, too implausibly effortless to be doing it for real. "

"“When I read the book,(Dreams Of My Father) I was surprised—the confusion and the anger that he described, maybe they were there below the surface, but they were not manifest at all.” Asked about this, Obama says, “You know, what puzzles me is why people are puzzled by that. That angry character lasts from the time I was fifteen to the time I was twenty-one or so. I guess my explanation is I was an adolescent male with a lot of hormones and an admittedly complicated upbringing. But that wasn’t my natural temperament. And the book doesn’t describe my entire life. I could have written an entirely different book, about the joys of basketball and what it’s like to bodysurf as the sun’s going down on a sandy beach.”

“Barack used to say that one of his favorite sayings of the civil-rights movement was ‘If you cannot bear the cross, you can’t wear the crown.’ ”

He married Michelle Robinson, a woman who already owned the memories and the roots, who was by birth the person he was trying to become: the child of an intact, religious black family from the South Side. He took a job organizing a South Side community that was disintegrating but that he hoped, through work and inspiration, to revive. Later, rejecting the agnosticism of his parents and his own skeptical instincts, he became a Christian and joined a church. “I came to realize,” he wrote in his second book, “The Audacity of Hope,” that “without an unequivocal commitment to a particular community of faith, I would be consigned at some level to always remain apart, free in the way that my mother was free, but also alone in the same ways that she was ultimately alone.”

(a/k/a in difficult times, one clings to...see where that comes from?)

"Obama’s voting record is one of the most liberal in the Senate, but he has always appealed to Republicans, perhaps because he speaks about liberal goals in conservative language. When he talks about poverty, he tends not to talk about gorging plutocrats and unjust tax breaks; he says that we are our brother’s keeper, that caring for the poor is one of our traditions. Asked whether he has changed his mind about anything in the past twenty years, he says, “I’m probably more humble now about the speed with which government programs can solve every problem. For example, I think the impact of parents and communities is at least as significant as the amount of money that’s put into education.”

"After Obama’s Convention speech, Republican bloggers rushed to claim him, under headings such as “Right Speech, Wrong Convention” and “Barack Obama: A Republican Soul Trapped Inside a Democrat’s Body.” The Convention speech was uncharacteristically Reaganesque for Obama, being almost uniformly sunny about America, which he called a “magical place”; these days, he tends to be more sombre. Even so, Republicans continue to find him congenial, especially those who opposed the war on much the same conservative grounds that he did."

“The issue of the Second Amendment came up and Fried is pretty much a Second Amendment absolutist. One of our classmates was in favor of gun control—he’d come from an urban environment where guns were a big issue. And, while Barack agreed with our classmate, he was much more willing to hear Fried out—he was very moved by the fact that Fried grew up in the Soviet bloc, where they didn’t have those freedoms. After the class, our classmate was still challenging Fried and Barack was just not as passionate and I didn’t understand that.”

Obama is, in fact, committed to respecting the opinions or cultures of others even when religious beliefs aren’t involved. “There are universal values that I will fight for,” he says.

When I saw you at the Convention what really struck me was that you told a story from the beginning to the end of that speech—a story about your life, about how it fit in with the larger American story—and it built to a point where people wanted to applaud, rather than using forced applause lines. Democrats just haven’t done that. And Barack said, That’s exactly what I try to do.” That is Obama’s theory of speeches, and it seems, also, to be his theory of campaigning: don’t try to score huge points at every moment, don’t kill yourself for every vote—a campaign is a long, slow story, and you don’t want to exhaust your audience or yourself. “One weekend I was with him they were making a big deal about his school in Indonesia being a madrassa,” Valerie Jarrett says. “I said, ‘How could they have even run with this story? It’s so completely inaccurate!’ He said, ‘You know, we’ve contacted the school and the principal’s gonna explain what kind of a school it is and we’re gonna refute it all. You need to just calm down. This is gonna be fun! Valerie, you’re not a guy but let me explain it to you in sport terms. It’s like we’re in a basketball game, and I’m gonna fumble the ball, and someone’s gonna steal the ball, and I’m gonna miss a free throw, but we’re gonna win the game. You can’t get yourself worked up over every little thing that somebody says about me or you’re gonna go crazy.’ ”

Washington “held out an offer of collective redemption.”

But redemption is brittle. ... charisma is misleading, that revolutions are illusory, that real change is slow...

The Michael Jordan of Politics

Marc R. Peters — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:02:11 EDT

By Justin Charity

There's been some talk of presidential dream-teams over the course of this campaign. For some of our most dedicated supporters in Indiana, the dream is about to become a reality…on the basketball court:

"McKay, who volunteers for Obama's campaign office in Kokomo, is one of two students from Indiana schools who earned a chance to play three-on-three basketball with the senator. High school students who registered 20 people to vote and university students who signed up 30 new voters for Indiana's May 6 primary were eligible to be chosen for the game.
Obama's campaign announced Monday that Blake Hancock, a Marion High School junior, and McKay, an Indiana University-Kokomo freshman, have been chosen to play. Hancock and McKay each collected more than 150 registration cards, Obama's campaign said."

Hancock and McKay have invested an impressive amount of time and effort in our campaign, registering legions of new voters for Indiana's upcoming primary all while maintaining their own rigorous academic schedules back at school:

"Thirty-eight other students from around the state who helped in the Obama campaign's voter registration effort will also be invited to meet the Democratic senator before the game. The campaign said Indiana was chosen because of its rich basketball tradition.
Obama was a member of Hawaii's championship high school basketball team in 1979. A recent YouTube video clip shows him casually sinking a three-point shot at a school gym in South Carolina during a visit to promote his education policies.
'He's a political Michael Jordan,' Kory McKay said. 'I've heard he's a very talented ballplayer'."

Even as the campaigns winds on, we know that if we're all still having fun while working toward changing the way the game of politics is played in our country, we're probably doing something right. Read the full article here.

Obama: Highschool Basketball

alyce rocco — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 01:17:18 EDT

Short footage of ABC coverage: Classic Obama: His highschool basketball days.

Year of the Underdogs

Sean — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:25:31 EDT

It is easy to forget that just several months ago, Barack Obama was considered the underdog. But sometimes the will of the underdog, and more importantly their supporters, has the ability to realize the unthinkable! Super Tuesday proved that anything is possible, and provided what I'm sure was a 3:00 am wakeup call that the Clinton campaign wasn't expecting!

Forward to March Madness, and it looks like many of the playoff teams have taken a page out of the Obama playbook! Number 9 Arkansas knocks off 8th seeded Indiana, 12th ranked Villanova takes out number 5 Clemson, 11th seeded Kansas State routs 6th ranked Kansas State, number 7 West Virginia takes out 2nd seeded Duke! It's been the year of the underdogs! And there's no sign of it easing up.

Dear Reagan Democrats: Barack got game!

Kyle H — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 10:11:24 EST

Note: This originally posted just after the March 4 primaries. Things have changed some since then, but I thought some new groups still might find it mildly interesting -- and just a little entertaining!

The Obama campaign has a challenge: Reagan Democrats. Yes, Barack made inroads into this constituency in Wisconsin, where I live. But that was before Texas and Ohio. Victory was palpable. You saw it in Barack and Michelle. You saw it in Bill and Hillary. You heard it in the voices of every media pundit.

But after March 4, the feel of the campaign has changed. Hillary drips new confidence; our man seems tentative. And the pundits report that the Big Mo has shifted again. Let’s face it -- Hillary’s “I’ll fight for you” approach is working among the core constituency of white working-class Democrats, which dramatically affects the campaign at large.

Votes stem from opinions, which arise from attitudes, which are rooted in beliefs and values. Reagan Democrats value a fighter because the prevailing metaphor for their lives is struggle. They struggle to own a home; they struggle to keep a job; they struggle to make a better world for their kids. “You have to fight to get ahead” runs deep in the beliefs of strugglers.

So how does Barack, whose message of hope and a new way of doing politics is idealistic and abstract, regain advantage among people whose daily lives and therefore interests are kitchen table and concrete? And how does he do it without pulling out a shiv (see David Brooks on this) and violating the ideals that attract voters like me?

He shows the world that he got game.

I’m old enough to remember the footage of Ronald Reagan emerging from a dense fog, wearing cowboy hat, boots and Wranglers, leading his horse by the reins. Here was a man’s man, strong and independent. That footage made Reagan an archetype more quickly and effectively than words could ever do. An archetype that, in the age of Jimmy Carter, created a new coalition by viscerally appealing to working-class Democrats.

They say Barack plays basketball. They say he plays it well, with an intense competitiveness. Show it! Film it and release it. Show our man in an intense 3-on-3 with staff members. Show him dripping sweat, “boxing out,” fighting for the ball, scoring. Show the Reagan Democrats Barack’s tough competitiveness in a visual drama suited not only for this age but also for his core message: By bringing people together (the team) and by refusing to capitulate to Washington power brokers (the other team), we can win the game for Americans (the people watching).

It might seem silly, but we human beings are a silly bunch. We don’t come to our conclusions about such matters strictly objectively. Gut counts. Showing Barack’s competitiveness on the court won’t do everything, but it might do something. It might touch some Reagan Democrats deep in their visceral desire to have a President who will stand and fight for their interests.

Can Obama Play Offense?

Soldierette!! (CENSORED) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 04:09:30 EST

Thursday, Mar. 06, 2008

Can Obama Play Offense?
By Michael Duffy and Nancy Gibbs

Correction Appended: March 7, 2008

Not long after Michelle Robinson started getting serious about the tall, skinny law student she was dating, she asked her brother Craig, a former basketball star at Princeton and now the head coach at Brown, to hoop it up with him, one on one. "She had heard our father and me talk about how you can tell a lot about a person's personality based on how they play," says Craig, recalling his first game against Barack Obama. "Especially when they're tired."

The two men played then and have played whenever possible ever since. Especially on primary days, when campaigns go silent until the results come in, Obama slips away to a gym — though it tells you something about him that he usually doesn't let anyone watch. On Tuesday, Team Obama found the Concord Athletic Club near the San Antonio airport, where he played five on five with aides and his Secret Service detail. He is captain, coach and referee all at once, signaling teammates to set up plays. A lefty, Obama keeps opponents off balance: fake right, then go left with a very quick crossover dribble and a finish to the basket with his left hand. His instinct is to play opponents very close — though nowadays, says Craig Robinson, "everybody's being real careful not to give him a fat lip or something that would show up when he's on TV." After a couple of hours, having won three of four games, Obama wanted to keep playing. "Every once in a while," he says, smiling, "this 46-year-old body pulls out some moves."

But as he was tapping into his inner 19-year-old, Hillary Clinton was winning three states out of four on the charge that Obama just wasn't man enough to protect the country from its enemies, foreign and domestic. In her mockery of Obama for his pretty speeches and airy promises, Clinton's subtext was always clear: you may like the music, but this guy is nowhere near tough enough for this job. It was a charge made explicit by the Red Phone ad, whose very existence testified to her own toughness: I'm prepared to do anything, including hand John McCain a grenade, to win this thing. She played on the guilty conscience of the national press corps, recasting herself as the vilified victim and Obama as the bubble-wrapped ingenue.

But you don't rise in Chicago politics or come this far this fast in a national race by being soft, naive or scared of a fight. What has distinguished Obama in this campaign is how hard he has battled without appearing to do so. The message that moves the crowds at his rallies is made possible by many layers of calculation underneath. His mild manner belies fierce self-control. The frequent self-mocking conceals a stubborn self-confidence. He not only plays hard; he plays to win, rubs it in sometimes if he does and takes losses hard. "He is," says a friend who has known his share of strivers, "one of the most competitive people I've ever met."

And he knows what game he's playing now. Talking to TIME the morning after the latest primaries, he promised that there would be no double standards. "If she continues, as over the last week, to bring up real estate transactions and the character of our supporters who have provided donations to our campaign, then we will make certain that she has to answer those same questions with respect to herself, her husband and her campaign," he said.

If Obama's history is any guide, losses tend to speed him up, not slow him down. As a state senator in 2000, he took on the Cook County machine to challenge a sitting four-term Congressman and lost — a pre-emptive strike against the political establishment and a cocky signal that he wasn't going to wait his turn. Valerie Jarrett, a friend and now a top adviser, recalls hosting a small brunch at her house at the end of 2002, when Obama was weighing a bid for the U.S. Senate. "It was Michelle, Barack, myself and maybe two or three others," she says. "All of us came in lockstep to convince him not to run. For all of our arguments, he had a [counter] argument ... and by the end of brunch, he'd convinced me to chair his finance committee." She remembers warning him, "'You could lose, and if you lose, you've lost two races in a row — you're done.' And he looked at me and said, 'If I'm prepared to take that risk, aren't you?'"

The Game Plan
In his memoir, Obama recalls a tactic he learned as a black teenager in a white world. "People were satisfied so long as you were courteous and smiled and made no sudden moves," he writes. "They were more than satisfied; they were relieved — such a pleasant surprise to find a well-mannered young black man who didn't seem angry all the time."

But as the Obama campaign unfolded in 2007, the charge wasn't that he was too angry but that he wasn't angry enough. His party's more inflamed activists wanted a candidate who would burn bridges, not build them. If primaries are about winning the base, Obama's conciliatory approach could not have been more out of tune, and by last summer, he looked as if he might fizzle. His crowds were huge, and the money rolled in, but weeks went by, and he couldn't get traction. In debates, he seemed not to know what he was doing. "You could say he wasn't very good at debates," said a longtime supporter, "but that would be nice. He was just bad at it." Come September, he was trailing Clinton by about 2 to 1 in most surveys.

To the pros, the fix was obvious: "All of the experienced hands gave the same advice: 'You gotta get down, get dirty, get tough,'" said one, who echoed them too. But Obama pushed back, more willing to fight his advisers than to fight his opponents. A heated showdown in Chicago, attended by a core group of only half a dozen or so, took place over Labor Day weekend. "But he wouldn't do it," says one of the attendees. "Against all punditry, against the advice, against the history ... It shows he understood his persona and the qualities that were implicit in it." And he understood what he stood to lose if he changed his game. "If I gotta kneecap her," he told them, "I'm not gonna go there."

This wasn't decency or chivalry at work; it was an understanding that the rationale for his campaign would fade if he became just another grubby politician — or angry black man.

But that moment of truth came when he was still establishing his brand; the politics of hope brought him a long way, but the calculations have changed. Obama will continue to tie Clinton to McCain and other Republicans for voting for the Iraq war and liken her experience to that of Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. "I'm going to be interested in finding out what exactly she thinks makes her particularly well prepared, for example, on foreign policy," he told TIME on Wednesday. When her aides are asked, he notes, they cite, of all things, a speech, the one she gave on human rights in China in 1995. "Has she negotiated any treaties? When she traveled to these 80 countries, was she involved in policymaking? If so, what? My suspicion is that you're not going to get a bunch of particularly impressive answers." Meanwhile, Camp Obama is pressing for Clinton to release her tax returns, make public her vast, unseen records from her days as First Lady and peel back the secrecy surrounding who has given what to the Clinton Library. And Obama's campaign leveled its own charges at reporters for buying into the Clinton line that media coverage of Obama has been soft. "He has to find a way to bring out the contrasts without becoming a political attack dog," said a longtime Obama backer. "There's plenty of grist there."

The Risks of Reasonableness
One day when Obama was young, after a bully stole his friend's soccer ball, his Indonesian stepfather presented him with a pair of boxing gloves and a key instruction: "You want to keep moving, but always stay low. Don't give them a target."

It might as well be his campaign motto. Obama was born in America but raised on its outer boundaries, neither white nor black but both. He's famed for his oratory, but watching him speak, you suspect he leaves about 30% of the emotion on the table, wary of playing the Pentecostal preacher. Physically, he is uncommonly restrained: he keeps his hands close to his head, and his shoulders are always tight and squared. He repeats one mantra to his staff over and over during the insane days and nights of the campaign: "Stay cool. Stay focused. Don't get distracted."

Obama's instincts are often liberal if you look at his votes and his plans, but he is careful not to sound like a liberal. His stump speech is dotted with the Morse code of the middle — assurances that he understands what it is about liberalism that makes nonliberals nervous. He talks about the need to pay for better teachers but also about the responsibility of parents. He can be for "sensible" gun control, like reinstating the assault-weapons ban, but he can also tell Idaho voters, "I've got no intention of taking away people's guns." He says he's against school vouchers but would consider anything that is proven to help kids. His promises of more money for college are often tied to mandatory national service.

But that kind of aggressive reasonableness carries some risk: that he'll be seen as just another pol telling people what they want to hear but lacking any core convictions. That's the charge his political opponents are happy to make, and one the press corps has picked up as well. While Obama takes credit for opposing the Iraq war and warns that it drew America's focus away from Afghanistan, Clinton alleges that he never bothered to use his Subcommittee on European Affairs, which oversees NATO's role there, to hold substantive hearings. The allegation that his senior economic aide told a Canadian consulate official that the candidate didn't really plan to renegotiate NAFTA but was just saying that for political reasons made Obama seem dreadfully ordinary. But so did his initial denial that the two men had ever met. Obama's murky involvement with fund raiser Tony Rezko — and the exact nature of their complicated real estate deal in 2005 involving the Obamas' purchase of their Southside Chicago home — undercuts his claim to be a different kind of politician.

Testing His Reflexes
During the complex debate two years ago over whether President George W. Bush had acted illegally in authorizing a secret domestic-wiretapping program, Cass Sunstein was sitting in his office at the University of Chicago law school when the telephone rang. It was Obama. "I never hear from him on things we agree about," he notes. In a blog posting a few days before, Sunstein had argued that the President might have had a legitimate legal basis for his action. Obama was skeptical.

Sunstein contended that the law authorizing military force in Iraq might have given Bush room to create the program; Obama countered that such a move was ruled out by the FISA law, which made no such provisions for an extralegal runaround. Sunstein maintained that the Constitution's Commander-in-Chief powers probably helped Bush clear that bar; Obama responded that the Supreme Court had not recognized such authority. On and on it went. "I tried not to waste his time," says Sunstein, "but he kept wanting to talk."

Sunstein, a former colleague, concluded that Obama wanted an interlocutor on hard cases, someone to help him chew through the pros and cons before he took a position. "His decision-making process," Sunstein says, "requires him to see the other side's arguments in a sympathetic light so he can say, 'I disagree, but I understand the opposing view.'"

He is the same way on the basketball court. Normally, a teammate notes, Obama sticks tight to his opponents and makes it almost impossible for them to move in any direction. But on Tuesday, Obama hung back more, watching from a safer distance, jogging along before seeing his opportunity to get the ball. Then, though he was hardly the biggest or the quickest man on the floor, he suddenly flashed under the basket, grabbed the rebounds and usually scored.

He will need that speed — and all his other instincts — as his one-on-one with Hillary Clinton enters its final quarter.

The original version of this story incorrectly stated that University of Chicago law professor Cass Sunstein had "braced" for an argument when Barack Obama called about the FISA law. As he had in other conversations, Professor Sunstein expected a substantive discussion of FISA law when Obama called.

Municipalization of Professional Sports Legislation Resolution

Ken — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:13:39 EST

Here is a State Convention-ready redraft of the resolution proposing legislation to permit states, counties, cities or municipalities, individually or in their aggregate, to purchase professional sports franchises for purposes of using the profitable revenues from their operations to fund public services and infrastructure that passed unanimously to thunderous applause in caucus Super Tuesday:

On Dreams, Obama, and the Power of We

Demosthenes from Lafayette, CO — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:14:15 EST

I dreamed I was a black basketball player.

Really. Last night. In the dream, I was practicing with another player. I was good. But I didn't care. I was ready to walk out of the game and toss the ball behind me, because I didn't care about winning. I was good enough. I had made my point.

Then another man showed up and told me I had to stay in the game. He became my coach. He told me I had to play to win. I followed his advice, I kept practicing, and I became even better. The time of the big game came, and I was ready to play. I knew that my team had what it took to win.

When the coach looked at me to tell me I was ready, he had this strange look in his eyes. I didn't know what it meant. He hesitated for a moment, and then told me to go win it.

On my way to the game, I came across a basketball with a slash cut across it. It rolled out from a room into the hallway leading to the gymnasium.   I picked it up and heard people talking in the room. I looked in, and six large white thugs had the coach on a table. They were beating him up. They were trying to get him to sign something. It became clear that he had been paid to throw the game, and had refused to do it. They dragged him out into the hallway and out of the building. I ran to get the rest of the people in the gym, yelling that some men were going to kill the coach. I ran out of the building followed by a crowd of others.

When I got outside, I saw that they had gotten a good lead on us. They had made it all the way down to a lake, where they had thrown the man in and were piling sandbags on top of him. I ran and jumped in to save him. I wasn't able to swim down and pull the bags off of him, because it was too deep and I was running out of air. When I came back up, the other men tried to hold me down under the water. I struggled free and started fighting with them. I was yelling in their faces, telling them to get him back up out of the water and give him CPR. They made ridiculous excuses, saying that he was already drowned before they threw him in there. I continued fighting with them, yelling that they were killing him and trying to get them to pull the sandbags off and let him up. I finally got to the leader, and grabbed him by the shirt. He looked at me with a "who the hell are you" kind of expression. I asked him what right he thought he had to kill a man. For some reason, his expression changed as though I had just struck him a fatal blow, and he fell backwards into the water. Just as I was waking up, I remembered looking about at the faces of the people on the shore, who were all looking on in horror, but who weren't helping.

Sometimes I have dreams like this. They seem significant and full of meaning, though sometimes it takes me a while to figure out what they mean. Dreams usually have the most meaning to the dreamer, although sometimes they can have connotations that are meaningful to a larger group of people.

This dream got me thinking about Obama. He's running a campaign based on hope, and he's pulling ahead in the polls. Chances are very good that he'll take New Hampshire tomorrow night, in addition to his big win in Iowa a few days ago. This will put him in a very good position to be the first black president of the United States.

That's got to have the Republicans scared shitless. Hillary, they could beat. She fights on their terms. That's the problem with her candidacy. She represents the old guard, the way things have been done in Washington since time immemorial. When she talks about change, she means incremental change, still within the framework of politics-as-usual. When Barack talks about change, he's talking about sweeping reform. He's not talking about working with the old guard to get them to change their ways. He's talking about overwhelming them. Replacing them. And that is what the American people - the ones who have been alienated and disenfranchised from the entire institutional structure of politics and government as we know it - want.

That's why people are turning out in record numbers to vote for him. That's why so many people are campaigning for him, giving donations out of their own pockets to see him win this election, why people are inspired when they hear his speeches and why they find themselves suddenly hoping.

I doubt that a lot of people can put their fingers on it. I can. Barack's message is this: We are the ones who can change America. It is up to us. It's our country, these are our lives, and it's our right to stand up and demand that our leaders be held accountable for their actions, that they represent us, that our government follow our collective will; not the will of whoever is the best at playing the manipulative game of money, power and influence.

Barack has given us a we. If Barack wins the nomination, he will be able to represent a much larger we than he has so far - all of those people who haven't yet paid attention to the election or to his campaign, who haven't yet heard him speak and who haven't had a chance to be inspired by his message. He - we - will be a force unstoppable at that point. We will sweep the old politics of fear aside and begin a new chapter in American history. We will create change in a way we never could before, when there was no way in and no one listening to us.

The Republican political machine depends on fear. It is crucial to their game that we remain isolated, unaware of how many others think like us.   In the past, when we have rallied around inspirational leaders - John and Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King - those leaders have been taken out. Headless, the progressive spirit in America faltered and was driven back. Apathy overcame our hearts as we discovered, generation after generation, that the political world was being taken over by forces more organized, more cynical, and less scrupulous than us. We may have had the moral high ground, but they were slowly, ceaselessly, learning to control the gears of the machine. We have watched our country become one of the least "free" in the free world, seen elections taken away from us through criminal manipulation of vote counts, have witnessed the suspension of habaeus corpus, have seen illegal wiretapping become standard practice, have become involved in a war of aggression justified by lies and sold to us through disingenuity. We've seen the gap between rich and poor widen dramatically during the Bush years, fueled by every type of break this administration can give to the superwealthy; war profiteering as super-large contracts were handed to the friends of the administration in the wake of the initial Iraqi strikes; corruption at every level, constant evocation of the fact of 9/11 as a way to scare us into giving up more of our freedoms in order to amass more and more power into the executive branch, a devolution of our cherished form of government into something that resembles totalitarianism - something that benefits only those who want to tell others what to do without their input or consent.

The Republicans have a "we." Their "we" can be found by looking at their churches. Republicans are, by and large, religious churchgoers. It should come as no surprise that their organizational structure and mindset tends to be top-down and authority-driven. And it's no surprise that they identify with each other as a community. Democrats have churchgoers in their ranks, but it's not primarily how we identify ourselves. Dems - and any other progressively-minded group of people that sit politically to the left of the Republican party - are more about social justice, political freedom, and consensus. Education for everyone contributing to the strength of the nation. Health care as a basic human right. Respect and dignity between the races. Equal access. Equal rights.

Democrats - progressives - haven't had a we. We have had several we's, none of which was large enough to take on the Republican top-down tell-you-what-to-do machine. We're used to feeling overwhelmed. We're used to feeling shut out of the political process, to not having a voice. We feel we don't count. We're used to feeling hopeless.

Until now. Barack Obama has begun to unite people in a way that Hillary truly doesn't understand.   Suddenly, there's an us. We can see each other, and we can see that we're mad. We've always been mad. We're furious at the way we've been manipulated, lied to, pushed down this disastrous path against our will, treated like cattle, marginalized, victimized. But instead of being privately, individually mad, or mad in small groups, we now have a voice. We see that we can stand together and create grand, sweeping change.

There is still danger, though. This is what my dream says to me.   Anything could happen. Barack has done the job of standing up and holding the light to shine upon us, and show us ourselves. We've seen each other and called us we. If some unscrupulous characters decide to take this election by force, attempting to rob us of our leader once again, we must be prepared to jump in as we and stop them. In my dream, all of those people stood on the shore, watching as I singlehandedly tried to shout or beat some sense into the people doing the murdering. If they had all jumped into the lake with me, they could have pulled the coach up from the water and perhaps saved him. They could have stopped the thugs from carrying the day.

This is the lesson we need to take from Barack Obama, and the time to get it is now. We need to see our own strength in numbers. We have all, for too long, been too used to following authority - to feeling like there's nothing we, individually, can do. All those people in my dream stood on the shore as though they were helpless. They weren't helpless - had they all acted together, the outcome would have been very different.

Regardless of the outcome in New Hampshire - regardless of this election's outcome, and believe me, I want Barack to win - we need to fortify our position by recognizing the strength of our we and committing to using our strength together to change this government. If we do that, we will not be stopped. We will have turned a page in history just by making that connection.

This we is awesome and powerful. We are the American people - the ones who never thought they could have a say. We have always cared. We have cared so much that it hurt to dash ourselves on those rocks of obstruction over and over and over, and many of us have shied away from participation out of sheer hopelesness.

We now have something to hope for. We have to take it to the win, and not let anyone, whether other Democratic factions or the old guard of Republicans (do you really think there's a new guard?) tell us that we can't do it. We are strong enough and we will carry the day if we only believe in ourselves and stay in the game. As we hear so often in this campaign, our time is now.

Obama and O'Donnell Both Love Basketball

Shawn O'Donnell — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:14:06 EST

I confess basketball is a passion of mine ... from my first organized game in the 5th grade to coaching ... to now a few free throws and pickup games of HORSE ... more than 40 years of a game I love ... so it was great to see our future President, Barack Obama loves the game too ... check these links out:

One-on-One With Obama

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/the_point_after/12/24/obama1231/in

One-on-One With Obama - Photos

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0712/price.obama/content.1.html

OBAMA IN THE PAINT

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=263501

--
Thanks to Todd Smyth for the links

Hoops.Action.Change. Comes to College Campuses

Michael Negron — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:53:27 EDT

This summer, we brought together weekend warriors for two days of intense competition on the court. This statewide 3-on-3 basketball team was named Hoops.Action.Change. and was rooted in Barack's own history at running a voter registration drive, as well as his lifelong love of basketball.

This week, we brought Hoops.Action.Change. to Keene State, Dartmouth, UNH and SNHU, but with a twist: all players had to pledge to register to vote before they could suit up to play. Over a hundred students and prospective first-time voters turned out to play for pride and for basketballs signed by Barack.

The photos below provide a glimpse of this week’s action.

3-on-3 Action at SNHU

Winners of the Keene State tournament

He Shoots, He Scores!

T. Neil Sroka — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:53:27 EDT

Barack shoots a three pointer with no warm-up at yesteday's event at J.V. Martin Jr. High School in Dillion, SC.

Now that's my President!

Hooping It Up for Barack

Michael Negron — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:56:26 EDT

Success at pick-up basketball requires toughness, integrity and teamwork. According to Craig Robinson, Barack’s brother-in-law and Brown University men’s basketball head coach, Barack has always been an outstanding pick-up basketball player. Craig believes that the same qualities that make Barack such a great player on the court also make him an effective leader off the court.

Craig visited New Hampshire this past weekend for Hoops.Action.Change., our 3-on-3 basketball tournament and community organizing activity. After volunteering at their local campaign offices to qualify, players gathered in Portsmouth, Keene, Nashua and Lebanon for the first round of tournament play on Friday. At the championship round in Manchester on Saturday, the Railroad Team from Keene emerged victorious, earning autographed basketballs and some quality court time with Barack.

Watch the video below for the highlights.

Keene Team takes the Hoops.Action.Change Crown

Michael Negron — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 16:10:06 EDT

Eight teams gathered in the gymnasium at the Manchester Boys & Girl's Club at noon yesterday, primed to battle it out for the Hoops.Action.Change. championship and basketballs signed by Barack. The afternoon tournament featured some spectacular plays, with special guest referees Luke Bonner, Matt Penney and Max Goebe from the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team officiating every game.

Craig Robinson, head coach of the Brown University men's basketball team and Barack's brother-in-law, couldn't resist the pull of the court, suiting up and playing for one of the teams after it fell short of a few players. His son Avery, a sophomore in high school, joined in the action, showing some serious game in hitting a game-winning jumper. While Craig and Avery were often the center of attention as the guests of honor, a team from Keene stole the show.

The Railroad Team, a team put together by Railroad Tavern owner Randy Filiault, stormed its way to the title. Team members Stacey Massiah, Kenneth McCalmon, Jason Warner and Vance Jones fought past some tough teams but managed to win with style. At times, the Railroad Team seemed to be putting on a clinic, showcasing dunks, alley-oops and behind-the-back passes in each of its victories.

Randy, a major Barack supporter in Keene, employs the team members and instantly thought of them when he first got wind of Hoops.Action.Change.

"I thought this would be something they'd enjoy and another way for them to get involved in this campaign," said Randy.

In the final game, Railroad Team faced off against the Ghostbusters, a team that advanced to Round 2 via the Portsmouth tournament. After a hard-fought game, Railroad put the Ghostbusters away to win the championship.

Overall, the Hoops.Action.Change tournament brought together nearly 100 players in four towns: Portsmouth, Nashua, Keene and Lebanon. The Portsmouth Herald, Union Leader, and Buckeye State Blog all spotlighted the tournament, with the UL's Drew Cline calling Hoops.Action.Change. "the coolest political organizing event I've seen."

Barack has spent a lifetime inspiring people to become politically active. Hoops.Action.Change offered a fun, new route for people that would otherwise avoid politics to get involved.

Vance Jones, a member of Railroad Team, said, "I didn't play for the political aspect of the tournament, but after meeting lots of people and learning more about the campaign, I'm looking forward to doing more."

Check out the slideshow below for a glimpse of all the action.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR

Hoops.Action.Change Round One Recap

Michael Negron — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 08:35:51 EDT

The forecast called for rain, but this didn't stop dozens of enthusiastic volunteers from hitting the courts in Portsmouth, Nashua, Keene, and Lebanon for our Hoops.Action.Change. 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Despite the forecast, we were rewarded with blue skies in the afternoon, keeping the courts dry even as the players sweated up a storm while competing for the right to move on to the finals.

Today's championship round brings together yesterday's winners, who now compete for the grand prize of basketballs signed by Barack himself.

Craig Robinson, head coach of the men's basketball team at Brown University and Barack's brother-in-law, dropped in on Round One tournaments in Keene and Portsmouth to meet with players. Craig shared stories of Barack the basketball player, and how knowing Barack has impacted his view of our political system.

"I've long been one of the cynics that Barack often talks about," he said during the day, "Like most people, my view about politics had been that politics is for people who aren't really trying to do much in the world… Barack's helped change my view."

Craig will be in the house at noon today at the Boys & Girls Club in Manchester... and he'll be joined by some special referees.

Check here tomorrow for a full recap!

Crashing the Boards, Working for Change

Michael Negron — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:22:44 EDT

Today and Saturday, the New Hampshire Obama campaign will provide some summer sizzle. We'll kick off a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and community organizing activity called Hoops.Action.Change. Teams of three will be hitting the courts in Portsmouth, Lebanon, Keene and Nashua for regional tournament play.

While we may not see a lot of dunking this weekend, things will get physical as our teams vie to qualify as one of the Hoops.Action.Change. Elite Eight who will square off for the championship at the Manchester Boys & Girls Club at noon on Saturday.

Special guest Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama's brother and head coach of Brown University's men's basketball team, will be presiding over the tournament and sharing his impressions of Barack the on-court competitor.

The idea behind Hoops.Action.Change is rooted in Barack's years as a community organizer and his lifelong love of basketball.

As the New York Times recently reported, the basketball court has held a special place in Barack's life. As a teenager and one of the few African-American students at his school, Barack's teammates provided him with a community that transcended skin color.

During his years as a community organizer, Barack worked in an urban environment where the basketball court served as a center of the community. In the years since, basketball offered relief from the stresses of a schedule that has grown even more crowded from one year to the next.

This video provides more on Barack the basketball player.

Running for president doesn't allow for much leisure time, but Barack tries to work in some basketball on his swings through the Granite State. On a recent trip, Barack played pick-up ball with police officers in Manchester.

Basketball still serves an outlet for Barack's competitive drive. A regular teammate told The New York Times that Barack excels at "finding a way to win when he's playing with people who are supposedly stronger."

Hoops.Action.Change combines Barack's faith in the grassroots with his passion for basketball by asking all players to complete a community organizing activity prior to the tournament. These volunteers demonstrated their grassroots game by making phone calls, knocking on doors and even hosting house parties so their neighbors could learn more about Barack Obama.

Check back here tomorrow for photos and a Round One recap!

Barack’s Story in His Own Words: One Month Later

Michael Negron — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 16:44:13 EDT

Since we launched our innovative From Doubt to Hope book clubs at the beginning of July, hundreds of New Hampshire residents have participated and learned more about Barack Obama’s story by reading his critically-acclaimed first book Dreams from My Father. Our campaign launched this series of book clubs so that New Hampshire voters, who take their responsibilities as first-in-the-nation primary voters very seriously, have an opportunity to learn more about Barack.

The book clubs provide Granite Staters with an in-depth look at Barack’s life through his own words, written long before he entered the political arena. Participants read the books, discuss their reflections, and have been given the opportunity to speak with figures from Barack’s past like Cheryle Robinson Jackson and Patricia Jones Blessman.

The feedback we have received has been tremendous. The Laconia Daily Sun reported:

Senator Barack Obama is getting high marks from some local voters who recently participated in a Book Club organized by the Obama presidential campaign to read and discuss his autobiography “Dreams from my Father”.

“It’s an entirely different way to approach a campaign,” observed Gerald Knight, one of ten seniors who met last week to share their observations of the book which highlights the presidential candidate’s early life.

“It’s been an opportunity to find more in-depth information about him,” added Karna Feltham.

Manchester book club participant Karen Lord liked the fact that Barack wrote the book soon after law school, remarking that “it has no hidden agenda.” She added, “He’s a very complex individual… [and] a brilliant writer.”

CNN’s The Situation Room featured From Doubt to Hope on a broadcast recently, noting the uniqueness of reaching out to voters in this way.

The From Doubt to Hope book clubs are another reminder that Barack is running a different sort of campaign here in New Hampshire. From our community forums to these book clubs, we are reaching out to New Hampshire voters in new ways. This weekend, our fresh new approach to campaigning continues with our Hoops.Action.Change. 3-on-3 basketball tournament.

With five months to go before the first primary votes in the nation are cast, we're just getting started.

Willing to throw elbows

Brian Andrews, Ohio Staff — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:28:02 EDT

Did anyone else read the NY Time’s article on Obama and basketball today? An interesting story analyzing his style of play: no blood-no foul pick up games with players from all walks of life. Link It’s interesting because we have also been seeing Obama willing to throw some elbows in the presidential campaign against John McCain, the biggest sell-out of the season. I think it answers the question of whether Obama is “too nice” to hit hard back against attackers. (more below the fold)

When Barack was Barry Obama

Paul Kekai Manansala — Mon, 07 May 2007 13:15:41 EDT

Check out these videos:

When Barack was Barry Obama ABC News via Yahoo! News - Apr 27 4:33 PM

Before He Was Barack ABC News via Yahoo! News - Apr 26 2:04 PM

Obama Blog

Harold Ford, Jr. had the right approach regarding Imus

Eli Rothblatt — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 21:52:58 EDT

I agree with Harold Ford Jr.'s approach of condemning Don Imus' remarks about the Rutger's Women's Basketball Team without calling for Don Imus to be fired. I think Senator Obama should have taken the same approach as Harold Ford, Jr.

GO HOKIES

Flawless Joe — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:42:02 EST

Although I'm disappointed they beat the Heels, I am also happy that they have pretty much locked up a invite to the Big Dance in March. Keep going Seth!!! Hokie! Hokie! Hokie! Hi! Tech! Tech! VPI! Solarex! Solarah! Polytech Virginia! GOOOOO TECH!!!!!