Posts with the tag president of the United States

The (Trouble?) with Phone Banking

Vicki (Victoria) from Culver City, CA — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:48:35 EST

Where, oh where are the RSVPs for the phone banking event that I recently posted for Sunday, January 3rd. I have lived my life as an ethical person, and I want to know where the help is. About a week and a half ago, I posted a phone banking event in Culver City to which no one RSVPed. Upon arriving to host the phone bank, I learned that there had been much confusion about the time for the phone bank that day, and that, as a result, many potential phone bankers had been unintentionally turned away from the event. Despite this, the few of us who phone banked that day completed all of our phone banking sheets for Nebraska, a tough state with some tough residents with some dark feelings about health insurance reform, which I consider just to be reflective of their stress over cultural change. Despite this, I think that I attracted at least one Organizing for America volunteer out of Nebraska that day, which put me in a quite fine mood since we can always use the help and he seemed in such an up-beat mood about health insurance reform and volunteering. As reaching him was one of my last calls for the session, talking to him was a pleasant cap for an otherwise surprising day.

With no one's yet having RSVPed for my most recent posting for the January 3rd phone bank in Culver City, I'm concerned as to how many potential phone bankers may now be wandering around confused as to what may be happening that day. In point of fact, I will be present at the phone banking event, and Jean (spelling?) may provide some coffee, even though that may depend, of course, on how Victoria is feeling about it, although I usually like and want coffee, which I may occasionally find too acidic. If you'd like to phone bank with us on January 3rd, please feel free to RSVP here on the Organizing for America wedsite or to call Jean for more information and/or to RSVP. I hope to see you there.

PLEASE JOIN IN THIS PRAYER

Dimples02 — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:51:06 EDT

Folks, If you have not noticed....NO President has ever worked this hard for our country. Many wonder, does he ever sleep??

Please let us form a powerful prayer chain around our President and his family and ask God to secure it with love, protection, mercy and grace.

Please join in this prayer...

Lord,

We pray for optimum health, mental clarity and political
prosperity for President Barack Obama. We pray that
what he may lack in political 'experience' you make up for
with supernatural wisdom and power.

We pray that any and all enemies that may come upon him
will stumble and fall. We pray mightily for his and his family's protection. We reverently
ask you to dispatch legions of angels to protect them from
all hurt, harm and danger . We pray that Your love will fill President Barack Obama's heart to the end that "Your will" will be done through him.

We thank you and praise you for answering our sincere prayer.

AMEN

All you are asked to do is keep this circulating
if you are so inclined.

May God bless and keep you...

What is George W. Bush Doing Now?

Peter from Carrollton, TX — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:23:54 EDT

George Bush has been free to do whatever he likes now that he is out of office. He was even seen at local stores jokingly asking for jobs and posing for pictures. Well it seems that he has been doing a lot of that lately, propping up at what seem like impromptu visits from the former President of the United States. Unlike other Presidents and candidates, Bush is seemingly the underachiever. Al Gore has gone on to be internationally recognized as the Savior of our Planet. Clinton went on book tours, and speaking arrangements. Both have been successful in their jobs after the White House appointment. Poor Dubya has been making photo ops and hiding out in his very expensive neighborhood constantly guarded by the Secret Service. He was on the cover of D Magazine when he returned home, in an obviously photoshopped image of Bush in Khaki Shorts, Striped Polo, (Correction) and a new tan. He himself has been up to nothing, staying out of the political arena and allowing Cheney to take on the Dems by his lonesome. His wife on the other hand was recently at a graduation ceremony at Southern Methodist University. I expect he will be working on his highly classified memoirs on How not to be a President and part two of that installment, How to ruin a prestigious political family name in just 8 years.
Read more: http://politicalpete.com/what-is-george-w-bush-doing-now/#ixzz0H85UxILT&B

http://politicalpete.com/

Inside the Obama White House with Brian Williams to air on NBC Special

Peter from Carrollton, TX — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:19:32 EDT

NBC News has special access to the White House and has strategically placed dozens of camera crews all over the White House. This is all an attempt to get a closer look of the daily occurences of the Obama administration. I don’t ever recall any other White House administration that allowed this. Only Brian Williams and his crew gets to go in and see what all the fuss is about. There have been some controversy over the White House Reality Show. If you really think about it, who wants a camera in their face from 5 am in the morning until you are done for the day. I think its a publicity stunt to show that Obama is getting stuff done. His promises on transparency in government has been taken a little too far. We don’t want to see your acting skills in front of the camera. We want to know what you are doing and have a say in what decisions are to be made on the topic. That was one of the premises you ran your campaign on. No more 1500 page documents sent out and approved 3 hours before voting. Stuff like that. I don’t want to see a reality show about the White House morning briefs, and what they eat for breakfast. This is either a tribute to the first Black President of the United States, or the most boring news special ever made. It’s going to be the White House version of The Office. From what I know about the special, there are several aides on camera typing at their desks, answering phone calls and doing general office work. Then there are interviews with certain people that are going to make everything sound nice and cheery, but there won’t be any dry office humor. I say watch at your own risk. The darn thing is a waste of time, but if you don’t have anything to do, it airs June 2, and the 3rd.
Read more: http://politicalpete.com/inside-the-obama-white-house-with-brian-williams-to-air-on-nbc-special/#ixzz0H84NcbQM&B

Obama’s Speech on National Security

N. Julio Barthson - E-Campaign Leader — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:07:17 EDT

Following is a text of President Obama’s speech on Thursday on national security issues, as released by the White House.

Let's Celebrate Barack Obama with Dance

N. Julio Barthson - E-Campaign Leader — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:06:39 EST

This is what Nov. 4th felt like for many AFRICANS and AMERICANS, and even for many other people across the world... Let us all celebrate in dance...

Tales from the Canvas - The Grand Finale (NOV 4)

Dave — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:51:24 EST

November 4th: Up at 4:30AM in the Gloucester C.H. campaign office just after 6:00AM. As per usual, JP and Kim and steady at the Helm in the C.H. Office. The weather is cool with a soaking rain falling, forecast to continue most of the day. Driving by the Gloucester High School, I saw large crowds at the poll with similar scenes at the two C.H. polls as well... this is good! The day was a blur; to summarize, I put 150 miles on my vehicle on Election Day, driving from the Piankatank to the York, and the Ware to King and Queen County, visiting 90 doors and placing door hangers as reminders early on and knocking on doors by the end of the day to encourage late voters. The day on the Gloucester campaign circuit ended as it started, in the dark and rain and back at the Gloucester C.H. office with JP and Kim. This day was not about finding or educating voters, it was about making all the hard work we have done over these past months pay off by getting our voters to the polls.

I went back to my house at 7:00PM after the polls closed, picked up Willy (my Corgi dog) and we went off to the Gloucester Point Campaign HQ to watch the election results together with all the Gloucester volunteers. The scene at the HQ was a bit slow at first, with about 20 people sitting around watching the election results trickle in on MSNBC. Willy made friends with the other dog in the audience, Steve’s 3-legged mutt. Willy also socialized with the 2-legged people, easily moving amongst group as his short size allowed him was to walk under the chairs, stopping to sniff the food and drinks placed on the ground and get stroked by all the 20-something women who loved how fluffy Willy’s fur is. Willy is such a flirt.

The night was initially tense, with returns for Virginia showing McCain ahead. It was said that one of the paths to victory was for Obama to win both Virginia and Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the call for Virginia would come after 11:00PM. Our spirits were buoyed when we learned that Obama had won both PA and Ohio. I was certain that with theses two states in the bank, Obama would almost certainly win the election. As the clock approached 11PM, MSNBC said they would have some big announcements to make at the top of the hour. With 99% of the vote counted in Virginia and Obama pulling ahead of McCain as the votes were counted from the cities, we hoped that the pundits would call VA for Obama. Instead, MSNBC called the election for President Elect Barack Obama and we all went wild.

For me, the moment of the announcement was not pure joy, but rather serine happiness in the knowing that, with all our hard work, the nation would finally be governed by a competent and intelligent leader. As a white man, I can only imagine that rapturous feelings my African-American friends must have with Obama’s victory. Barack Obama rise to the Presidency of the United States is the summation of effort on the behalf of thousands of heroes over hundreds of years. On the historic election day of 2008, America practiced what it preaches, demonstrating to the world our values and principles.

Long after the declaration Obama’s historic win, we learned that Virginia had went the way of the nation in voting for Obama. Virginia has not voted for a Democrat since 1964, 44 years ago. This was not an accident; rather the win is the result of the tireless efforts of thousands of volunteers. This effort was unfortunately not a result of changing the minds of card-carrying Republicans (who increasingly seem oblivious to reality), but by registering new voters in huge numbers and welcoming these new voters into the Democratic Party. Proof that these new voters made a difference is shown in the election results. In 2008, about 300,000 new voters were registered; the 2008 election results show almost all these new voters choose Obama as their next President thereby increasing the number of people voting for the Democratic candidate by 393,000 votes. Conversely, those voting for the Republican candidate in 2004 and 2008 remained nearly the same.

Virginia election results:

             Dem                       Repub
2004     1,400,254 (45%)    1,667,198 (54%)
2008     1,793,671 (52%)    1,639,421 (47%)

Presidential Voting in Gloucester County, Virginia

             Dem                Repub
2004     5,105 (31%)    11,084 (68%)
2008     6,742 (36%)    11,737 (63%)

Registered voters in Gloucester County:
2004 21,900
2008 25,000 (74% of these voted in the 2008 election!)

While we did not get the majority of votes for Obama in Gloucester County, we did our part to deny McCain the opportunity to run up the score here. Like Virginia, our newly registered Gloucester County voters largely made a difference in narrowing the gap Republicans held over the county by 10%. However, our efforts are not fully captured in the voter statistics. By confronting the Republicans, encouraged healthy debate on the nation’s priorities, and challenged them to consider why they vote Republican. It is my hope that the spirited level of debate continues and we are (one day) able to work to form consensus rather than continuing the language of division.

This is my final post to the MyBO blog. Thank you for the wonderful experience of being part of this campaign and the friendship of BJ, JP, Emily, Diane, Kim, Joe, Maury, Brad, Keisha in Gloucester. God Bless you all, Barack Obama, and America.

Market Outperforms Under Democrat ic President

Bruno Ierullo — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:47:26 EDT

I recently read an article in the New York Times around which adminstration - Republicans or Democrats - has had the most impact on the economy, and more specifically the S&P stock market index.

After reviewing the empirical data from 1929, if you had invested $10,000 under Republican Ppresidents, then your $10,000 would have grown to $11,733 (i.e. the number would have been $51,211 if you exclude the Great Depression under Herbert Hoover). However, if you had invested $10,000 under Democratic Presidents, then your returned would have ballooned to $300,671!

History has shown that a Democratic Adminstration has been good for the economy, and good for prosperity. Look at President Clinton, he was able to reduce the national debt, improve the economy, increase the average family income level, increase home ownership to the highest level, and had one of the highest returns in the S&P stock market under his Presidency. However, when the Bush adminstration came along, they immediately thrust the Amercian economy into significant peril not seen since the Great Depression. Furthermore, the Bush administration created the financial melt down, that many economists warned, since they did not provide any oversight and allowed Banks, Investment Bankers, and others to regulate themselves and over extend themselves with financial derivatives that created this financial meltdown.

Barack Obama, on the other side is seeking to stablize financial markets, and create prudent oversights so that we do not begin to leverage and gamble our future. The current situation is very ugly, and I believe that we are going to see some tougher times ahead of us over the next few years; but I feel more comfortable with Obama & Biden at the helm vs. McCain & Palin. We need a steady hand that is going to dig deep to find the root causes of this mess, and then think clearly on possible solutions.

Please click on the link below to read the New York Time Article:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/10/14/opinion/20081014_OPCHART.html

Let's make history together, as we elect Barack Obama our next President of the United States.

Grandmothers

Barbara from Cypress, CA — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:04:38 EDT

I had two of the world's best grandmothers. They didn't raise me. I was very fortunate to have two great parents, both of whom died last year within four months of each other. I do believe they were soul mates.

My father's mother was a very deep believing Christian and as such referred to the Bible whenever there was an important issue to resolve. When I was 19 years old, I married a black man. My parents were very distraught, not because of his color, but of how I might have to endure the racial inequalities that were common at that time. It was 1977. My grandmother returned to her Bible for solace. One day when I was at her home, she wanted to have a serious conversation with me. She found a passage that told her of the marriage between Moses and an Ethopian woman and showed it to me. She told me that if God approved of interracial marriage, then she would agree with it as well. She promised me that I would never hear another word of negative discussion from her over my choice in husband. She lived to see my divorce and marriage to a second black man whom she also loved. She kept her word.

My sons remember both of my grandmothers with great affection as they do my parents.

Much heart felt warmth to Sen. Obama in this time of sadness and worry. He reminds me so much of my older son who is 30, steadfast in love and a family man.

I hold the entire Obama family in my prayers nightly. He will be our next President of the United States. Of this I am sure. God has made it clear.

Troops Support Presidential Candidates - From ABC News

Concerned Citizen, Iraq War Veteran, Equal Shareholder in the American Dream — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:16:53 EDT

The clip and story says it all...

73% of troops voted during the last Presidential Election, and more are expected to this time around...

3am at Tun Tavern... Philadelphia, PA; April 20th, 2008.

NBC just reconfirmed their intent to be there... Will you?

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Story?id=4244798&page=1

Semper...

Bush's War

Concerned Citizen, Iraq War Veteran, Equal Shareholder in the American Dream — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:21:23 EDT

Currently, we are 21 minutes into Part 2 of "Bush's War", on PBS.

Part 1 from last night should be viewable right here...

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/bushswar/

You won't want to miss this!!

Please, pass it around!!! I could only post it to 10 groups... This is something every American needs to see!!

Petition to Consolidate Behind Senator Barack Obama

Concerned Citizen, Iraq War Veteran, Equal Shareholder in the American Dream — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:34:53 EDT

Good evening my brothers and sisters...

It is with great courage that I post this here, and my hope that we now don't simply poll here, but let everyone else know; including Senator Hillary Clinton...

The following is a link to a petition to ask Senator Clinton to withdraw from the race, and below is my personal letter that accompanied my petition signature:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com...

The goal is 1,000,000 signatures. What better place to continue this than with the great supporters of Senator Barack Obama for President!

Below, you will find the text I utilized... Please, utilize it as well if you want...

Semper & Respectfully...

Press On... Until... ;-)

Concerned Citizen, Iraq War Veteran, Equal Shareholder in the American Dream — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:05:21 EDT

Ladies and Gentlemen.... Good evening to you... :-) It is my sincere desire that you had a great day today as people all over the world celebrated the sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth, and what that sort of love can mean in each one of our lives...

Today, as I was preparing to spend time with my family... I was looking over my email, and came across this little note from the Huffington Post, thanks to folks from Philly for Obama:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/is-hillary-positioning-fo_b_92904.html

Folks, as we prepare to go back to the workforce... to the schools we teach in... to the businesses we build capital in... to the restaurants we serve in... to the government offices we administrate from... Let us not be lulled into sleep at the time we can press on... until....

Let's close the gap in Pennsylvania... this week... let's secure North Carolina... this week... let's claim Indiana... this week!!! Let's roll forward into April 2008 with the ownership of this Democrat Nomination...

Yes.... We Can!!!!!!!

Good night.. and Semper Fi!!!

3am Update...

Concerned Citizen, Iraq War Veteran, Equal Shareholder in the American Dream — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:17:34 EDT

Greetings all....

We have some new information for our upcoming ideas to move forward the best candidate in the Presidential field... for Barack Obama..

for anyone who wants further details, please sign up on the 3am event under this "Cnncerned Citizen, Iraq War Veteran..." and leave us a message with your contact information.

We currently have a few folks signed on, and this will be a tremendous opportunity to help make a decisive act in PA given the new information we have.

So, come on over and sign up for the event... This can be the biggest event to date!!

Implosion?

Concerned Citizen, Iraq War Veteran, Equal Shareholder in the American Dream — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 08:19:14 EDT

Is it possible....? Could it be that the Clinton Camp has started a Democrat Party implosion by the swiftboat tactics they have reintroduced into the running for the White House?

John Kerry a non-war hero?

Barack Obama a non-white, even anti-white man?

As we imagine the scene unfolding, can anyone else picture the possibility now of John McCain simply stepping over the rubble that the Clintons have created and on into the Oval Office for the next for years?

Will the Clinton legacy go from just a case of poor judgment on behalf of the former President to the couple who will go down in history having handed the nation back to the Republican Party and a candidate for the highest office in the land that may just keep us right where we are...? ...marking the continuing of the end?

A Front Row Seat....

Concerned Citizen, Iraq War Veteran, Equal Shareholder in the American Dream — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:00:30 EDT

Rep Sestak commented on Larry King Live that Hillary Clinton had a front row seat to foreign policy, so that makes her more qualified to be Commander in Chief than Barack Obama.

1) Why do we put young lieutenants in command, when staff NCOs have more often than not been operating w/i the military for about 10 years?

2) Who has the most foreign policy and military experience of the three remaining candidates? How much experience did Donald Rumsfeld have?

3) If having a front row seat counts as experience, then can we get everyone's seats on the 45 yard line in Gillett Stadium for the Patriots to take over Tom Brady's reigns when he retires? They are likely "experts" in the Patriots and football, and have a front row seat. Does that make them qualified to bring the Pats back the Super Bowl crown?

Folks.. are we being real? do we really, truly think that anyone is more qualified among the three remaining candidates to be President of the United States than Barack Obama?

If so, will someone tell me a legitimate reason why that has something to back it up... besides flying into the Balkans in a C-17 with Chelsea?

The Quaker State... and Tobacco Road...

Concerned Citizen, Iraq War Veteran, Equal Shareholder in the American Dream — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:40:07 EDT

Friends.. family.. my fellow Americans, and citizens of the world....

Are we ready to push our sleeves even farther up? Are we ready to help deliver Pennsylvania and North Carolina to Senator Barack Obama?

We have all heard the Senator speech... How are we going to respond?

Phone calls... Rallies... Canvassing... We need to come together now, lift up our candidate... Because Barack Obama is not our candidate... he is us....

Have you made 20 calls today? :-)

We ARE The Super Delegates !! Spread The Word

RE Ausetkmt — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:19:28 EST

Obama leading Clinton as contests get underway WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- As Democrats hold contests Tuesday in Wisconsin, Hawaii and Washington state, Hillary Clinton could use a dose of Barack Obama's favorite thing: hope. According to a nationwide poll of likely Democratic primary voters, the New York senator is lagging Obama by 4 percentage points. Despite that margin, cited by the Rasmussen Reports poll, Clinton still could pull off an upset in Wisconsin, some political pundits said. See full story. Meanwhile, Republican frontrunner John McCain may mock Obama's oft-repeated use of the word "hope" in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, but the Rasmussen daily presidential tracking poll suggests McCain will need to draw on his own optimism. Monday's daily poll shows Obama leading the Arizona senator 46% to 43% in a hypothetical showdown of the two. And in a face-off with McCain, Clinton lags by 7 percentage points. Wisconsin is the last primary leading up to the March 4 contests in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont. Democrats will hold caucuses in Hawaii on Tuesday, where Obama was raised as a child and is expected to win handily. Washington also plans to finish off its selection process by holding primaries as a follow-up to the Feb. 9 caucuses. Obama and Clinton are duking it out a day after Clinton rolled out an economic blueprint that contained ideas including a 90-day moratorium on subprime-mortgage foreclosures, ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and providing universal health care. Clinton has talked about many of the proposals in detail since launching her campaign for the nomination. Read Clinton's plan.

Robert Schroeder is a reporter for MarketWatch in Washington.

Family, Friends and Loved Ones Please Don't Ignore the Super Delegate Issue.
It's not our silence that will empower us now.

Please Please Please - Pass This On.

Repost to News and Discussion Groups to Enable
the Facts To Be Known. Tell Your Church; Your Co-Workers.

The Super Delegates are US. Folks in Michigan and Florida.
Please Each One, Take the responsibility and Teach One.

A Luta Continua, it's time for a Change.
Vote Obama in 08'

~RE

~RE Ausetkmt
Realities Groups // BadGalsRadio.com // Trenchtones Records

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

-------- Original Message --------

Subject: Our votes aren't divided. Will Black reps ignore them? Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:56:28 PST From: James & Van, ColorOfChange.org PAC <no-reply@colorofchange.org> To: RE Ausetkmt
Voters should decide elections, not politicians.

Tell the CBC to support our vote, not undermine it.

Dear Re,

Voters in places like Atlanta,1 Brooklyn,2 St. Louis,3 and Inglewood4 have made it clear who their choice is for president: Barack Obama. So why are some members of the Congressional Black Caucus threatening to use their power as "superdelegates" to undermine their vote and nominate Hillary Clinton?5

Voters should decide elections--not politicians. And members of the Congressional Black Caucus should amplify the political voice of their constituents, not silence it. Join us in demanding that the CBC to listen to the voters. Tell them to vote with the people, not against them:

http://colorofchange.org/superd/?id=2365-436031

Voters in almost all the districts represented by the CBC have chosen Obama, helping him win more delegates than Clinton. But only some delegates vote based on the results of primaries. A fifth of the delegates that will vote at the convention -- and decide the nomination -- are "superdelegates" that can technically vote however they like, regardless of what the voters say.6 These superdelegates are members of Congress, senators, governors and Democratic party insiders. In a contest this close, they have the power to overturn the will of voters, and decide the outcome.

Representatives Jesse Jackson Jr.,7 John Conyers,8 Eleanor Holmes-Norton,9 and others have called for superdelegates to listen to the voices of those they claim to represent, but we need to convince their colleagues to do the same. At least 11 Black members of Congress might cast their superdelegate vote for Clinton, even though their districts voted for Obama. Many endorsed Clinton, typically before any voting had taken place. But even after their constituents showed an overwhelming preference for Obama, most are refusing to say what they'll do as superdelegates.10

In 2000 and 2004, CBC members stood up to defend the rights of Black voters that had been disenfranchised. It would be a disgrace for its members to now undermine the votes of the Black people they represent. Rarely have Black voters across the country been so unified behind a particular candidate. If CBC members vote against their constituents, it will diminish the power of Black voters in a historic election that could result in our country's first Black president.

It will take courage and conviction for CBC members to break with back-room politics and stand up for democracy. But we must demand it. Please join us:

http://colorofchange.org/superd/?id=2365-436031

Thank You and Peace,

-- James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa, Mervyn, Andre, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
February 19th, 2008

P.S. Here's what Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D.C.'s Congressional Delegate) had to say about her role as a superdelegate:

As a super delegate, I decided I had to speak up now to separate myself from the idea that is afoot for the first time that super delegates, especially those who have not announced their choice, could or should decide our nominee under some circumstances. The notion that a candidate who has not earned delegates could become the Democratic nominee for president is at odds with the democratic principles of our party reforms. Super delegates were never intended to allow the return of smoked-filled room, behind the scenes selection of our candidate. I have carried a banner for a democracy of the District of Columbia too long to depart from principles of democracy within my own party.11

Here's Donna Brazile (a strategist who ran Al Gore's campaign and has a position with the DNC):

If 795 of my colleagues [the other superdelegates] decide this election, I will quit the Democratic Party. I feel very strongly about this.12

References:

1. Huckabee, Obama Celebrate Wins In Georgia, WSB-TV, 2-7-2008
http://www.wsbtv.com/politics/15212406/detail.html

2. New York Primary Results, USAToday.com
http://content.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/results.aspx?sp=NY

3. Election Summary Report, City of Saint Louis
http://www.stlelections.com/results/results-1.htm

4. California Primary Results, USAToday.com
http://content.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/results.aspx?sp=CA

5. Black lawmakers backing Obama press colleagues to heed voters, The Hill, 2-16-08
http://tinyurl.com/383bu4

6. "Superdelegate," Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdelegate

7. "The delicate superdelegate predicament," Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., Op-ed in the New York Times, 2-12-08
http://tinyurl.com/3c666q

8. See reference 5.

9. "Deciding Between Two Good Friends, Norton Chooses Obama," Hotline On Call, 2-12-08
http://tinyurl.com/2hcnbq

10. See reference 5.

11. See reference 9.

12. "Democrats dreading a drawn-out, costly battle for nomination," CNN.com, 2-8-08
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/07/dem.delegates/

Clinton hopes to end Obama surge in Wisconsin 02-18-2008, 18h21 MADISON, Wisconsin (AFP)

White House hopeful Hillary Clinton clashed with rival Barack Obama in Wisconsin Monday as she sought to regain momentum in the Democratic nomination race after a string of defeats.

On the Republican side, runaway front-runner John McCain won the endorsement of former president George Bush, a new backer who could help the maverick senator woo conservatives suspicious where his loyalties lie.

A win in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary could give Clinton's faltering campaign a much-needed shot in the arm before a major showdown on March 4 in Ohio and Texas, where a combined 334 delegates are at stake.

The Democratic rivals fired off television advertisements and campaigned across the Midwestern state in a tough fight for Wisconsin's 74 delegates with the latest poll showing Obama with a narrow five-point lead over Clinton.

Obama has taken a 1,302 to 1,235 delegate lead over Clinton after winning eight straight primaries and caucuses since February 9, according to independent poll-tracker RealClearPolitics.com. At least 2,025 delegates are needed to win the Democratic nomination.

The Illinois senator could make it 10 in a row Tuesday by capturing Wisconsin and the caucuses in Hawaii, the Pacific island state where he was born and which is holding caucuses on the same day.

But both camps acknowledged Monday that the Wisconsin primary would be close a race.

"We expect tomorrow will be competitive," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters.

The Clinton campaign was similarly cautious. "Obviously we're doing the best we can to do the best we can," her communications director, Howard Wolfson, told reporters.

But asked about the importance of Tuesday's primary, Wolfson said: "I do not subscribe to the momentum theory of American politics. ... Voters assess candidates based on who they think will be the best candidate."

With blue-collar workers considered a key voting bloc in Wisconsin, Clinton unveiled a 13-page "economic blueprint" to create new jobs, end the housing crisis and revive the manufacturing sector.

"We have a lot of work to do to take back our country because our economy is not working the way it needs to," Clinton told supporters at a town-hall-type meeting in Du Pere, Wisconsin.

"It's working for some. It's working for the wealthy and the well connected. It's worked quite well for them for the last seven years," she said in St. Norbert College, taking a swipe at President George W. Bush's policies.

While McCain secured the elder Bush's endorsement, Obama briefly strayed from the campaign trail Sunday to visit former Democratic rival John Edwards, who has yet to endorse anyone, in North Carolina.

The Democratic rivals would welcome an endorsement from Edwards, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee who ran a populist campaign promising to help the poor and America's middle class.

The rival campaigns also exchanged fire on Monday, accusing each other of borrowing lines from others.

The Clinton camp, which has charged that Obama's eloquent speeches mask a lack of substance, accused the Illinois senator of lifting words from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

"If you're going to talk about the value of words the words should be your own," Wolfson said.

The Obama campaign hit back by releasing several Clinton phrases that it said he had used first.

While the Democrats slugged it out, McCain picked up the elder Bush's endorsement, which could be crucial in his bid to woo conservatives.

"I believe now is the right time for me to help John in his effort to start building the broad-based coalition it'll take for our values to carry the White House this fall," Bush told a news conference alongside McCain in Texas.

The current President Bush has yet to endorse anyone, but has said he would help McCain if he won the nomination.

McCain is almost assured to win the Republican nod, but former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has refused to step aside despite trailing by hundreds of delegates.

Live from Paradise- Barack Projected Winner in Iowa

Zachary Scott Edwards — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:39:24 EST

Change We Can Believe In—Barack Obama projected to win the Iowa Caucus

Things are heating up as the caucus results start to come in, and the Iowa caucus watch parties are under way all across Nevada.

Nine parties to attend all over the Silver State. Which one is closest to you? Come join the celebration!

News reports are coming in…. and Senator Barack Obama is the projected winner of Iowa!

HOPE

Obama is coming, clear the way!

ApondoNET — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 03:34:23 EDT

Article First Posted At AfroArticles.com on: 10-29-2006

"Obama biro, yawne yo!" (Obama is coming, clear the way) -- Tens of thousands of cheering Luo "Tribesmen" and ululating women screamed as they welcomed Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) back to his father's ancestral land -- Nyangoma Kogelo village in Luo Land, Western Kenya, several weeks ago.

In a matter of hours Obama had soared to unprecedented political prominence in Kenya, eclipsing a bunch of corrupt and heartless nincompoops -- The (Mt. Kenya Mafia), who are ruthlessly grinding beautiful Kenya to the ground.

The only difference between the Mt. Kenya Mafia and the current U.S. Republican administration, is that the former have brought Kenya down to it's "Economic Knees," while it's virtually impossible for George Bush's government to bring down the mighty economy of the United States, no matter how much they misappropriate it's coffers by way of inflated Iraq reconstruction contracts or Katrina FEMA trailers. Otherwise both groups employ similar schemes - exploiting and manipulating ethnic (racial) intolerance and promoting rampant corruption -- a bunch of "cold-blooded" louts.

The six year cesspool of a mess presided over by the Bush administration might not be in vain after all. It has made America hungry for a messenger with a message of hope.

In the NBC "Meet The Press" interview of Sunday 22nd October, I watched Senator Obama intimate that -- based on the responses he has been receiving across the country, he is considering running for the presidency of The United States in 2008.

What impressed me most about him is how he tackled the question regarding his previous assertion in 2004 -- that he would complete his six year Senate term and not run for President in 2008: "I have thought about the possibility, but I have not thought about it with the seriousness and depth I think is required," Obama said. "My main focus is on 2006, and making sure that we re-take the Congress. After November 7th, I will sit down and consider it."

Unlike the shifty, programmed, and selfishly partisan politicians I am used to watching on Sunday morning political TV, Barack Obama countered Tim Russert's questions with poise, spontaneity and most important, he seemed very genuine.

In a political system muddied and tainted by arrogance, corruption and incompetence, watching and listening to Obama is inordinately refreshing.

In Obama I see an intelligent and capable man, unlike the current President who constantly reminds me of an unprepared and confused "open book, open notes" exam taker, badly rehearsed and totally incapable of articulating his views without the stewardship of his father's cronies, Karl Rove his "Political Architect" and a bone breaking conglomeration of "Hyena" special interest groups.

Obama's apparent good human qualities added to the fact that he is a great American story, makes the Senator a very attractive prospect for the ultimate prize in politics -- The Presidency of The United States.

Is Obama Presidential material?

Many cite his lack of political experience, claiming his resume is too thin for a run at the Presidency. I disagree and here is why:

1. Unlike other black leaders, Obama doesn't grind "white noses" in Racism, and at the same time he is a symbol of hope to millions of dis-affected blacks and other minorities.

Judging by his Senatorial election win of a 70% majority, Obama has proven that he is a very powerful vote magnet across racial lines. He has established an "inclusive" track record that would be vital in a presidential election if he decides to run. His candidacy would draw out millions of dormant black voters thus making the Democratic candidacy more viable.

On the flipside, we all know that there are some whites such as the right wing gutter constituents of con-man Rush Limbaugh, who will forever embrace Racism and will never accept a black president. A President Obama would mark the beginning of the placement this irritant breed to the fringes of political obscurity.

2. He is NOT a bumbling idiot, appears humble and has not been tainted with partisan politics. Perhaps even more important is that he is a confident intellectual, which I think is a necessary pre-requisite for handling the complex issues of the highest political office in the world.

3. The last Republican President who had some smarts was the foul-mouthed bigot -- Richard Milhouse Nixon, who engineered his own downfall with a lethal concoction of homophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-black and "Communist Paranoia." As a matter of fact Nixon's political career spanned three decades of scare mongering, witch-hunts and dirty tricks, the same tactics that have been successfully deployed by the current administration over the last six years.

All others after him have been bumbling buffoons with slight exceptions in George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.

Reagan the Serial Liar who made Americans feel good about themselves, was not only ill informed but partially senile towards the end of his second term - not particularly smart, but a great "Political Actor," whose major achievements included presiding over the disintegration of the Soviet Empire (which was inevitable anyway), misuse of the World Bank and funding of CIA death squads to safeguard the corporate thievery by US multinational companies in Latin American countries.... and the worst in my opinion; propping the racist Apartheid regime in South Africa.

The "Great Communicator" was just another Republican crook!

Bill Clinton and John Kennedy did not have that much experience. Abraham Lincoln ran after two years in the House, Woodrow Wilson after two years as governor, and Franklin D. Roosevelt & Jimmy Carter after four years as governor.

Perhaps Dr. Martin Luther King summed it up best in his "The Drum Major Instinct" sermon delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, February 4, 1968 - He said: "Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.... You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant," qualities that are thoroughly lacking in the Republican base - the "self-chosen" people of "Faith."

If the Democrats nominate Hillary Clinton, a very polarizing Democrat, the Republican smear spigots will spill out of control and flood the whole country to an extent that the Katrina calamity will look like a storm in a teacup. On the other hand, an Obama nomination would fuel vicious racial and below the belt "Nyangau" attacks from the right wing, like the slime being spewed by Republican troglodytes against black Democrat Harold Ford Jr. in the Tennessee, or by incumbent Senator George "Macaca" Allen in Virginia.

I wonder if Senator Obama has the stomach for such personal and racist attacks -- a GOP staple!

Colin Powell assessed these circumstances in 2000 and chickened out, and subsequently dimmed his star serving in this ham-fisted administration for four years before being pushed out in favor of "yes-woman" Condoleezza Rice. It is rumored that he feared political assassination.

Will Obama follow through or is his potential candidacy just hype?

It is time for America to put it's Racist legacy behind it, to re-assess its future, and take a closer look at this rising star, for I think Barack Obama is ready -- to cleanse the "maligned" soul of America.

About The Author: James Opiko writes for AfroArticles.com & PoliticalArticles.Net. Button - Courtesy: http://www.cafepress.com/votedem2008/572242 | Article Source: AfroArticles.com - Article Marketing Directory

MORAL COURAGE AND LEADERSHIP

Jeffrey Webb — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:57:03 EDT

I just read two quotes while surfing the internet and I immediately thought of Barack Obama. Here they are: Common experience shows how much rarer is moral courage than physical bravery. A thousand men will march to the mouth of a cannon where one man will dare espouse an unpopular cause. -- Clarance Darrow. Leadership is the inability to stand by and let things go to hell. I believe that Barack Obama has the moral courage to do what's right and the leadership to get it done. I am asking everyone I know to vote for Barack Obama for President of the United States.