Monday, November 24, 2008
Clay Aiken sings ...
50 FUN FACTS ABOUT OBAMA
• He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics
• He was known as "O'Bomber" at high school for his skill at basketball
• His name means "one who is blessed" in Swahili
• His favourite meal is wife Michelle's shrimp linguini
• He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams From My Father
• He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed
• He has read every Harry Potter book
• He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali
• He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can't stand ice cream
• His favourite snacks are chocolate-peanut protein bars
• He ate dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper while living in Indonesia
• He can speak Spanish
• While on the campaign trail he refused to watch CNN and had sports channels on instead
• His favourite drink is black forest berry iced tea
• He promised Michelle he would quit smoking before running for president – he didn't
• He kept a pet ape called Tata while in Indonesia
• He can bench press an impressive 200lbs
• He was known as Barry until university when he asked to be addressed by his full name
• His favourite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
• He visited Wokingham, Berks, in 1996 for the stag party of his half-sister's fiancé, but left when a stripper arrived
• His desk in his Senate office once belonged to Robert Kennedy
• He and Michelle made $4.2 million (£2.7 million) last year, with much coming from sales of his books
• His favourite films are Casablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
• He carries a tiny Madonna and child statue and a bracelet belonging to a soldier in Iraq for good luck
• He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee.
• His favourite music includes Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Bach and The Fugees
• He took Michelle to see the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing on their first date
• He enjoys playing Scrabble and poker
• He doesn't drink coffee and rarely drinks alcohol
• He would have liked to have been an architect if he were not a politician
• As a teenager he took drugs including marijuana and cocaine
• His daughters' ambitions are to go to Yale before becoming an actress (Malia, 10) and to sing and dance (Sasha, 7)
• He hates the youth trend for trousers which sag beneath the backside
• He repaid his student loan only four years ago after signing his book deal
• His house in Chicago has four fire places
• Daughter Malia's godmother is Jesse Jackson's daughter Santita
• He says his worst habit is constantly checking his BlackBerry
• He uses an Apple Mac laptop
• He drives a Ford Escape Hybrid, having ditched his gas-guzzling Chrysler 300 SUV
• He wears $1,500 (£952) Hart Schaffner Marx suits
• He owns four identical pairs of black size 11 shoes
• He has his hair cut once a week by his Chicago barber, Zariff, who charges $21 (£13)
• His favourite fictional television programmes are Mash and The Wire
• He was given the code name "Renegade" by his Secret Service handlers
• He was nicknamed "Bear" by his late grandmother
• He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds
• His favourite artist is Pablo Picasso
• His speciality as a cook is chilli
• He has said many of his friends in Indonesia were "street urchins"
• He keeps on his desk a carving of a wooden hand holding an egg, a Kenyan symbol of the fragility of life
• His late father was a senior economist for the Kenyan government
Monday, November 17, 2008
5 Reasons Hillary should NOT be Sec. of State
Functions of the US Secretary of State:
The Secretary serves as a principal adviser to the President in the determination of U.S. foreign policy and, in recent decades, has become responsible for overall direction, coordination, and supervision of interdepartmental activities of the U.S. Government overseas, excepting certain military activities.
Most of the non-original domestic functions of the Department of State have been transferred to other agencies. Those that remain include storage and use of the Great Seal of the United States, performance of protocol functions for the White House, drafting of proclamations, and replies to inquiries.
In accordance with the United States Constitution, the Secretary negociates with foreign representatives and instructs U.S. embassies or consulates abroad.
As the highest-ranking member of the cabinet, the Secretary of State is fourth in line to succeed the Presidency, coming after the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President pro tempore of the Senate. (See United States presidential line of succession.)
Federal law (3 U.S.C. § 20) provides that a presidential resignation must be accomplished by written communication from the President to the Secretary of State. This has occurred once, when President Richard Nixon resigned in August 1974 via a letter to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
When there is a vacancy as Secretary, the office is exercised by another member of the cabinet, as was common in earlier history, or, in more recent times, by a subaltern official of the State Department until the President appoints and the United States Senate confirms a new Secretary.
5 REASONS HILLARY SHOULD NOT BE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE:
It looks like Barack Obama has offered Hillary Clinton the post of Secretary of State and she’s mulling over whether to take the job or not. Obama’s apparent offer makes him look magnanimous and delights Hillary Clinton’s former backers, so maybe it’s smart politics. But there are a number of good reasons why Clinton should not be secretary of state. Here are five:
Hillary Clinton will have her own agenda (as will her husband). She’s not a team player and will bring in a crew of cronies whose chief aim will be to promote the boss, not the administration. Obama may wake up one day and discover that Hillary has decreed a new “Clinton Doctrine” of foreign policy.
It would be impossible, politically, to fire Hillary. No matter what she says or does, or how insubordinate, Obama will be stuck with her as long as she wants to stay.
Her husband is a walking conflict of interest. Bill helps a Canadian businessman land a uranium contract in Kazakhstan, and soon afterwards the businessman contributes to the Clinton Foundation. Bill’s personal and business dealings are embarrassing enough without Hillary heading the State Department.
The Clinton style of management–for example, pitting one faction of staff against another–would be a disaster at the State Department. Just look at how well it worked on the campaign trail.
And the strongest strike of all against Hillary as secretary of state… look at who endorses her.
The Secretary serves as a principal adviser to the President in the determination of U.S. foreign policy and, in recent decades, has become responsible for overall direction, coordination, and supervision of interdepartmental activities of the U.S. Government overseas, excepting certain military activities.
Most of the non-original domestic functions of the Department of State have been transferred to other agencies. Those that remain include storage and use of the Great Seal of the United States, performance of protocol functions for the White House, drafting of proclamations, and replies to inquiries.
In accordance with the United States Constitution, the Secretary negociates with foreign representatives and instructs U.S. embassies or consulates abroad.
As the highest-ranking member of the cabinet, the Secretary of State is fourth in line to succeed the Presidency, coming after the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President pro tempore of the Senate. (See United States presidential line of succession.)
Federal law (3 U.S.C. § 20) provides that a presidential resignation must be accomplished by written communication from the President to the Secretary of State. This has occurred once, when President Richard Nixon resigned in August 1974 via a letter to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
When there is a vacancy as Secretary, the office is exercised by another member of the cabinet, as was common in earlier history, or, in more recent times, by a subaltern official of the State Department until the President appoints and the United States Senate confirms a new Secretary.
5 REASONS HILLARY SHOULD NOT BE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE:
It looks like Barack Obama has offered Hillary Clinton the post of Secretary of State and she’s mulling over whether to take the job or not. Obama’s apparent offer makes him look magnanimous and delights Hillary Clinton’s former backers, so maybe it’s smart politics. But there are a number of good reasons why Clinton should not be secretary of state. Here are five:
Hillary Clinton will have her own agenda (as will her husband). She’s not a team player and will bring in a crew of cronies whose chief aim will be to promote the boss, not the administration. Obama may wake up one day and discover that Hillary has decreed a new “Clinton Doctrine” of foreign policy.
It would be impossible, politically, to fire Hillary. No matter what she says or does, or how insubordinate, Obama will be stuck with her as long as she wants to stay.
Her husband is a walking conflict of interest. Bill helps a Canadian businessman land a uranium contract in Kazakhstan, and soon afterwards the businessman contributes to the Clinton Foundation. Bill’s personal and business dealings are embarrassing enough without Hillary heading the State Department.
The Clinton style of management–for example, pitting one faction of staff against another–would be a disaster at the State Department. Just look at how well it worked on the campaign trail.
And the strongest strike of all against Hillary as secretary of state… look at who endorses her.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
FILE A COMPLAINT asking the IRS to revoke the LDS church's Tax-Exempt Status
How to File a Complaint Asking the IRS to Revoke the LDS Church's Tax-Exempt Status
By making that passage of California’s Proposition 8 a substantial part of its activities this year, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has violated nonprofit law. Because it has broken the law, it should be stripped of its 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt status. This law will not be enforced unless complaints are filed against the LDS Church for its illegal activities.
Please consider file a request with the IRS to take away the LDS Church’s tax-exempt status. Here’s what you need to do:
1. Download this pre-filled IRS complaint form, and add your personal information to it: http://tinyurl.com/irsfilled. If this URL is not working, download a blank IRS complaint form and fill it out. This form can be downloaded from: http://ftp.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f13909.pdf.
2. You will need to include documentation to show that the LDS Church has made lobbying for Proposition 8 a substantial part of its activities. Here are the documents you will need:
[UPDATE: You can download all of these as a single PDF file. Thank you, reader Jesus Christ.]
a. A copy of the letter from the LDS Church Presidency to LDS Bishops, which as read aloud in all California State LDS Churches. It instructs members to “do all you can to support [Proposition 8] by donating of your means and time.” Download and print the letter from here: http://wikileaks.org/leak/first-presidency-letter-california.pdf/.
b. A transcript of the confidential LDS Church satellite broadcast, which instructed members that they must support Proposition 8, set out a detailed “three-phase” Proposition 8 campaign plan, and which reiterated several lies about what would happen if Proposition 8 was not passed. Download and print the transcript here: https://secure.wikileaks.org/leak/lds-oct-8-prop-8-broadcast.pdf/.
c. A copy campaign planning document distributed by the church to LDS Church leaders. Download and print the document here: http://wikileaks.org/leak/lds-proposition8-notes-2008.pdf/. Please also print out a copy of the following WikiLeaks page, which explains the significance and veracity of the document: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/LDS_Church_Proposition_8_anti-gay_campaign_notes/.
d. A copy of this Daily Kos posting which includes scanned images that prove the LDS Church has been planning for the Proposition 8 campaign since at least 1997. Download and print the document here: http://documents.scribd.com/docs/27tmvasx7na3bksuq221.pdf.
e. Refer the IRS to this page, located on LDS.org, which includes links to various Proposition 8 campaign information, including a Proposition 8 propaganda video: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/same-sex-marriage-and-proposition-8/. This page was accessible starting 16 October 2008, and at least as late as 7 November 2008.
f. Include a copy of the ABC News Story about how the LDS Church threatened to excommunicate a member for speaking out against Proposition 8. A PDF copy of this story can be downloaded here: http://documents.scribd.com/docs/1b2kmdia2iq15eeftc52.pdf.
g. A copy of the Salt Lake Tribune news story which states that the LDS Church donated $2,078.97 of church funds to the Proposition 8 campaign. Download ind print a PDF copy of this story here: http://documents.scribd.com/docs/ifeqw2picvburmas3jw.pdf.
3. Once you have filled out the IRS complaint form and prepared your supporting documentation, transmit your complaint and supporting documents to the IRS in one of the following ways:
a. Email: Prepare your documents as PDF’s or web links, and send your complaint form with supporting documentation to eoclass@irs.gov. If sending your complaint as an email, you can simply copy and paste section 2 of these instructions into an email and attach your complaint form as PDF.
b. Fax your documents to (214) 413-5415.
c. Mail your documents to:
IRS EO Classification
Mail Code 4910DAL
1100 Commerce Street
Dallas TX 75242-1198
4. Once you have submitted your complaint, please consider signing these petitions to remove the LDS Church’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status:
a. http://www.mormonsstoleourrights.com/
b. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/review-the-501c3-status-of-the-church-of-latter-day-saints-the-mormons
----------
UPDATE: I just sent my complaint by email to the IRS. This was VERY EASY to do. I will post my the text of my letter below. Feel free to copy it:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has violated the rules for tax-exempt organizations by excessively lobbying for California Proposition 8, and for participating in the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign. I have attached a completed Form 13909.
I am providing documentation by linking to web sites and PDF documents. If necessary, I can provide this information in alternative formats.
Documentation:
a. A copy of the letter from the LDS Church Presidency to LDS Bishops, which was read aloud in all California State LDS Churches. It instructs members to "do all you can to support [Proposition 8] by donating of your means and time." The letter is available here: http://wikileaks.org/leak/first-presidency-letter-california.pdf/.
b. A transcript of the confidential LDS Church satellite broadcast, which instructed members that they must support Proposition 8, set out a detailed "three-phase" Proposition 8 campaign plan, and reiterated several lies about what would happen if Proposition 8 was not passed. The transcript is available here: https://secure.wikileaks.org/leak/lds-oct-8-prop-8-broadcast.pdf/. Audio of the broadcast is available upon request through the WikiLeaks web site.
c. A campaign planning document distributed by the LDS Church to Church leaders. The document is available here: http://wikileaks.org/leak/lds-proposition8-notes-2008.pdf/. The following WikiLeaks page explains the significance and veracity of the document: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/LDS_Church_Proposition_8_anti-gay_campaign_notes/.
d. A Daily Kos posting which includes scanned images of LDS Church documents that prove the LDS Church has been planning for the Proposition 8 campaign since at least 1997. PDF version here: http://documents.scribd.com/docs/27tmvasx7na3bksuq221.pdf. Original posting here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/11/3/15369/3779/711/651188.
e. This page, located on LDS.org, includes links to various Proposition 8 campaign information, including a Proposition 8 propaganda video: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/same-sex-marriage-and-proposition-8/. This page was accessible starting 16 October 2008.
f. This ABC News Story about how the LDS Church threatened to excommunicate a member for speaking out against Proposition 8. A PDF copy of this story can be downloaded here: http://documents.scribd.com/docs/1b2kmdia2iq15eeftc52.pdf. Original news story here: http://www.abc4.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=FEEE2BE8-BD9C-4314-88BF-E2E60AE2BCA4.
g. The Salt Lake Tribune news story which states that the LDS Church donated at least $2,078.97 of church funds to the Proposition 8 campaign. Download a PDF copy of this story here: http://documents.scribd.com/docs/ifeqw2picvburmas3jw.pdf. Original news story here: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10842051.
Thank you for your investigation of this matter. Please confirm reciept, if possible. Please contact me if any additional information is necessary.
Sincerely,
Jackson R. Howa-Morrow
By making that passage of California’s Proposition 8 a substantial part of its activities this year, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has violated nonprofit law. Because it has broken the law, it should be stripped of its 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt status. This law will not be enforced unless complaints are filed against the LDS Church for its illegal activities.
Please consider file a request with the IRS to take away the LDS Church’s tax-exempt status. Here’s what you need to do:
1. Download this pre-filled IRS complaint form, and add your personal information to it: http://tinyurl.com/irsfilled. If this URL is not working, download a blank IRS complaint form and fill it out. This form can be downloaded from: http://ftp.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f13909.pdf.
2. You will need to include documentation to show that the LDS Church has made lobbying for Proposition 8 a substantial part of its activities. Here are the documents you will need:
[UPDATE: You can download all of these as a single PDF file. Thank you, reader Jesus Christ.]
a. A copy of the letter from the LDS Church Presidency to LDS Bishops, which as read aloud in all California State LDS Churches. It instructs members to “do all you can to support [Proposition 8] by donating of your means and time.” Download and print the letter from here: http://wikileaks.org/leak/first-presidency-letter-california.pdf/.
b. A transcript of the confidential LDS Church satellite broadcast, which instructed members that they must support Proposition 8, set out a detailed “three-phase” Proposition 8 campaign plan, and which reiterated several lies about what would happen if Proposition 8 was not passed. Download and print the transcript here: https://secure.wikileaks.org/leak/lds-oct-8-prop-8-broadcast.pdf/.
c. A copy campaign planning document distributed by the church to LDS Church leaders. Download and print the document here: http://wikileaks.org/leak/lds-proposition8-notes-2008.pdf/. Please also print out a copy of the following WikiLeaks page, which explains the significance and veracity of the document: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/LDS_Church_Proposition_8_anti-gay_campaign_notes/.
d. A copy of this Daily Kos posting which includes scanned images that prove the LDS Church has been planning for the Proposition 8 campaign since at least 1997. Download and print the document here: http://documents.scribd.com/docs/27tmvasx7na3bksuq221.pdf.
e. Refer the IRS to this page, located on LDS.org, which includes links to various Proposition 8 campaign information, including a Proposition 8 propaganda video: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/same-sex-marriage-and-proposition-8/. This page was accessible starting 16 October 2008, and at least as late as 7 November 2008.
f. Include a copy of the ABC News Story about how the LDS Church threatened to excommunicate a member for speaking out against Proposition 8. A PDF copy of this story can be downloaded here: http://documents.scribd.com/docs/1b2kmdia2iq15eeftc52.pdf.
g. A copy of the Salt Lake Tribune news story which states that the LDS Church donated $2,078.97 of church funds to the Proposition 8 campaign. Download ind print a PDF copy of this story here: http://documents.scribd.com/docs/ifeqw2picvburmas3jw.pdf.
3. Once you have filled out the IRS complaint form and prepared your supporting documentation, transmit your complaint and supporting documents to the IRS in one of the following ways:
a. Email: Prepare your documents as PDF’s or web links, and send your complaint form with supporting documentation to eoclass@irs.gov. If sending your complaint as an email, you can simply copy and paste section 2 of these instructions into an email and attach your complaint form as PDF.
b. Fax your documents to (214) 413-5415.
c. Mail your documents to:
IRS EO Classification
Mail Code 4910DAL
1100 Commerce Street
Dallas TX 75242-1198
4. Once you have submitted your complaint, please consider signing these petitions to remove the LDS Church’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status:
a. http://www.mormonsstoleourrights.com/
b. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/review-the-501c3-status-of-the-church-of-latter-day-saints-the-mormons
----------
UPDATE: I just sent my complaint by email to the IRS. This was VERY EASY to do. I will post my the text of my letter below. Feel free to copy it:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has violated the rules for tax-exempt organizations by excessively lobbying for California Proposition 8, and for participating in the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign. I have attached a completed Form 13909.
I am providing documentation by linking to web sites and PDF documents. If necessary, I can provide this information in alternative formats.
Documentation:
a. A copy of the letter from the LDS Church Presidency to LDS Bishops, which was read aloud in all California State LDS Churches. It instructs members to "do all you can to support [Proposition 8] by donating of your means and time." The letter is available here: http://wikileaks.org/leak/first-presidency-letter-california.pdf/.
b. A transcript of the confidential LDS Church satellite broadcast, which instructed members that they must support Proposition 8, set out a detailed "three-phase" Proposition 8 campaign plan, and reiterated several lies about what would happen if Proposition 8 was not passed. The transcript is available here: https://secure.wikileaks.org/leak/lds-oct-8-prop-8-broadcast.pdf/. Audio of the broadcast is available upon request through the WikiLeaks web site.
c. A campaign planning document distributed by the LDS Church to Church leaders. The document is available here: http://wikileaks.org/leak/lds-proposition8-notes-2008.pdf/. The following WikiLeaks page explains the significance and veracity of the document: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/LDS_Church_Proposition_8_anti-gay_campaign_notes/.
d. A Daily Kos posting which includes scanned images of LDS Church documents that prove the LDS Church has been planning for the Proposition 8 campaign since at least 1997. PDF version here: http://documents.scribd.com/docs/27tmvasx7na3bksuq221.pdf. Original posting here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/11/3/15369/3779/711/651188.
e. This page, located on LDS.org, includes links to various Proposition 8 campaign information, including a Proposition 8 propaganda video: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/same-sex-marriage-and-proposition-8/. This page was accessible starting 16 October 2008.
f. This ABC News Story about how the LDS Church threatened to excommunicate a member for speaking out against Proposition 8. A PDF copy of this story can be downloaded here: http://documents.scribd.com/docs/1b2kmdia2iq15eeftc52.pdf. Original news story here: http://www.abc4.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=FEEE2BE8-BD9C-4314-88BF-E2E60AE2BCA4.
g. The Salt Lake Tribune news story which states that the LDS Church donated at least $2,078.97 of church funds to the Proposition 8 campaign. Download a PDF copy of this story here: http://documents.scribd.com/docs/ifeqw2picvburmas3jw.pdf. Original news story here: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10842051.
Thank you for your investigation of this matter. Please confirm reciept, if possible. Please contact me if any additional information is necessary.
Sincerely,
Jackson R. Howa-Morrow
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Dems get new crop of military voters!
An interesting subtext to John McCain’s defeat last week is what it means for the future of the Republican Party with respect to veterans and military voters. With McCain facing a diminished role in the GOP, and Chuck Hagel retiring from the Senate, there are few prominent Republican leaders left with military bona fides. This is in stark contrast to the Democratic Party, which has seen the emergence of a new generation of veteran leaders.
In the past two election cycles, Democrats have added ten new Democratic veterans to Congress. Last week, President-elect Barack Obama helped close the gap among military voters, winning 44 percent of veterans as opposed to John F. Kerry’s 41 percent in 2004.
Now, it will be up to a Democratic president to rebuild a military that has been pushed to the breaking point by a Republican. President-elect Obama will rebuild the military for the 21st Century by increasing the size of the Marine Corps and Army; restoring the readiness of the National Guard and Reserves; and fully equipping service members for the missions they face.
Domestically, the party that rushed us into war in Iraq has abandoned the needs of veterans here at home. It was a Democratic senator, Jim Webb of Virginia, who led the successful fight against the Bush Administration for a new GI Bill. It has been Democrats who have fought to expand health benefits for veterans, improve access to health care for reservists, and cut through the red tape at the VA.
This is not to say that Democrats are inherently more patriotic than Republicans. There are honorable people from all walks of life and political affiliations serving in the military today. But no longer will the party of Harry Truman and John Kennedy sit idly by while Republicans attack our commitment and dedication to our country.
In the past two election cycles, Democrats have added ten new Democratic veterans to Congress. Last week, President-elect Barack Obama helped close the gap among military voters, winning 44 percent of veterans as opposed to John F. Kerry’s 41 percent in 2004.
Now, it will be up to a Democratic president to rebuild a military that has been pushed to the breaking point by a Republican. President-elect Obama will rebuild the military for the 21st Century by increasing the size of the Marine Corps and Army; restoring the readiness of the National Guard and Reserves; and fully equipping service members for the missions they face.
Domestically, the party that rushed us into war in Iraq has abandoned the needs of veterans here at home. It was a Democratic senator, Jim Webb of Virginia, who led the successful fight against the Bush Administration for a new GI Bill. It has been Democrats who have fought to expand health benefits for veterans, improve access to health care for reservists, and cut through the red tape at the VA.
This is not to say that Democrats are inherently more patriotic than Republicans. There are honorable people from all walks of life and political affiliations serving in the military today. But no longer will the party of Harry Truman and John Kennedy sit idly by while Republicans attack our commitment and dedication to our country.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
ITS OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
UNION SQUARE, SAN FRANCISCO JAN 4TH 2008
AND THE CASTRO!
Colin Powell speaks of Obama's win
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Pundits Predict OBAMA!!
Matthew Dowd
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 338 McCain 200
Senate Seats: 57 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 250 Democrats 185 Republicans
George Will
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 378 McCain 160
Senate Seats: 57 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 254 Democrats 181 Republicans
Donna Brazile
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 343
Senate Seats: 59 Democrats 39 Republicans
House Seats: 262 Democrats 173 Republicans
George Stephanopoulos
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 353 McCain 185
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats (59 if there's a run-off in Georgia) Republicans 40
House Seats: Democrats 264 Republicans 171
Mark Halperin
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 349 McCain 189
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 40 Republicans
House Seats: 261 Democrats 174 Republicans
Watch these predictions on "This Week"
Chris Matthews
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 338 McCain 200
Senate Seats: 56 Democrats 42 Republicans
House Seats: 264 Democrats 171 Republicans
Nate Silver
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 347 McCain 191
Senate Seats: 57 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 258 Democrats 177 Republicans
Chris Cillizza
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: 312 McCain 226
Senate Seats: 57 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 266 Democrats 169 Republicans
Arianna Huffington
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 318 McCain 220
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 40 Republicans
House Seats: 254 Democrats 181 Republicans
Fred Barnes
Winner: McCain
Electoral College: Obama 252 McCain 286
Senate Seats: 55 Democrats 43 Republicans
House Seats: 255 Democrats 180 Republicans
Eleanor Clift
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 349 McCain 189
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 40 Republicans
House Seats: 265 Democrats 170 Republicans
Markos Moulitas
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 390 McCain 148
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 40 Republicans
House Seats: 268 Democrats 167 Republicans
Ed Rollins
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 353 McCain 185
Senate Seats: 57 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 249 Democrats 186 Republicans
Paul Begala
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 325 McCain 213
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 40 Republicans
James Carville
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 330 McCain 208
Senate Seats: 60 Democrats 38 Republicans
Charles Mahtesian (National Politics Editor, Politico.com)
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 311 McCain 227
Senate Seats: 56 Democrats 42 Republicans
House Seats: 256 Democrats 179 Republicans
Morton Kondracke
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 379 McCain 159
Senate Seats: 57 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 269 Democrats 166 Republicans
David Plotz (Editor, Slate)
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 336 McCain 202
Senate Seats: 59 Democrats 39 Republicans
House Seats: 257 Democrats 178 Republicans
Obama wins North Dakota, has more paid staff in state than voters... Joe Lieberman thrown to pack of wild dogs behind Cannon Senate Office Building. Washington left without a Bush or Dole in office for the first time since, well, a really long time ago.
Alex Castellanos (Republican media consultant)
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 318 McCain 220
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 42 Republicans
Obama wins Virginia, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Iowa and Florida; McCain wins Ohio and Missouri.... Coleman wins in Minnesota; Chambliss loses Georgia; Landrieu loses in Louisiana.
Dan Gerstein (Democratic media consultant, former manager of Sen. Joe Lieberman's re-election campaign)
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 318 McCain 220
Senate Seats: 55 Democrats 43 Republicans
House Seats: 260 Democrats 175 Republicans
Tom Doherty (New York Republican consultant)
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 331 McCain 207
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 42 Republicans
House Seats: 255 Democrats 180 Republicans
Robert Y. Shapiro (Columbia University political scientist)
Winner: Obama
Popular Vote: Obama 53 McCain 47
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 40 Republicans
House Seats: 259 Democrats 176 Republicans
Obama will hold all Kerry states and pick up Iowa, VA, NM, Colorado, NV.
Robert Erickson (Columbia University political scientist)
Winner: Obama
Popular Vote: Obama 52.5 McCain 47.5
Senate Seats: 59 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 253 Democrats 182 Republicans
Obama wins Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, and Virginia, not Florida... Democrats pick up Alaska, Minnesota, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia, New Hampshire, New Mexico and North Carolina.
Alan Abramowitz (Emory University political scientist)
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 361 McCain 177
Senate Seats: 59 Democrats 40 Republicans (with a run-off in Georgia)
House Seats: 256 Democrats 179 Republicans
Obama wins Co., Va., Fla., Oh., Ia., N.Mex. and Indiana.
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 338 McCain 200
Senate Seats: 57 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 250 Democrats 185 Republicans
George Will
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 378 McCain 160
Senate Seats: 57 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 254 Democrats 181 Republicans
Donna Brazile
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 343
Senate Seats: 59 Democrats 39 Republicans
House Seats: 262 Democrats 173 Republicans
George Stephanopoulos
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 353 McCain 185
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats (59 if there's a run-off in Georgia) Republicans 40
House Seats: Democrats 264 Republicans 171
Mark Halperin
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 349 McCain 189
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 40 Republicans
House Seats: 261 Democrats 174 Republicans
Watch these predictions on "This Week"
Chris Matthews
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 338 McCain 200
Senate Seats: 56 Democrats 42 Republicans
House Seats: 264 Democrats 171 Republicans
Nate Silver
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 347 McCain 191
Senate Seats: 57 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 258 Democrats 177 Republicans
Chris Cillizza
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: 312 McCain 226
Senate Seats: 57 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 266 Democrats 169 Republicans
Arianna Huffington
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 318 McCain 220
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 40 Republicans
House Seats: 254 Democrats 181 Republicans
Fred Barnes
Winner: McCain
Electoral College: Obama 252 McCain 286
Senate Seats: 55 Democrats 43 Republicans
House Seats: 255 Democrats 180 Republicans
Eleanor Clift
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 349 McCain 189
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 40 Republicans
House Seats: 265 Democrats 170 Republicans
Markos Moulitas
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 390 McCain 148
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 40 Republicans
House Seats: 268 Democrats 167 Republicans
Ed Rollins
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 353 McCain 185
Senate Seats: 57 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 249 Democrats 186 Republicans
Paul Begala
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 325 McCain 213
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 40 Republicans
James Carville
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 330 McCain 208
Senate Seats: 60 Democrats 38 Republicans
Charles Mahtesian (National Politics Editor, Politico.com)
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 311 McCain 227
Senate Seats: 56 Democrats 42 Republicans
House Seats: 256 Democrats 179 Republicans
Morton Kondracke
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 379 McCain 159
Senate Seats: 57 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 269 Democrats 166 Republicans
David Plotz (Editor, Slate)
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 336 McCain 202
Senate Seats: 59 Democrats 39 Republicans
House Seats: 257 Democrats 178 Republicans
Obama wins North Dakota, has more paid staff in state than voters... Joe Lieberman thrown to pack of wild dogs behind Cannon Senate Office Building. Washington left without a Bush or Dole in office for the first time since, well, a really long time ago.
Alex Castellanos (Republican media consultant)
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 318 McCain 220
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 42 Republicans
Obama wins Virginia, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Iowa and Florida; McCain wins Ohio and Missouri.... Coleman wins in Minnesota; Chambliss loses Georgia; Landrieu loses in Louisiana.
Dan Gerstein (Democratic media consultant, former manager of Sen. Joe Lieberman's re-election campaign)
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 318 McCain 220
Senate Seats: 55 Democrats 43 Republicans
House Seats: 260 Democrats 175 Republicans
Tom Doherty (New York Republican consultant)
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 331 McCain 207
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 42 Republicans
House Seats: 255 Democrats 180 Republicans
Robert Y. Shapiro (Columbia University political scientist)
Winner: Obama
Popular Vote: Obama 53 McCain 47
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 40 Republicans
House Seats: 259 Democrats 176 Republicans
Obama will hold all Kerry states and pick up Iowa, VA, NM, Colorado, NV.
Robert Erickson (Columbia University political scientist)
Winner: Obama
Popular Vote: Obama 52.5 McCain 47.5
Senate Seats: 59 Democrats 41 Republicans
House Seats: 253 Democrats 182 Republicans
Obama wins Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, and Virginia, not Florida... Democrats pick up Alaska, Minnesota, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia, New Hampshire, New Mexico and North Carolina.
Alan Abramowitz (Emory University political scientist)
Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 361 McCain 177
Senate Seats: 59 Democrats 40 Republicans (with a run-off in Georgia)
House Seats: 256 Democrats 179 Republicans
Obama wins Co., Va., Fla., Oh., Ia., N.Mex. and Indiana.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Obama has Electoral College Majority!
Barack Obama has pulled ahead in enough states to win the 270 electoral votes he needs to gain the White House — and with states to spare — according to an Associated Press analysis that shows he is now moving beyond typical Democratic territory to challenge John McCain on historically GOP turf.
Even if McCain sweeps the six states that are too close to call, he still seemingly won't have enough votes to prevail, according to the analysis, which is based on polls, the candidates' TV spending patterns and interviews with Democratic and Republican strategists. McCain does have a path to victory but it's a steep climb: He needs a sudden shift in voter sentiment that gives him all six toss-up states plus one or two others that now lean toward Obama.
Obama has 23 states and the District of Columbia, offering 286 votes, in his column or leaning his way, while Republican McCain has 21 states with 163 votes. A half dozen offering 89 votes — Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada and Ohio — remain up for grabs. President Bush won all six in 2004, and they are where the race is primarily being contested in the homestretch.
Though sounding confident, Obama is still campaigning hard. "Don't believe for a second this election is over," he tells backers. "We have to work like our future depends on it in this last week, because it does."
The underdog McCain is pressing supporters to fight on: "Nothing is inevitable here. We never give up. And we never quit."
Less than a week before Election Day, the AP analysis isn't meant to be predictive but rather provides a late snapshot of a race that's been volatile all year.
It's still possible McCain can pull off an upset. Some public and private polling shows the race tightening nationally. And, roughly one fourth of voters in a recent AP-GfK poll were undecided or said they still could change their minds. It's also still unclear how racial feelings will affect the results in voting that could give the country its first black president.
Last month, in a similar analysis, Obama had an edge over McCain but hadn't laid claim to enough states to cross the 270-vote threshold.
Since then, the economic crisis has reshaped the race, and the public's call for change has grown louder. Obama has strengthened his grip in the contest by using his significant financial advantage to lock up most states that Democrat John Kerry won four years ago, even as he makes inroads into traditionally GOP turf that McCain cannot afford to lose.
Obama now has several possible routes to victory, while McCain is scrambling to defend states where he shouldn't even have to campaign in the final days.
In new AP-GfK battleground polling, Obama has a solid lead in typically Republican Colorado, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia. He and McCain are even in two other usually GOP states: Florida and North Carolina. Obama also is comfortably ahead in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. The series of polls showed Obama is winning among early voters, is favored on most issues, benefits from the country's sour mood and is widely viewed as the likely victor by voters in these states.
McCain's senior advisers acknowledge his steep hurdles and no-room-for-error strategy. However, they insist that internal polling shows the race getting closer. They hope the gains trickle down to competitive Bush-won states in the coming days and help the Arizona senator eke out a victory in Kerry-won Pennsylvania. McCain is keeping up his attacks against Obama as a tax-and-spend liberal; his strategists contend that's moving poll numbers.
"This campaign is functionally tied across the battleground states with our numbers improving sharply," said Bill McInturff, McCain's lead pollster in a strategy memo. "All signs say we are headed to an election that may easily be too close to call by next Tuesday."
Democrats privately acknowledge the race is narrowing, though they say they aren't concerned. Obama's top aides hope not just for a win but a sweeping victory that would reshapes the political landscape.
"Strategically we tried to have as wide of a map as possible," to have many routes to reaching the magic number of 270 on Election Day, David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, told reporters this week. "We think we've been able to create that dynamic and have a lot of competitive states in play."
Indeed, Obama has used his financial heft and organizational prowess, a remnant of the long Democratic primary that was fought out in every corner of the nation, to compete in states the party has ignored in previous elections because of their histories of voting Republican. McCain has lagged in both money and manpower.
As a result, the GOP's hold on states usually considered safe has shrunk, and the election's final week is being played out largely in states that Bush won and that are toss-ups in a political climate that greatly favors Democrats.
They include the traditional GOP bastions of Indiana and North Carolina, as well as perennial battlegrounds of Missouri and Nevada. Also on the list are the crown jewels of Florida and Ohio, which were crucial in deciding the last two presidential elections. McCain could sweep all six and still lose the White House.
Obama has every state that Kerry won four years ago seemingly in the bag or leaning his way, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and New Hampshire — four states with 41 votes that McCain and his allies aggressively fought for before pulling back this month when they became out of reach. McCain still hopes to win one of Maine's electoral votes, which are allotted by congressional district.
Among Kerry's states from 2004, only Pennsylvania, which hasn't voted for a Republican since 1988, remains realistically in McCain's sights. Public polls show Obama leading by double-digits, though McCain aides say it's much closer. McCain hopes that working-class white voters who haven't fully warmed to Obama will vote Republican. Some aides say a Pennsylvania victory, with 21 votes, could be what allows McCain to win the White House, provided he can thwart Obama in Bush-held states.
Over the past month, Obama has strengthened his standing in four of those offering a combined 34 votes.
He has comfortable leads in Iowa and New Mexico polls. Long considered toss-ups, Colorado and Virginia have started tilting more toward Obama. McCain is still advertising heavily in the four and has visited all in recent days. His advisers say their polling shows the race tighter than it seems.
West Virginia and Montana both emerged as GOP trouble spots after Obama started advertising in them; the Republican National Committee was forced to go on the air this week to defend them.
Earlier in the year, Obama had put millions of dollars into Georgia and North Dakota only to pull out when McCain ended up maintaining an edge. But, as the race closes, there are indications Obama could win them, too. Obama also could pick up a single vote in Nebraska, which awards votes based on congressional districts.
There are even signs that the race in McCain's home state of Arizona — which would be a battleground if he didn't live there — is narrowing. Public polls show McCain with a single-digit lead, even though Obama hasn't targeted the state.
Even if McCain sweeps the six states that are too close to call, he still seemingly won't have enough votes to prevail, according to the analysis, which is based on polls, the candidates' TV spending patterns and interviews with Democratic and Republican strategists. McCain does have a path to victory but it's a steep climb: He needs a sudden shift in voter sentiment that gives him all six toss-up states plus one or two others that now lean toward Obama.
Obama has 23 states and the District of Columbia, offering 286 votes, in his column or leaning his way, while Republican McCain has 21 states with 163 votes. A half dozen offering 89 votes — Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada and Ohio — remain up for grabs. President Bush won all six in 2004, and they are where the race is primarily being contested in the homestretch.
Though sounding confident, Obama is still campaigning hard. "Don't believe for a second this election is over," he tells backers. "We have to work like our future depends on it in this last week, because it does."
The underdog McCain is pressing supporters to fight on: "Nothing is inevitable here. We never give up. And we never quit."
Less than a week before Election Day, the AP analysis isn't meant to be predictive but rather provides a late snapshot of a race that's been volatile all year.
It's still possible McCain can pull off an upset. Some public and private polling shows the race tightening nationally. And, roughly one fourth of voters in a recent AP-GfK poll were undecided or said they still could change their minds. It's also still unclear how racial feelings will affect the results in voting that could give the country its first black president.
Last month, in a similar analysis, Obama had an edge over McCain but hadn't laid claim to enough states to cross the 270-vote threshold.
Since then, the economic crisis has reshaped the race, and the public's call for change has grown louder. Obama has strengthened his grip in the contest by using his significant financial advantage to lock up most states that Democrat John Kerry won four years ago, even as he makes inroads into traditionally GOP turf that McCain cannot afford to lose.
Obama now has several possible routes to victory, while McCain is scrambling to defend states where he shouldn't even have to campaign in the final days.
In new AP-GfK battleground polling, Obama has a solid lead in typically Republican Colorado, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia. He and McCain are even in two other usually GOP states: Florida and North Carolina. Obama also is comfortably ahead in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. The series of polls showed Obama is winning among early voters, is favored on most issues, benefits from the country's sour mood and is widely viewed as the likely victor by voters in these states.
McCain's senior advisers acknowledge his steep hurdles and no-room-for-error strategy. However, they insist that internal polling shows the race getting closer. They hope the gains trickle down to competitive Bush-won states in the coming days and help the Arizona senator eke out a victory in Kerry-won Pennsylvania. McCain is keeping up his attacks against Obama as a tax-and-spend liberal; his strategists contend that's moving poll numbers.
"This campaign is functionally tied across the battleground states with our numbers improving sharply," said Bill McInturff, McCain's lead pollster in a strategy memo. "All signs say we are headed to an election that may easily be too close to call by next Tuesday."
Democrats privately acknowledge the race is narrowing, though they say they aren't concerned. Obama's top aides hope not just for a win but a sweeping victory that would reshapes the political landscape.
"Strategically we tried to have as wide of a map as possible," to have many routes to reaching the magic number of 270 on Election Day, David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, told reporters this week. "We think we've been able to create that dynamic and have a lot of competitive states in play."
Indeed, Obama has used his financial heft and organizational prowess, a remnant of the long Democratic primary that was fought out in every corner of the nation, to compete in states the party has ignored in previous elections because of their histories of voting Republican. McCain has lagged in both money and manpower.
As a result, the GOP's hold on states usually considered safe has shrunk, and the election's final week is being played out largely in states that Bush won and that are toss-ups in a political climate that greatly favors Democrats.
They include the traditional GOP bastions of Indiana and North Carolina, as well as perennial battlegrounds of Missouri and Nevada. Also on the list are the crown jewels of Florida and Ohio, which were crucial in deciding the last two presidential elections. McCain could sweep all six and still lose the White House.
Obama has every state that Kerry won four years ago seemingly in the bag or leaning his way, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and New Hampshire — four states with 41 votes that McCain and his allies aggressively fought for before pulling back this month when they became out of reach. McCain still hopes to win one of Maine's electoral votes, which are allotted by congressional district.
Among Kerry's states from 2004, only Pennsylvania, which hasn't voted for a Republican since 1988, remains realistically in McCain's sights. Public polls show Obama leading by double-digits, though McCain aides say it's much closer. McCain hopes that working-class white voters who haven't fully warmed to Obama will vote Republican. Some aides say a Pennsylvania victory, with 21 votes, could be what allows McCain to win the White House, provided he can thwart Obama in Bush-held states.
Over the past month, Obama has strengthened his standing in four of those offering a combined 34 votes.
He has comfortable leads in Iowa and New Mexico polls. Long considered toss-ups, Colorado and Virginia have started tilting more toward Obama. McCain is still advertising heavily in the four and has visited all in recent days. His advisers say their polling shows the race tighter than it seems.
West Virginia and Montana both emerged as GOP trouble spots after Obama started advertising in them; the Republican National Committee was forced to go on the air this week to defend them.
Earlier in the year, Obama had put millions of dollars into Georgia and North Dakota only to pull out when McCain ended up maintaining an edge. But, as the race closes, there are indications Obama could win them, too. Obama also could pick up a single vote in Nebraska, which awards votes based on congressional districts.
There are even signs that the race in McCain's home state of Arizona — which would be a battleground if he didn't live there — is narrowing. Public polls show McCain with a single-digit lead, even though Obama hasn't targeted the state.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
South Carolina's forgotten Hero- Robert Smalls
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Smalls
http://www.robertsmalls.org/about.htm
Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 - February 23, 1915) was a slave who became a national hero when he freed himself and his family from slavery on May 13, 1862 by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, The Planter, to freedom in Charleston harbor. He was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, and eventually became a politician - serving in both the SC State legislature and the United States House of Representatives. During his political career, Smalls authored legislation that created the first public school system in America in South Carolina, founded the Republican Party of South Carolina, and successfully convinced President Lincoln to accept African American soldiers into the Union army - a feat which some say infused the additional manpower that helped the Union win the Civil War.
Monday, October 27, 2008
More Voting Scams - North Carolina, Washington
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-tucker/confusing-north-carolina_b_138073.html
http://www.stealingamericathemovie.org/
http://www.gregpalast.com/robert-kennedy-greg-palast-the-final-investigation/
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D93R8IE00&show_article=1
RALEIGH, N.C. -- "I was sure I voted for president, but then a friend told me that a straight-party vote in North Carolina includes every office except president. That made me really mad," Linda Chavis told OffTheBus.
Politically speaking, Chavis didn't just fall off the turnip truck. She is a volunteer "crew chief" for the Obama campaign in Raleigh who did not notice the separation between the straight-party vote and the presidential vote on North Carolina's poorly designed ballot in 2004. "I thought I voted against George W. Bush, but it turned out I didn't vote for president at all. It's an issue today because we're still using the same confusing ballot," said Chavis.
Chavis wasn't the only dumbfounded voter in 2004. A Duke University researcher estimated that more than 90,000 people who voted in North Carolina inexplicably did not cast a vote for president. That's 60,000 to 70,000 more than researchers would expect.
"One way to measure the impact of ballot design on voter confusion is the Residual Vote Rate. That's the difference between the number of ballots cast and the number of valid votes for president cast," said David C. Kimball, a political science professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In the last two presidential elections, the number of lost votes for president was "about twice as high in North Carolina as the national average," Kimball told OffTheBus.
"I would guess that most -- if not all -- of this difference can be attributed to North Carolina's confusing ballot," said Lawrence Norden, an attorney at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. In North Carolina, a straight-party vote counter-intuitively does not include a vote for president. Voters must make a separate mark under the Presidential Contest box.
On Election Day 2008, there will probably be more voters than there were in 2004, and many of them will be first-time voters. "I believe as many as 100,000 votes for president could be lost this time around," Norden told OffTheBus.
This year's butterfly ballot?
It is important that ballots are easy to understand. Remember what happened with the butterfly ballot in Florida? When just a couple of hundred votes (out of 5.8 million cast) separated George W. Bush and Al Gore?
The ballot design flaw disproportionately impacts three groups who are likely to be heavily represented in the election this year: new voters, the poor, and the elderly. On the internet, poll workers in the Tar Heel State have "twittered" for help in explaining the ballot on election day. Some less sympathetic bloggers have replied that if people can't understand the ballot, they shouldn't be voting.
"Elections are held to get instructions from the public, they are not literacy tests," said Norden. "If something confuses people and it can easily be fixed, then it should be."
Think of it this way. "Imagine if confusing road signs were causing traffic accidents. Sure, a few people might say, 'What's wrong with those new drivers, those elderly drivers -- why can't they figure out the signs?' But before there were more fatalities, surely the government would replace the confusing signs with symbols that people can easily understand," said Norden.
Early voting started a week ago, already there are problems
"We've already had reports that people don't understand the ballot instructions," a Democratic Campaign official in North Carolina told OffTheBus. Speaking off the record, he said that the Board of Elections is "supposed to be educating voters at the polls, but so far the results are uneven. The word's not getting out consistently. Simply handing out a blue piece of paper isn't all that effective."
Adding to voter confusion, the GOP intends to challenge the legality of certain new voter registrations on Election Day, something they are already doing in Ohio. "This year I think we're going to see more first-time voters -- young people and minorities -- than ever before, and as first-time voters, they are likely to be challenged," sociologist Wayne Baker, a professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, told OffTheBus. Baker blogs the election at OurValues.org.
If two percent or more of North Carolina voters unknowingly "skip" the presidential contest, it may very well have an impact on the outcome. In 1992, George H.W. Bush narrowly defeated Bill Clinton in North Carolina by getting 43.34 percent of the vote versus 42.65 percent for Clinton. Polls indicate that this year the presidential race in North Carolina might be similarly close.
The Brennan Center recently rated North Carolina among the six best prepared states for voting system failures such as machine breakdowns and programming errors. The state's preparedness for hardware and software problems improved dramatically after their touch-screen machines failed in Carteret County in 2004 and more than 4,000 votes were lost. "I've been telling less-prepared states they don't want to become another North Carolina, waiting for a meltdown to improve their practices. And I don't want North Carolina to be another North Carolina. I hope the ballot design flaw doesn't throw the results of its presidential contest into doubt," said Norden.
As a fellow Seattleite/Washingtonian, perhaps you can take 15 seconds today to alert people to a potential WA state absentee ballot design problem. If you look at the ballot, in the upper left hand corner there is an illustration of how to correctly fill in the bubbles. The pen in the picture looks exactly like a Sharpie marker. Without thinking, I grabbed a Sharpie and started to fill out my ballot. Thankfully, after I filled in one bubble, I thought to turn over the ballot and noticed that the mark had bled completely through to the opposite side, creating a "stray mark." The mark was next to some judge who was running unopposed, so I didn't care so much about the possibility of that particular vote not being recorded. I am, however, very concerned that due to the power of suggestion, there are a whole lot of people out there filling out ballots with Sharpies, thereby rendering their ballots unreadable by machine. (And my paranoia tells me discarded altogether.)
VotersUnite.org recommends that people in North Carolina avoid straight-party voting.
http://www.stealingamericathemovie.org/
http://www.gregpalast.com/robert-kennedy-greg-palast-the-final-investigation/
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D93R8IE00&show_article=1
RALEIGH, N.C. -- "I was sure I voted for president, but then a friend told me that a straight-party vote in North Carolina includes every office except president. That made me really mad," Linda Chavis told OffTheBus.
Politically speaking, Chavis didn't just fall off the turnip truck. She is a volunteer "crew chief" for the Obama campaign in Raleigh who did not notice the separation between the straight-party vote and the presidential vote on North Carolina's poorly designed ballot in 2004. "I thought I voted against George W. Bush, but it turned out I didn't vote for president at all. It's an issue today because we're still using the same confusing ballot," said Chavis.
Chavis wasn't the only dumbfounded voter in 2004. A Duke University researcher estimated that more than 90,000 people who voted in North Carolina inexplicably did not cast a vote for president. That's 60,000 to 70,000 more than researchers would expect.
"One way to measure the impact of ballot design on voter confusion is the Residual Vote Rate. That's the difference between the number of ballots cast and the number of valid votes for president cast," said David C. Kimball, a political science professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In the last two presidential elections, the number of lost votes for president was "about twice as high in North Carolina as the national average," Kimball told OffTheBus.
"I would guess that most -- if not all -- of this difference can be attributed to North Carolina's confusing ballot," said Lawrence Norden, an attorney at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. In North Carolina, a straight-party vote counter-intuitively does not include a vote for president. Voters must make a separate mark under the Presidential Contest box.
On Election Day 2008, there will probably be more voters than there were in 2004, and many of them will be first-time voters. "I believe as many as 100,000 votes for president could be lost this time around," Norden told OffTheBus.
This year's butterfly ballot?
It is important that ballots are easy to understand. Remember what happened with the butterfly ballot in Florida? When just a couple of hundred votes (out of 5.8 million cast) separated George W. Bush and Al Gore?
The ballot design flaw disproportionately impacts three groups who are likely to be heavily represented in the election this year: new voters, the poor, and the elderly. On the internet, poll workers in the Tar Heel State have "twittered" for help in explaining the ballot on election day. Some less sympathetic bloggers have replied that if people can't understand the ballot, they shouldn't be voting.
"Elections are held to get instructions from the public, they are not literacy tests," said Norden. "If something confuses people and it can easily be fixed, then it should be."
Think of it this way. "Imagine if confusing road signs were causing traffic accidents. Sure, a few people might say, 'What's wrong with those new drivers, those elderly drivers -- why can't they figure out the signs?' But before there were more fatalities, surely the government would replace the confusing signs with symbols that people can easily understand," said Norden.
Early voting started a week ago, already there are problems
"We've already had reports that people don't understand the ballot instructions," a Democratic Campaign official in North Carolina told OffTheBus. Speaking off the record, he said that the Board of Elections is "supposed to be educating voters at the polls, but so far the results are uneven. The word's not getting out consistently. Simply handing out a blue piece of paper isn't all that effective."
Adding to voter confusion, the GOP intends to challenge the legality of certain new voter registrations on Election Day, something they are already doing in Ohio. "This year I think we're going to see more first-time voters -- young people and minorities -- than ever before, and as first-time voters, they are likely to be challenged," sociologist Wayne Baker, a professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, told OffTheBus. Baker blogs the election at OurValues.org.
If two percent or more of North Carolina voters unknowingly "skip" the presidential contest, it may very well have an impact on the outcome. In 1992, George H.W. Bush narrowly defeated Bill Clinton in North Carolina by getting 43.34 percent of the vote versus 42.65 percent for Clinton. Polls indicate that this year the presidential race in North Carolina might be similarly close.
The Brennan Center recently rated North Carolina among the six best prepared states for voting system failures such as machine breakdowns and programming errors. The state's preparedness for hardware and software problems improved dramatically after their touch-screen machines failed in Carteret County in 2004 and more than 4,000 votes were lost. "I've been telling less-prepared states they don't want to become another North Carolina, waiting for a meltdown to improve their practices. And I don't want North Carolina to be another North Carolina. I hope the ballot design flaw doesn't throw the results of its presidential contest into doubt," said Norden.
As a fellow Seattleite/Washingtonian, perhaps you can take 15 seconds today to alert people to a potential WA state absentee ballot design problem. If you look at the ballot, in the upper left hand corner there is an illustration of how to correctly fill in the bubbles. The pen in the picture looks exactly like a Sharpie marker. Without thinking, I grabbed a Sharpie and started to fill out my ballot. Thankfully, after I filled in one bubble, I thought to turn over the ballot and noticed that the mark had bled completely through to the opposite side, creating a "stray mark." The mark was next to some judge who was running unopposed, so I didn't care so much about the possibility of that particular vote not being recorded. I am, however, very concerned that due to the power of suggestion, there are a whole lot of people out there filling out ballots with Sharpies, thereby rendering their ballots unreadable by machine. (And my paranoia tells me discarded altogether.)
VotersUnite.org recommends that people in North Carolina avoid straight-party voting.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Obamas Plan - WATCH THIS AMERICA!!
VOTING FOR OBAMA IS A NO-BRAINER.
OBAMA IS "AMERICA FIRST"!
VOTING FOR MCSHAME, IS VOTING FOR BUSH.
AND WE ALL KNOW THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA NOW DONT WE?
In Order for McShame to win, (and we just love his uphill battle now dont we) he has to win all of the toss-up states, 64 electoral votes, all the yellow-shaded states on the map.
THEN he needs to try to capture Ohio and Indiana with 31 electoral votes to get him to 252. And THEN he needs to either TRY win Colorado and Virginia, which gets him to 274, OR win one of them PLUS Pennsylvania, which would get him to 282 or 286. GOOD LUCK GEORGE W. BUSH uh, I mean Senator McShame!
OBAMA IS "AMERICA FIRST"!
VOTING FOR MCSHAME, IS VOTING FOR BUSH.
AND WE ALL KNOW THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA NOW DONT WE?
In Order for McShame to win, (and we just love his uphill battle now dont we) he has to win all of the toss-up states, 64 electoral votes, all the yellow-shaded states on the map.
THEN he needs to try to capture Ohio and Indiana with 31 electoral votes to get him to 252. And THEN he needs to either TRY win Colorado and Virginia, which gets him to 274, OR win one of them PLUS Pennsylvania, which would get him to 282 or 286. GOOD LUCK GEORGE W. BUSH uh, I mean Senator McShame!
Message to Sarah Palin
Also: Cybil Sheppard speaks about Sarah Palin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcAnO7CkyD8&feature=related
Obama: The Good Samaritan and other Good Samaritans
Obama Helped Stranded Stranger 20 Years Ago
The Norwegian newspaper VG has reported a truly amazing story about a newly-wed trying to get to Norway to be with her husband, and the stranger who helped pay an unexpected luggage surcharge. The blog "Leisha's Random Thoughts" has translated the story.
It was 1988, and Mary Andersen was at the Miami airport checking in for a long flight to Norway to be with her husband when the airline representative informed her that she wouldn't be able to check her luggage without paying a 100 surcharge:
When it was finally Mary’s turn, she got the message that would crush her bubbling feeling of happiness.
-You’ll have to pay a 103 dollar surcharge if you want to bring both those suitcases to Norway, the man behind the counter said.
Mary had no money. Her new husband had travelled ahead of her to Norway, and she had no one else to call.
-I was completely desperate and tried to think which of my things I could manage without. But I had already made such a careful selection of my most prized possessions, says Mary.
As tears streamed down her face, she heard a "gentle and friendly voice" behind her saying, "That's okay, I'll pay for her."
Mary turned around to see a tall man whom she had never seen before.
-He had a gentle and kind voice that was still firm and decisive. The first thing I thought was, Who is this man?
Although this happened 20 years ago, Mary still remembers the authority that radiated from the man.
-He was nicely dressed, fashionably dressed with brown leather shoes, a cotton shirt open at the throat and khaki pants, says Mary.
She was thrilled to be able to bring both her suitcases to Norway and assured the stranger that he would get his money back. The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper that he gave to Mary. She thanked him repeatedly. When she finally walked off towards the security checkpoint, he waved goodbye to her.
Who was the man?
Barack Obama.
Twenty years later, she is thrilled that the friendly stranger at the airport may be the next President and has voted for him already and donated 100 dollars to his campaign:
He was my knight in shining armor, says Mary, smiling.
She paid the 103 dollars back to Obama the day after she arrived in Norway. At that time he had just finished his job as a poorly paid community worker* in Chicago, and had started his law studies at prestigious Harvard university.
Mary even convinced her parents to vote for him:
In the spring of 2006 Mary’s parents had heard that Obama was considering a run for president, but that he had still not decided. They chose to write a letter in which they told him that he would receive their votes. At the same time, they thanked Obama for helping their daughter 18 years earlier.
And Obama replied:
In a letter to Mary’s parents dated May 4th, 2006 and stamped ‘United States Senate, Washington DC’, Barack Obama writes:
‘I want to thank you for the lovely things you wrote about me and for reminding me of what happened at Miami airport. I’m happy I could help back then, and I’m delighted to hear that your daughter is happy in Norway. Please send her my best wishes. Sincerely, Barack Obama, United States Senator’.
The parents sent the letter on to Mary.
Mary says that when her friends and associates talk about the election, especially when race relations is the heated subject, she relates the story of the kind man who helped out a stranger-in-need over twenty years ago, years before he had even thought about running for high office.
Truly a wonderful story, and something that needs to be passed along in the maelstorm of fear-and-smear politics we are being subjected to right now.
UPDATE: Thanks for the recommends, folks! Also, remember this was 1988, when 100 dollars was quite a bit of money, compared to today's value.
By the way, this would be the perfect antidote to the Smear E-mails going around. If anyone has a good long email chain list, shoot it out, and let it be passed along.
The Norwegian newspaper VG has reported a truly amazing story about a newly-wed trying to get to Norway to be with her husband, and the stranger who helped pay an unexpected luggage surcharge. The blog "Leisha's Random Thoughts" has translated the story.
It was 1988, and Mary Andersen was at the Miami airport checking in for a long flight to Norway to be with her husband when the airline representative informed her that she wouldn't be able to check her luggage without paying a 100 surcharge:
When it was finally Mary’s turn, she got the message that would crush her bubbling feeling of happiness.
-You’ll have to pay a 103 dollar surcharge if you want to bring both those suitcases to Norway, the man behind the counter said.
Mary had no money. Her new husband had travelled ahead of her to Norway, and she had no one else to call.
-I was completely desperate and tried to think which of my things I could manage without. But I had already made such a careful selection of my most prized possessions, says Mary.
As tears streamed down her face, she heard a "gentle and friendly voice" behind her saying, "That's okay, I'll pay for her."
Mary turned around to see a tall man whom she had never seen before.
-He had a gentle and kind voice that was still firm and decisive. The first thing I thought was, Who is this man?
Although this happened 20 years ago, Mary still remembers the authority that radiated from the man.
-He was nicely dressed, fashionably dressed with brown leather shoes, a cotton shirt open at the throat and khaki pants, says Mary.
She was thrilled to be able to bring both her suitcases to Norway and assured the stranger that he would get his money back. The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper that he gave to Mary. She thanked him repeatedly. When she finally walked off towards the security checkpoint, he waved goodbye to her.
Who was the man?
Barack Obama.
Twenty years later, she is thrilled that the friendly stranger at the airport may be the next President and has voted for him already and donated 100 dollars to his campaign:
He was my knight in shining armor, says Mary, smiling.
She paid the 103 dollars back to Obama the day after she arrived in Norway. At that time he had just finished his job as a poorly paid community worker* in Chicago, and had started his law studies at prestigious Harvard university.
Mary even convinced her parents to vote for him:
In the spring of 2006 Mary’s parents had heard that Obama was considering a run for president, but that he had still not decided. They chose to write a letter in which they told him that he would receive their votes. At the same time, they thanked Obama for helping their daughter 18 years earlier.
And Obama replied:
In a letter to Mary’s parents dated May 4th, 2006 and stamped ‘United States Senate, Washington DC’, Barack Obama writes:
‘I want to thank you for the lovely things you wrote about me and for reminding me of what happened at Miami airport. I’m happy I could help back then, and I’m delighted to hear that your daughter is happy in Norway. Please send her my best wishes. Sincerely, Barack Obama, United States Senator’.
The parents sent the letter on to Mary.
Mary says that when her friends and associates talk about the election, especially when race relations is the heated subject, she relates the story of the kind man who helped out a stranger-in-need over twenty years ago, years before he had even thought about running for high office.
Truly a wonderful story, and something that needs to be passed along in the maelstorm of fear-and-smear politics we are being subjected to right now.
UPDATE: Thanks for the recommends, folks! Also, remember this was 1988, when 100 dollars was quite a bit of money, compared to today's value.
By the way, this would be the perfect antidote to the Smear E-mails going around. If anyone has a good long email chain list, shoot it out, and let it be passed along.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
John McCains Black Relatives for Obama!
Some of McCain's black relatives support Obama
BY ELGIN JONES
In the rural Teoc community of Carroll County, Miss., where the ancestors of Sen. John McCain owned enslaved Africans on a plantation, black, white and mixed-race family members unite every two years for their Coming Home Reunion, on the land where the plantation operated.
Some of McCain’s black family members say they are not sure exactly where they fall on the family tree, but they do know this: They are either descendants of the McCain family slaves, or of children the McCains fathered with their slaves.
White and black members of the McCain family have met on the plantation several times over the last 15 years, but one invited guest has been conspicuously absent: Sen. John Sidney McCain.
“Why he hasn’t come is anybody’s guess,” said Charles McCain Jr., 60, a distant cousin of John McCain who is black. “I think the best I can come up with, is that he doesn’t have time, or he has just distanced himself, or it doesn’t mean that much to him.”
Other relatives are not as generous.
Lillie McCain, 56, another distant cousin of John McCain who is black, said the Republican presidential nominee is trying to hide his past, and refuses to accept the family’s history.
“After hearing him in 2000 claim his family never owned slaves, I sent him an email,” she recalled. “I told him no matter how much he denies it, it will not make it untrue, and he should accept this and embrace it.”
She said the senator never responded to her email.
Although Charles is uncertain who will get his vote for president, several of John McCain’s black and white relatives are supporting his Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama.
“I am absolutely supporting Obama, and it’s not because he’s black. It’s because he is the best person at this time in our history,” said Lillie McCain, a professor of psychology at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan.
“We simply need to look at the economy, and McCain’s campaign does not take us there,” said Joyce McCain, Lillie’s sister, a retired engineering manager with General Motors who lives in Grand Blanc, Michigan. “He is my cousin, but we are in dire times right now and people are hurting. Sen. Obama is clearly the best choice to be president.’’
Charles McCain and his wife, Theresa, who still live in Teoc, started the reunions over a decade ago. Charles is the deacon of Mitchell Springs Baptist Church, the only black house of worship in the area.
When Theresa McCain started the family reunions in the late 1980s or early ‘90s (neither he nor his wife is sure of the exact starting date), only black family members attended. But as word spread about the gatherings, white members of the McCain family got involved. Today, the reunion has expanded to the point where it is becoming a community event.
The reunion’s website, teocfamilyreunion.ning.com, has pictures, postings and other information about the family gatherings. While Sen. McCain’s brother, Joe, and many of his other white relatives attend the reunions, family members say Sen. McCain has never acknowledged them, or even responded to their invitations.
“Well, a lot of the people who had moved away and were living up north, would send money to help us maintain the church,” said Theresa McCain, 62. “Myself and others began inviting them back home for picnics, just to show our appreciation.”
The McCain campaign did not respond to repeated questions about John McCain’s black relatives, or about his relatives of both races who support Obama. Pablo Carrillo, a media liaison with the McCain campaign, said the senator was aware of his African-American relatives, but asked the reporter to put his questions into writing, and that someone would get back to him.
After the reporter sent questions in writing, and made repeated follow-up phone calls, neither Sen. McCain nor anyone else from the campaign responded.
Based on information obtained by the South Florida Times, the senator has numerous black and mixed-raced relatives who were born on, or in, the area of the McCain plantation. The mixed races in the family can be traced back to the rural Teoc community of Carroll County, Miss., where his family owned slaves.
Sen. John McCain’s great, great grandfather, William Alexander McCain (1812-1863), fought for the Confederacy and owned a 2,000-acre plantation named Waverly in Teoc. The family dealt in the slave trade, and, according to official records, held at least 52 slaves on the family’s plantation. The enslaved Africans were likely used as servants, for labor, and for breeding more slaves.
William McCain’s son, and Sen. John McCain’s great grandfather, John Sidney McCain (1851-1934), eventually assumed the duty of running the family’s plantation.
W.A. “Bill” McCain IV, a white McCain cousin, and his wife Edwina, are the current owners of the land. Both told the South Florida Times that they attend the reunions. They also said the McCain campaign had asked them not to speak to the media about the reunions, or about why the senator has never acknowledged the family gatherings.
In addition to distancing himself from his black family members, John McCain has taken several positions on issues that have put him at odds with members of the larger black community.
While running for the Republican Party nomination in 2000, he sided with protesters who were calling for the rebel battle flag to be removed from the South Carolina statehouse, only to alter that position later.
"Some view it as a symbol of slavery. Others view it as a symbol of heritage,” John McCain said of the flag. "Personally, I see the battle flag as a symbol of heritage. I have ancestors who have fought for the Confederacy, none of whom owned slaves. I believe they fought honorably.’’
Novelist Elizabeth Spencer, another white cousin of John McCain, noted the slaves the family owned in the family’s memoirs, Landscapes of the Heart. Sen. McCain has acknowledged reading the book, but claims to have only glossed over entries about their slaves.
“That’s crazy,” said Spencer, who also attends the reunions in Teoc. “No one had to tell us, because we all knew about the slaves. I may not vote, because I don’t want anyone to think that I have an issue with John, but I don’t want to see him become president because I think Obama is entirely adequate, and it’s time for a Democrat.’’
Spencer acknowledged donating money to the Obama campaign and to what she called “Democratic causes.”
Sen. John McCain was born in 1936 at the Coco Solo Naval Air Station, a segregated military installation in the Panama Canal, where his father was stationed in the U.S. Navy. His family returned to the states shortly after his birth; where he went on to attend segregated schools in the Teoc community and elsewhere around the country.
He served in the Navy, where he was a prisoner of war during Vietnam, before being released and eventually running for Congress.
After he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, McCain voted against the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday in 1983. When he arrived in the U.S. Senate in 1986, he joined North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms in opposing the holiday again, and voted in 1994 to cut funding to the commission that marketed it.
John McCain also aligned himself with former Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham.
Mecham was the governor in McCain’s home state of Arizona from January 1987 to April 1988, when he was impeached and removed from office for campaign finance violations. As a state senator and governor, Mecham publicly used racial slurs against black people and other minorities. He was also a member of the John Birch Society, which opposes civil rights legislation. In 1986, Mecham campaigned for governor on a promise to rescind the state’s recognition of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, which he did in 1987.
Earlier this year, during the 40th anniversary recognition of King’s assassination, McCain, by this time a presidential candidate, said he was wrong for opposing the national King holiday.
Politics in America has long been steeped in the dynamics of the country’s myriad cultures, diverse ethnicities, and varying religious beliefs. Several of Sen. McCain’s black relatives say Obama’s candidacy represents progress.
“He is denying his black and white relatives in Teoc,” said Joyce McCain, 54. “I think he may not want the country to know his family’s full history, but times have changed and we need to move on, and that’s why I’m supporting Obama.”
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Photo: Lillie McCain, left, and her husband, Jack Vickers, right, pose with Joe McCain, center, during this year’s family reunion.
BY ELGIN JONES
In the rural Teoc community of Carroll County, Miss., where the ancestors of Sen. John McCain owned enslaved Africans on a plantation, black, white and mixed-race family members unite every two years for their Coming Home Reunion, on the land where the plantation operated.
Some of McCain’s black family members say they are not sure exactly where they fall on the family tree, but they do know this: They are either descendants of the McCain family slaves, or of children the McCains fathered with their slaves.
White and black members of the McCain family have met on the plantation several times over the last 15 years, but one invited guest has been conspicuously absent: Sen. John Sidney McCain.
“Why he hasn’t come is anybody’s guess,” said Charles McCain Jr., 60, a distant cousin of John McCain who is black. “I think the best I can come up with, is that he doesn’t have time, or he has just distanced himself, or it doesn’t mean that much to him.”
Other relatives are not as generous.
Lillie McCain, 56, another distant cousin of John McCain who is black, said the Republican presidential nominee is trying to hide his past, and refuses to accept the family’s history.
“After hearing him in 2000 claim his family never owned slaves, I sent him an email,” she recalled. “I told him no matter how much he denies it, it will not make it untrue, and he should accept this and embrace it.”
She said the senator never responded to her email.
Although Charles is uncertain who will get his vote for president, several of John McCain’s black and white relatives are supporting his Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama.
“I am absolutely supporting Obama, and it’s not because he’s black. It’s because he is the best person at this time in our history,” said Lillie McCain, a professor of psychology at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan.
“We simply need to look at the economy, and McCain’s campaign does not take us there,” said Joyce McCain, Lillie’s sister, a retired engineering manager with General Motors who lives in Grand Blanc, Michigan. “He is my cousin, but we are in dire times right now and people are hurting. Sen. Obama is clearly the best choice to be president.’’
Charles McCain and his wife, Theresa, who still live in Teoc, started the reunions over a decade ago. Charles is the deacon of Mitchell Springs Baptist Church, the only black house of worship in the area.
When Theresa McCain started the family reunions in the late 1980s or early ‘90s (neither he nor his wife is sure of the exact starting date), only black family members attended. But as word spread about the gatherings, white members of the McCain family got involved. Today, the reunion has expanded to the point where it is becoming a community event.
The reunion’s website, teocfamilyreunion.ning.com, has pictures, postings and other information about the family gatherings. While Sen. McCain’s brother, Joe, and many of his other white relatives attend the reunions, family members say Sen. McCain has never acknowledged them, or even responded to their invitations.
“Well, a lot of the people who had moved away and were living up north, would send money to help us maintain the church,” said Theresa McCain, 62. “Myself and others began inviting them back home for picnics, just to show our appreciation.”
The McCain campaign did not respond to repeated questions about John McCain’s black relatives, or about his relatives of both races who support Obama. Pablo Carrillo, a media liaison with the McCain campaign, said the senator was aware of his African-American relatives, but asked the reporter to put his questions into writing, and that someone would get back to him.
After the reporter sent questions in writing, and made repeated follow-up phone calls, neither Sen. McCain nor anyone else from the campaign responded.
Based on information obtained by the South Florida Times, the senator has numerous black and mixed-raced relatives who were born on, or in, the area of the McCain plantation. The mixed races in the family can be traced back to the rural Teoc community of Carroll County, Miss., where his family owned slaves.
Sen. John McCain’s great, great grandfather, William Alexander McCain (1812-1863), fought for the Confederacy and owned a 2,000-acre plantation named Waverly in Teoc. The family dealt in the slave trade, and, according to official records, held at least 52 slaves on the family’s plantation. The enslaved Africans were likely used as servants, for labor, and for breeding more slaves.
William McCain’s son, and Sen. John McCain’s great grandfather, John Sidney McCain (1851-1934), eventually assumed the duty of running the family’s plantation.
W.A. “Bill” McCain IV, a white McCain cousin, and his wife Edwina, are the current owners of the land. Both told the South Florida Times that they attend the reunions. They also said the McCain campaign had asked them not to speak to the media about the reunions, or about why the senator has never acknowledged the family gatherings.
In addition to distancing himself from his black family members, John McCain has taken several positions on issues that have put him at odds with members of the larger black community.
While running for the Republican Party nomination in 2000, he sided with protesters who were calling for the rebel battle flag to be removed from the South Carolina statehouse, only to alter that position later.
"Some view it as a symbol of slavery. Others view it as a symbol of heritage,” John McCain said of the flag. "Personally, I see the battle flag as a symbol of heritage. I have ancestors who have fought for the Confederacy, none of whom owned slaves. I believe they fought honorably.’’
Novelist Elizabeth Spencer, another white cousin of John McCain, noted the slaves the family owned in the family’s memoirs, Landscapes of the Heart. Sen. McCain has acknowledged reading the book, but claims to have only glossed over entries about their slaves.
“That’s crazy,” said Spencer, who also attends the reunions in Teoc. “No one had to tell us, because we all knew about the slaves. I may not vote, because I don’t want anyone to think that I have an issue with John, but I don’t want to see him become president because I think Obama is entirely adequate, and it’s time for a Democrat.’’
Spencer acknowledged donating money to the Obama campaign and to what she called “Democratic causes.”
Sen. John McCain was born in 1936 at the Coco Solo Naval Air Station, a segregated military installation in the Panama Canal, where his father was stationed in the U.S. Navy. His family returned to the states shortly after his birth; where he went on to attend segregated schools in the Teoc community and elsewhere around the country.
He served in the Navy, where he was a prisoner of war during Vietnam, before being released and eventually running for Congress.
After he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, McCain voted against the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday in 1983. When he arrived in the U.S. Senate in 1986, he joined North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms in opposing the holiday again, and voted in 1994 to cut funding to the commission that marketed it.
John McCain also aligned himself with former Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham.
Mecham was the governor in McCain’s home state of Arizona from January 1987 to April 1988, when he was impeached and removed from office for campaign finance violations. As a state senator and governor, Mecham publicly used racial slurs against black people and other minorities. He was also a member of the John Birch Society, which opposes civil rights legislation. In 1986, Mecham campaigned for governor on a promise to rescind the state’s recognition of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, which he did in 1987.
Earlier this year, during the 40th anniversary recognition of King’s assassination, McCain, by this time a presidential candidate, said he was wrong for opposing the national King holiday.
Politics in America has long been steeped in the dynamics of the country’s myriad cultures, diverse ethnicities, and varying religious beliefs. Several of Sen. McCain’s black relatives say Obama’s candidacy represents progress.
“He is denying his black and white relatives in Teoc,” said Joyce McCain, 54. “I think he may not want the country to know his family’s full history, but times have changed and we need to move on, and that’s why I’m supporting Obama.”
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Photo: Lillie McCain, left, and her husband, Jack Vickers, right, pose with Joe McCain, center, during this year’s family reunion.
Republicans For Obama
Dennis Hopper: Diehard Republican - voted Reagan, Bush and Bush Jr. NOW VOTING FOR BARACK OBAMA!! SEE VIDEO HERE!! www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/04/dennis-hopper-i-voted-for_n_140940.html
Fred Bramante - A prominent New Hampshire Republican who was an alternate delegate to the party's nominating convention is quitting John McCain's campaign and endorsing Barack Obama.
Bramante, a member of the state Board of Education, said he opposes McCain's support of school vouchers, which he said politicians must abandon if they want to improve education.
Ron Reagan Jr. - Obama Supporter
Former White House press secretary, Scott McClellan - Obama supporter.
Susan Eisenhower, Pres. Eisenhower's granddaughter - Obama supporter.
Goldwater's granddaughter - Obama supporter.
William Miller (Goldwater's VP) daughter - Obama supporter.
William Buckley's son - Obama supporter.
Colin Powell - Obama supporter.
Douglas KMIEC, Head of Office of Legal counsel under Ronald Reagan & George H. W. Bush - Obama Supporter.
Lincoln Chafee, Former US Senator from Rhode Island - Obama supporter.
Jim Leach, Former Congressman of Iowa - Obama supporter.
Jim Whitaker, Mayor of Fairbanks Alaska - Obama supporter.
McCain's fellow senator from Arizona, Republican Jon Kyl, told the Arizona Daily Star editorial board in an interview published Sunday "...I think John McCain might be added to that long list of Arizonans who ran for president but were never elected."
Also, Lawrence Eagleburger, who served as Secretary of State under George H.W. Bush and whose endorsement is often trumpeted by McCain, said on Thursday that the Alaska governor is not only unprepared to take over the job on a moment's notice but, even after some time in office, would only amount to an "adequate" commander in chief.
"And I devoutly hope that [she] would never be tested," he added for good measure -- referring both to Palin's policy dexterity and the idea of McCain not making it through his time in office.
Ken Duberstein (fmr Reagan cheif of staff) He said the choice of Palin undermines the whole premise of McCain having sound and good Judgement. And that even at MacDonalds, you are interviewed 3 times before you get hired.
Also Sen John Ensign (R) Nevada.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cc-goldwater/why-mccain-has-lost-our-v_b_137150.html
THIS JUST CAME OUT. AN ARTICLE FROM BARRY GOLDWATERS GRANDDAUGHTER:
Being Barry Goldwater's granddaughter and living in Arizona, one would assume that I would be voting for our state's senator, John McCain. I am still struck by certain 'dyed in the wool' Republicans who are on the fence this election, as it seems like a no-brainer to me.
Myself, along with my siblings and a few cousins, will not be supporting the Republican presidential candidates this year. We believe strongly in what our grandfather stood for: honesty, integrity, and personal freedom, free from political maneuvering and fear tactics. I learned a lot about my grandfather while producing the documentary, Mr. Conservative Goldwater on Goldwater. Our generation of Goldwaters expects government to provide for constitutional protections. We reject the constant intrusion into our personal lives, along with other crucial policy issues of the McCain/Palin ticket.
My grandfather (Paka) would never suggest denying a woman's right to choose. My grandmother co-founded Planned Parenthood in Arizona in the 1930's, a cause my grandfather supported. I'm not sure about how he would feel about marriage rights based on same-sex orientation. I think he would feel that love and respect for ones privacy is what matters most and not the intolerance and poor judgment displayed by McCain over the years. Paka respected our civil liberties and passed on the message that that we should conduct our lives standing up for the basic freedoms we hold so dear.
For a while, there were several candidates who aligned themselves with the Goldwater version of Conservative thought. My grandfather had undying respect for the U.S. Constitution, and an understanding of its true meanings.
There always have been a glimmer of hope that someday, someone would "race through the gate" full steam in Goldwater style. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened, and the Republican brand has been tarnished in a shameless effort to gain votes and appeal to the lowest emotion, fear. Nothing about McCain, except for maybe a uniform, compares to the same ideology of what Goldwater stood for as a politician. The McCain/Palin plan is to appear diverse and inclusive, using women and minorities to push an agenda that makes us all financially vulnerable, fearful, and less safe.
When you see the candidate's in political ads, you can't help but be reminded of the 1964 presidential campaign of Johnson/Goldwater, the 'origin of spin', that twists the truth and obscures what really matters. Nothing about the Republican ticket offers the hope America needs to regain it's standing in the world, that's why we're going to support Barack Obama. I think that Obama has shown his ability and integrity.
After the last eight years, there's a lot of clean up do. Roll up your sleeves, Senators Obama and Biden, and we Goldwaters will roll ours up with you.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Irvine POW disputes McCain's Vietnam claim
Retired Marine colonel is angered by the presidential candidate's statements that he helped the enemy while the two were in a Vietnamese prison camp.
Former Orange County supervisor Edison Miller is lashing out at John McCain, saying the presidential candidate falsely fingered him as a turncoat who was "actively aiding the enemy" while the two were imprisoned during the Vietnam War.
"We've had a dumb president for the last eight years and we don't need another one," he said when asked about McCain's candidacy.
Please read this article!
www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=12068
Former Orange County supervisor Edison Miller is lashing out at John McCain, saying the presidential candidate falsely fingered him as a turncoat who was "actively aiding the enemy" while the two were imprisoned during the Vietnam War.
"We've had a dumb president for the last eight years and we don't need another one," he said when asked about McCain's candidacy.
Please read this article!
www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=12068
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Colin Powell says it all folks . . .
Colin Powell's own words.
"Mr. McCain says that he's a washed up terrorist, but then why do we keep talking about him? And why do we have the robocalls going on around the country trying to suggest that because of this very, very limited relationship that Senator Obama has had with Mr. Ayers, somehow Mr. Obama is tainted. What they're trying to connect him to is some kind of terrorist feelings. And I think that's inappropriate. Now, I understand what politics is all about, I know how you can go after one another and that's good. But I think this goes too far, and I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It's not what the American people are looking for."
Powell also spoke passionately against the insinuations by some Republicans that Obama is a Muslim.
"Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian," he said. "But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, 'He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists.' This is not the way we should be doing it in America."
Friday, October 17, 2008
GOP found 9 ways to Steal Millions of Votes - 2008
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/23638322/block_the_vote
Help America Vote Act - 2004 Signed off by Republican Congress, with a Republican President. George W. Bush passed this act. That tells you something right there.
Well, what this Act really does is, assists the GOP in stealing what they are calling "Fraudulent Voters" and eliminating votes. All because of mis spellings that may have occured by a clerk, or a voter simply forgot to put their middle initial in their name when they registered. The GOP has a system called "Perfect Match" that compares registered names to government documents such as your drivers licence or social security number. If your name does not match perfectly, your name will be tossed out of the voting roll.
Another example of how your name can be thrown out:
If your name is Richard Hart, and there was another Richard Hart that was a criminal, your name will be tossed out along with all names who are Richard Hart. Poof. Gone!
Then the nice guy, Richard Hart, shows up at the polls to vote, he finds out he is not on the voter roll and is handed a provisional ballot. Once he votes on the provisional ballot, that ballot is tossed in the garbage and he will never know.
Greg Palast of BBC and Bobby Kennedy Reported on this GOP Vote scam of stealing America's vote, in Rollingstone Magazine. The article is called BLOCK THE VOTE.
In Colorado, The Sec. of State, A Republican, purged 19.4% of the voters. Thats 1 in 5 voters in the state of Colorado!
1 in 9 voters in NM were given provisional ballots. That is criminal!
There are ways to steal your vote back!
1. First of all, everyone is under the impression that you have to vote on November 4th. YOU DO NOT. You do not have to vote ON THE DAY of the election. You have 8 days prior to election day to walk in and cast your vote at your City Hall or County Election office.
2. Check your registration.
3. Bobby Kennedy wrote a comic book called STEAL BACK YOUR VOTE. This will tell you 7ways to get your vote back.
www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen
www.stealbackyourvote.org
Help America Vote Act - 2004 Signed off by Republican Congress, with a Republican President. George W. Bush passed this act. That tells you something right there.
Well, what this Act really does is, assists the GOP in stealing what they are calling "Fraudulent Voters" and eliminating votes. All because of mis spellings that may have occured by a clerk, or a voter simply forgot to put their middle initial in their name when they registered. The GOP has a system called "Perfect Match" that compares registered names to government documents such as your drivers licence or social security number. If your name does not match perfectly, your name will be tossed out of the voting roll.
Another example of how your name can be thrown out:
If your name is Richard Hart, and there was another Richard Hart that was a criminal, your name will be tossed out along with all names who are Richard Hart. Poof. Gone!
Then the nice guy, Richard Hart, shows up at the polls to vote, he finds out he is not on the voter roll and is handed a provisional ballot. Once he votes on the provisional ballot, that ballot is tossed in the garbage and he will never know.
Greg Palast of BBC and Bobby Kennedy Reported on this GOP Vote scam of stealing America's vote, in Rollingstone Magazine. The article is called BLOCK THE VOTE.
In Colorado, The Sec. of State, A Republican, purged 19.4% of the voters. Thats 1 in 5 voters in the state of Colorado!
1 in 9 voters in NM were given provisional ballots. That is criminal!
There are ways to steal your vote back!
1. First of all, everyone is under the impression that you have to vote on November 4th. YOU DO NOT. You do not have to vote ON THE DAY of the election. You have 8 days prior to election day to walk in and cast your vote at your City Hall or County Election office.
2. Check your registration.
3. Bobby Kennedy wrote a comic book called STEAL BACK YOUR VOTE. This will tell you 7ways to get your vote back.
www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen
www.stealbackyourvote.org
Anchorage Daily, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, SF Chronicle ENDORSED OBAMA!!
Obama for president
"Palin's rise captivates us but nation needs a steady hand"
(10/26/08 16:36:51)
Alaska enters its 50th-anniversary year in the glow of an improbable and highly memorable event: the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. For the first time ever, an Alaskan is making a serious bid for national office, and in doing so she brings broad attention and recognition not only to herself, but also to the state she leads.
Alaska's founders were optimistic people, but even the most farsighted might have been stretched to imagine this scenario. No matter the outcome in November, this election will mark a signal moment in the history of the 49th state. Many Alaskans are proud to see their governor, and their state, so prominent on the national stage.
Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency -- but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.
Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.
Since his early acknowledgement that economic policy is not his strong suit, Sen. McCain has stumbled and fumbled badly in dealing with the accelerating crisis as it emerged. He declared that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" at 9 a.m. one day and by 11 a.m. was describing an economy in crisis. He is both a longtime advocate of less market regulation and a supporter of the huge taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailout. His behavior in this crisis -- erratic is a kind description -- shows him to be ill-equipped to lead the essential effort of reining in a runaway financial system and setting an anxious nation on course to economic recovery.
Sen. Obama warned regulators and the nation 19 months ago that the subprime lending crisis was a disaster in the making. Sen. McCain backed tighter rules for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but didn't do much to advance that legislation. Of the two candidates, Sen. Obama better understands the mortgage meltdown's root causes and has the judgment and intelligence to shape a solution, as well as the leadership to rally the country behind it. It is easy to look at Sen. Obama and see a return to the smart, bipartisan economic policies of the last Democratic administration in Washington, which left the country with the momentum of growth and a budget surplus that President George Bush has squandered.
On the most important issue of the day, Sen. Obama is a clear choice.
Sen. McCain describes himself as a maverick, by which he seems to mean that he spent 25 years trying unsuccessfully to persuade his own party to follow his bipartisan, centrist lead. Sadly, maverick John McCain didn't show up for the campaign. Instead we have candidate McCain, who embraces the extreme Republican orthodoxy he once resisted and cynically asks Americans to buy for another four years.
It is Sen. Obama who truly promises fundamental change in Washington. You need look no further than the guilt-by-association lies and sound-bite distortions of the degenerating McCain campaign to see how readily he embraces the divisive, fear-mongering tactics of Karl Rove. And while Sen. McCain points to the fragile success of the troop surge in stabilizing conditions in Iraq, it is also plain that he was fundamentally wrong about the more crucial early decisions. Contrary to his assurances, we were not greeted as liberators; it was not a short, easy war; and Americans -- not Iraqi oil -- have had to pay for it. It was Sen. Obama who more clearly saw the danger ahead.
The unqualified endorsement of Sen. Obama by a seasoned, respected soldier and diplomat like Gen. Colin Powell, a Republican icon, should reassure all Americans that the Democratic candidate will pass muster as commander in chief.
On a matter of parochial interest, Sen. Obama opposes the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but so does Sen. McCain. We think both are wrong, and hope a President Obama can be convinced to support environmentally responsible development of that resource.
Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. She has made it clear she's a force to be reckoned with, and you can be sure politicians and political professionals across the country have taken note. Her future, in Alaska and on the national stage, seems certain to be played out in the limelight.
Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.
McCain is counting on his lower taxes platform to try to make a late comeback in the polls.
Three influential US newspapers have officially backed Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, for the November 4 election.
The Washington Post, with the headline "Obama for President", made its endorsement in an editorial, saying the Illinois senator "has the potential to become a great president".
"The choice is made easy in part by Mr McCain's disappointing campaign [and] above all his irresponsible selection of a running mate who is not ready to be president," the article read. 'Without hesitation'
The Los Angeles Times also gave its backing to Obama "without hesitation".
"As the presidential race draws to its conclusion, it is Obama's character and temperament that come to the fore. It is his steadiness. His maturity," the editorial read. "These are qualities American leadership has sorely lacked for close to a decade."
The Chicago Tribune came out in support of its home state senator on Friday as well, breaking with an anti-partisan policy that went back to the 19th century.
Steve Lombardo, a Republican pollster in Washington, said: "It appears Obama is trying to build a mandate."Can McCain do anything to turn it around? Doubtful."
"Palin's rise captivates us but nation needs a steady hand"
(10/26/08 16:36:51)
Alaska enters its 50th-anniversary year in the glow of an improbable and highly memorable event: the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. For the first time ever, an Alaskan is making a serious bid for national office, and in doing so she brings broad attention and recognition not only to herself, but also to the state she leads.
Alaska's founders were optimistic people, but even the most farsighted might have been stretched to imagine this scenario. No matter the outcome in November, this election will mark a signal moment in the history of the 49th state. Many Alaskans are proud to see their governor, and their state, so prominent on the national stage.
Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency -- but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.
Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.
Since his early acknowledgement that economic policy is not his strong suit, Sen. McCain has stumbled and fumbled badly in dealing with the accelerating crisis as it emerged. He declared that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" at 9 a.m. one day and by 11 a.m. was describing an economy in crisis. He is both a longtime advocate of less market regulation and a supporter of the huge taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailout. His behavior in this crisis -- erratic is a kind description -- shows him to be ill-equipped to lead the essential effort of reining in a runaway financial system and setting an anxious nation on course to economic recovery.
Sen. Obama warned regulators and the nation 19 months ago that the subprime lending crisis was a disaster in the making. Sen. McCain backed tighter rules for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but didn't do much to advance that legislation. Of the two candidates, Sen. Obama better understands the mortgage meltdown's root causes and has the judgment and intelligence to shape a solution, as well as the leadership to rally the country behind it. It is easy to look at Sen. Obama and see a return to the smart, bipartisan economic policies of the last Democratic administration in Washington, which left the country with the momentum of growth and a budget surplus that President George Bush has squandered.
On the most important issue of the day, Sen. Obama is a clear choice.
Sen. McCain describes himself as a maverick, by which he seems to mean that he spent 25 years trying unsuccessfully to persuade his own party to follow his bipartisan, centrist lead. Sadly, maverick John McCain didn't show up for the campaign. Instead we have candidate McCain, who embraces the extreme Republican orthodoxy he once resisted and cynically asks Americans to buy for another four years.
It is Sen. Obama who truly promises fundamental change in Washington. You need look no further than the guilt-by-association lies and sound-bite distortions of the degenerating McCain campaign to see how readily he embraces the divisive, fear-mongering tactics of Karl Rove. And while Sen. McCain points to the fragile success of the troop surge in stabilizing conditions in Iraq, it is also plain that he was fundamentally wrong about the more crucial early decisions. Contrary to his assurances, we were not greeted as liberators; it was not a short, easy war; and Americans -- not Iraqi oil -- have had to pay for it. It was Sen. Obama who more clearly saw the danger ahead.
The unqualified endorsement of Sen. Obama by a seasoned, respected soldier and diplomat like Gen. Colin Powell, a Republican icon, should reassure all Americans that the Democratic candidate will pass muster as commander in chief.
On a matter of parochial interest, Sen. Obama opposes the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but so does Sen. McCain. We think both are wrong, and hope a President Obama can be convinced to support environmentally responsible development of that resource.
Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. She has made it clear she's a force to be reckoned with, and you can be sure politicians and political professionals across the country have taken note. Her future, in Alaska and on the national stage, seems certain to be played out in the limelight.
Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.
McCain is counting on his lower taxes platform to try to make a late comeback in the polls.
Three influential US newspapers have officially backed Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, for the November 4 election.
The Washington Post, with the headline "Obama for President", made its endorsement in an editorial, saying the Illinois senator "has the potential to become a great president".
"The choice is made easy in part by Mr McCain's disappointing campaign [and] above all his irresponsible selection of a running mate who is not ready to be president," the article read. 'Without hesitation'
The Los Angeles Times also gave its backing to Obama "without hesitation".
"As the presidential race draws to its conclusion, it is Obama's character and temperament that come to the fore. It is his steadiness. His maturity," the editorial read. "These are qualities American leadership has sorely lacked for close to a decade."
The Chicago Tribune came out in support of its home state senator on Friday as well, breaking with an anti-partisan policy that went back to the 19th century.
Steve Lombardo, a Republican pollster in Washington, said: "It appears Obama is trying to build a mandate."Can McCain do anything to turn it around? Doubtful."
OHIO - Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner!!!
Jennifer Brunner stood up against the GOP and their voting scam in which they were trying to disqualify over 200,000 registered voters in OHIO!!! YOU GO GIRL!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/17/supreme-courts-ohio-decis_n_135596.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/17/supreme-courts-ohio-decis_n_135596.html
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Joe the Plumber - Has now Interviewed more than Sarah Palin
The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry isn't happy with McCain's use of "Joe the Plumber" as a campaign mascot.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/deadlineusa/2008/oct/16/uselections2008-johnmccain
The Assistant General President of THE PLUMBING AND PIPE FITTING INDUSTRY - Steve Kelly, said in a statement:
During the last Presidential debate, John McCain made Joe the Plumber a household name. His manufactured outrage on behalf of Joe would be a lot more believable if his economic plan had anything to do with helping working people deal with the economic crisis. Instead, it washes the middle class down the drain. McCain's plan gives massive tax giveaways to CEOs and mega-corporations while leaving working families out in the cold. At a time when our economy is bleeding jobs, McCain also opposes investment in infrastructure spending, which would create good jobs and help put our economy back on solid footing.
As the first union to endorse Barack Obama for the presidency, the UA looked long and hard at which candidates would put the needs of all the Joes in America first. Barack Obama has a plan to cut taxes for working people while investing in good jobs and lifting wages. Unlike McCain's, Obama's outrage for the middle class is real. He will turn us in a new direction, not keep us on the same, tired old path of the Bush years.
Well, here is a bit more about "Joe the Plumber":
Call him Samuel the unlicensed plumber, and yes, a tax cheat.
His first name isn't really Joe. It's Samuel.
He's not really a plumber - at least, not a licensed one.
He's concerned about increased taxes - but hasn't paid his own income taxes.
And, he's not exactly just a guy from Ohio.
He's lived in Arizona ... and Alaska.
And as for that "unscripted" moment that ended up on Fox News, the one at a rally where he questioned Sen. Barack Obama about the American Dream - and whether he'd have to pay higher taxes under Obama's plan?
Seems Joe told the conservative Web site familysecuritymatters.org that catching the Democratic presidential candidate off guard "was actually my intent."
"Looks like there's a crack in Joe the Plumber's story," cracked Bob Mulholland, the Democratic party activist and adviser, after some of the details of the life of 34-year-old Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. Joe the Plumber, emerged today.
In an election that has starred all sorts of celebrities - remember Paris Hilton? Britney Spears? - Wurzelbacher got his 15 minutes of fame after being referenced 26 times during Wednesday's presidential debate, 21 times by Sen. John McCain.
Today, McCain even happily declared "Joe the Plumber" to be "the winner" of the debate. Not so fast.
"Joe the Plumber's story sprang a few leaks Thursday," crowed an Associated Press story.
That's after the AP, bloggers, investigators and librarians - and The Chronicle - turned up court documents and birth records.
For one, Joe's expressed concern about paying more taxes looked a bit tarnished with the revelation that he owes Ohio about $1,200 in personal income taxes that he hasn't paid, according to the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas records. (And there's a 2007 civil filing shows a record for a $1,200 owed to a creditor, St. Charles Mercy Hospital.)
So Joe has an active lien on his property filed in January 2007, records from the Ohio Department of Taxation show.
The Toledo Blade, examining Lucas County Building Inspection records, reported that his employer, the A.W. Newell Corp., "does maintain a state plumbing license, and one with the City of Toledo, but would not be allowed to work in Lucas County outside of Toledo without a county license."
"Mr. Wurzelbacher said he works under Al Newell's license, but according to Ohio building regulations, he must maintain his own license to do plumbing work," the newspaper said. "He is also not registered to operate as a plumber in Ohio - which means he's not a plumber."
What else did Americans learn about average Joe this week?
Among the factoids gleaned from state and county records:
-- He is registered as a Republican, and voted in the state's GOP primary in March, county elections records show. But he was previously registered, dating back to 2007 in the Natural Law Party.
-- He has lived in McCain's home state - in both Mesa and Tucson, Ariz.
-- He lived in Sarah Palin's home state - in North Pole, Alaska, from September 1992 to July 1993.
And the comic Bill Maher pointed out, in his 15 minutes of fame, Joe the Plumber has already done more interviews than Palin.
McCain sparred late on Wednesday in Hempstead, New York, in a debate that was dominated by the economy and introduced a new character to the US political stage.
Joe Wurzelbacher - dubbed "Joe the Plumber" by McCain - who met Obama at a recent rally, was mentioned 23 times in the debate.
McCain first mentioned Wurzelbacher, saying the plumber had concluded he would be worse off with Obama as president, even after meeting the senator.
He then campaigned THURSDAY in Pennsylvania on Wurzelbacher high on his agenda.
"You know, Joe the plumber said 'Look, I've been working all my life - 10, 12 hours a day [and] I want to buy the business that I'm in but you're going to raise my taxes.'"
Obama mentioned "Joe the plumber" as well, asking supporters in New Hampshire: "How many plumbers [do] you know making a quarter [of a] million dollars a year?"
"If you make less than a quarter million dollars a year, which includes 98 per cent of small business owners, you won't see your taxes increase one single dime," he declared.
FUN FACT: The Plumbers Union was one of the first endorsements Obama received.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/deadlineusa/2008/oct/16/uselections2008-johnmccain
The Assistant General President of THE PLUMBING AND PIPE FITTING INDUSTRY - Steve Kelly, said in a statement:
During the last Presidential debate, John McCain made Joe the Plumber a household name. His manufactured outrage on behalf of Joe would be a lot more believable if his economic plan had anything to do with helping working people deal with the economic crisis. Instead, it washes the middle class down the drain. McCain's plan gives massive tax giveaways to CEOs and mega-corporations while leaving working families out in the cold. At a time when our economy is bleeding jobs, McCain also opposes investment in infrastructure spending, which would create good jobs and help put our economy back on solid footing.
As the first union to endorse Barack Obama for the presidency, the UA looked long and hard at which candidates would put the needs of all the Joes in America first. Barack Obama has a plan to cut taxes for working people while investing in good jobs and lifting wages. Unlike McCain's, Obama's outrage for the middle class is real. He will turn us in a new direction, not keep us on the same, tired old path of the Bush years.
Well, here is a bit more about "Joe the Plumber":
Call him Samuel the unlicensed plumber, and yes, a tax cheat.
His first name isn't really Joe. It's Samuel.
He's not really a plumber - at least, not a licensed one.
He's concerned about increased taxes - but hasn't paid his own income taxes.
And, he's not exactly just a guy from Ohio.
He's lived in Arizona ... and Alaska.
And as for that "unscripted" moment that ended up on Fox News, the one at a rally where he questioned Sen. Barack Obama about the American Dream - and whether he'd have to pay higher taxes under Obama's plan?
Seems Joe told the conservative Web site familysecuritymatters.org that catching the Democratic presidential candidate off guard "was actually my intent."
"Looks like there's a crack in Joe the Plumber's story," cracked Bob Mulholland, the Democratic party activist and adviser, after some of the details of the life of 34-year-old Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. Joe the Plumber, emerged today.
In an election that has starred all sorts of celebrities - remember Paris Hilton? Britney Spears? - Wurzelbacher got his 15 minutes of fame after being referenced 26 times during Wednesday's presidential debate, 21 times by Sen. John McCain.
Today, McCain even happily declared "Joe the Plumber" to be "the winner" of the debate. Not so fast.
"Joe the Plumber's story sprang a few leaks Thursday," crowed an Associated Press story.
That's after the AP, bloggers, investigators and librarians - and The Chronicle - turned up court documents and birth records.
For one, Joe's expressed concern about paying more taxes looked a bit tarnished with the revelation that he owes Ohio about $1,200 in personal income taxes that he hasn't paid, according to the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas records. (And there's a 2007 civil filing shows a record for a $1,200 owed to a creditor, St. Charles Mercy Hospital.)
So Joe has an active lien on his property filed in January 2007, records from the Ohio Department of Taxation show.
The Toledo Blade, examining Lucas County Building Inspection records, reported that his employer, the A.W. Newell Corp., "does maintain a state plumbing license, and one with the City of Toledo, but would not be allowed to work in Lucas County outside of Toledo without a county license."
"Mr. Wurzelbacher said he works under Al Newell's license, but according to Ohio building regulations, he must maintain his own license to do plumbing work," the newspaper said. "He is also not registered to operate as a plumber in Ohio - which means he's not a plumber."
What else did Americans learn about average Joe this week?
Among the factoids gleaned from state and county records:
-- He is registered as a Republican, and voted in the state's GOP primary in March, county elections records show. But he was previously registered, dating back to 2007 in the Natural Law Party.
-- He has lived in McCain's home state - in both Mesa and Tucson, Ariz.
-- He lived in Sarah Palin's home state - in North Pole, Alaska, from September 1992 to July 1993.
And the comic Bill Maher pointed out, in his 15 minutes of fame, Joe the Plumber has already done more interviews than Palin.
McCain sparred late on Wednesday in Hempstead, New York, in a debate that was dominated by the economy and introduced a new character to the US political stage.
Joe Wurzelbacher - dubbed "Joe the Plumber" by McCain - who met Obama at a recent rally, was mentioned 23 times in the debate.
McCain first mentioned Wurzelbacher, saying the plumber had concluded he would be worse off with Obama as president, even after meeting the senator.
He then campaigned THURSDAY in Pennsylvania on Wurzelbacher high on his agenda.
"You know, Joe the plumber said 'Look, I've been working all my life - 10, 12 hours a day [and] I want to buy the business that I'm in but you're going to raise my taxes.'"
Obama mentioned "Joe the plumber" as well, asking supporters in New Hampshire: "How many plumbers [do] you know making a quarter [of a] million dollars a year?"
"If you make less than a quarter million dollars a year, which includes 98 per cent of small business owners, you won't see your taxes increase one single dime," he declared.
FUN FACT: The Plumbers Union was one of the first endorsements Obama received.
GOP SCAMS HAVE STARTED
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D93R8IE00&show_article=1
CINCINNATI (AP) - Close to one in every three newly registered Ohio voters will end up on court-ordered lists being sent to county election boards because they have some discrepancy in their records, an elections spokesman said Wednesday.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner estimated that an initial review found that about 200,000 newly registered voters reported information that did not match motor-vehicle or Social Security records, Brunner spokesman Kevin Kidder said. Some discrepancies could be as simple as a misspelling, while others could be more significant.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati sided with the Ohio Republican Party on Tuesday and ordered Brunner to set up a system that provides those names to county elections boards. The GOP contends the information will help prevent fraud.
"Things already are in motion to comply," Kidder said. "We're working to establish these processes on how we can make this work. The computer work actually began last week."
About 666,000 Ohioans have registered to vote since January.
Brunner previously cross-checked new-voter registrations with databases run by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle and the Social Security Administration and made the results available online, but the 6th Circuit said the information was not accessible in a way that would help county election boards ferret out mismatches.
Brunner, a Democrat, told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer on Wednesday that she is concerned the court decision is a veiled attempt at disenfranchising voters. Brunner said she'll urge counties not to force these people to use provisional ballots.
The court gave Brunner until Friday to get election boards the information but it was unclear whether that deadline would be met. The court set no penalty for missing the deadline.
County election officials were trying to determine Wednesday how they will respond once they get the information.
"I'm very concerned with these new requirements as we get closer to Election Day," said Steve Harsman, director of the Montgomery County Board of Elections in Dayton. He said his staff already is working 16 hours a day, seven days a week.
"It's clearly going to have an impact in regard to resources we have to expend to resolve discrepancies," said Jeff Hastings, chairman of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Cleveland.
"We've had about 100,000 (registrations) since January and of those about 34,000 since the primary. We will do whatever is required of us."
Also Wednesday, the Ohio Republican Party said it has filed public records requests with all 88 counties for copies of forms submitted by newly registered voters, especially those who registered and cast an absentee ballot on the same day during a one-week window earlier this month.
Brunner has said that 13,141 Ohioans registered and voted immediately during the window.
"We've seen reports of fraudulent registrations, and we want to see those forms first-hand," said Jason Mauk, the state GOP's executive director.
___
CINCINNATI (AP) - Close to one in every three newly registered Ohio voters will end up on court-ordered lists being sent to county election boards because they have some discrepancy in their records, an elections spokesman said Wednesday.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner estimated that an initial review found that about 200,000 newly registered voters reported information that did not match motor-vehicle or Social Security records, Brunner spokesman Kevin Kidder said. Some discrepancies could be as simple as a misspelling, while others could be more significant.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati sided with the Ohio Republican Party on Tuesday and ordered Brunner to set up a system that provides those names to county elections boards. The GOP contends the information will help prevent fraud.
"Things already are in motion to comply," Kidder said. "We're working to establish these processes on how we can make this work. The computer work actually began last week."
About 666,000 Ohioans have registered to vote since January.
Brunner previously cross-checked new-voter registrations with databases run by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle and the Social Security Administration and made the results available online, but the 6th Circuit said the information was not accessible in a way that would help county election boards ferret out mismatches.
Brunner, a Democrat, told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer on Wednesday that she is concerned the court decision is a veiled attempt at disenfranchising voters. Brunner said she'll urge counties not to force these people to use provisional ballots.
The court gave Brunner until Friday to get election boards the information but it was unclear whether that deadline would be met. The court set no penalty for missing the deadline.
County election officials were trying to determine Wednesday how they will respond once they get the information.
"I'm very concerned with these new requirements as we get closer to Election Day," said Steve Harsman, director of the Montgomery County Board of Elections in Dayton. He said his staff already is working 16 hours a day, seven days a week.
"It's clearly going to have an impact in regard to resources we have to expend to resolve discrepancies," said Jeff Hastings, chairman of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Cleveland.
"We've had about 100,000 (registrations) since January and of those about 34,000 since the primary. We will do whatever is required of us."
Also Wednesday, the Ohio Republican Party said it has filed public records requests with all 88 counties for copies of forms submitted by newly registered voters, especially those who registered and cast an absentee ballot on the same day during a one-week window earlier this month.
Brunner has said that 13,141 Ohioans registered and voted immediately during the window.
"We've seen reports of fraudulent registrations, and we want to see those forms first-hand," said Jason Mauk, the state GOP's executive director.
___
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Palin's Husband: Has Terrorist Ties
www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr/alaskan-independence-part_b_133261.html by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
ALASKA INDEPENDENCE PARTY - AIP's creation was inspired by the rabidly violent anti-Americanism of its founding father Joe Vogler, "I'm an Alaskan, not an American," reads a favorite Vogler quote on AIP's current website, "I've got no use for America or her damned institutions." According to Vogler AIP's central purpose was to drive Alaska's secession from the United States. Alaska, says current Chairwoman Lynette Clark, "should be an independent nation."
Vogler was murdered in 1993 during an illegal sale of plastic explosives that went bad. The prior year, he had renounced his allegiance to the United States explaining that, "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government." He cursed the stars and stripes, promising, "I won't be buried under their damned flag...when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home." Palin has never denounced Vogler or his detestable anti-Americanism.
Palin's husband Todd remained an AIP party member from 1995 to 2002. Sarah can be described in McCarthy-era palaver as a "fellow traveler." While retaining her Republican registration, she attended the AIP's 1994 convention where the party called for a draft constitution to secede from the United States and create an independent nation of Alaska. The McCain Campaign has reluctantly acknowledged that she also attended AIP's 2000 Convention. She apparently found the experience so inspiring that she agreed to give a keynote address at the AIP's 2006 convention and she recorded a video greeting for this year's 2008 convention. In other words, this is not something that happened when she was eight!
So when Palin accuses Barack of "not seeing the same America as you and me," maybe she is referring to an America without Alaska. In any case, isn't it time the media start giving equal time to Palin's buddy list of anti-American bombers and other radical associates?
Sarah Palin
In 2004, America's malleable mainstream media allowed itself to be manipulated by artful Republican operatives into devoting weeks of broadcast attention and drums of ink to unfairly desecrating John ...
In 2004, America's malleable mainstream media allowed itself to be manipulated by artful Republican operatives into devoting weeks of broadcast attention and drums of ink to unfairly desecrating John ...
ALASKA INDEPENDENCE PARTY - AIP's creation was inspired by the rabidly violent anti-Americanism of its founding father Joe Vogler, "I'm an Alaskan, not an American," reads a favorite Vogler quote on AIP's current website, "I've got no use for America or her damned institutions." According to Vogler AIP's central purpose was to drive Alaska's secession from the United States. Alaska, says current Chairwoman Lynette Clark, "should be an independent nation."
Vogler was murdered in 1993 during an illegal sale of plastic explosives that went bad. The prior year, he had renounced his allegiance to the United States explaining that, "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government." He cursed the stars and stripes, promising, "I won't be buried under their damned flag...when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home." Palin has never denounced Vogler or his detestable anti-Americanism.
Palin's husband Todd remained an AIP party member from 1995 to 2002. Sarah can be described in McCarthy-era palaver as a "fellow traveler." While retaining her Republican registration, she attended the AIP's 1994 convention where the party called for a draft constitution to secede from the United States and create an independent nation of Alaska. The McCain Campaign has reluctantly acknowledged that she also attended AIP's 2000 Convention. She apparently found the experience so inspiring that she agreed to give a keynote address at the AIP's 2006 convention and she recorded a video greeting for this year's 2008 convention. In other words, this is not something that happened when she was eight!
So when Palin accuses Barack of "not seeing the same America as you and me," maybe she is referring to an America without Alaska. In any case, isn't it time the media start giving equal time to Palin's buddy list of anti-American bombers and other radical associates?
Sarah Palin
In 2004, America's malleable mainstream media allowed itself to be manipulated by artful Republican operatives into devoting weeks of broadcast attention and drums of ink to unfairly desecrating John ...
In 2004, America's malleable mainstream media allowed itself to be manipulated by artful Republican operatives into devoting weeks of broadcast attention and drums of ink to unfairly desecrating John ...
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
McCains Temper (according to Republicans)
These are Republicans commenting on McCains temper. And he DOES have a temper!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAyK-enrF1g
Here is an article explaining his vile temper in a Casino. Oh and by the way, McCain is a notorias gambler. He helped pass legislation for numerous Indian casinos across the United States. Over 400.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-09/john-mccain-shooting-craps-pissed-off/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAyK-enrF1g
Here is an article explaining his vile temper in a Casino. Oh and by the way, McCain is a notorias gambler. He helped pass legislation for numerous Indian casinos across the United States. Over 400.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-09/john-mccain-shooting-craps-pissed-off/
Tom Brokaw, Shame on You!
First off, I really have never cared for Tom Brokaw. I have always found his journalism to be biased journalism. Last night validated that. He seemed to be very partial to John McCain and rude to Obama.
McCain went past his two minutes, yet Tom Brokaw repremanded Obama for going over his time. Brokaw gave McCain the advantage by continuously asking McCain to answer the questions first. Brokaw hardly ever asked Obama to be the first to answer the question.
At one point, McCain had just finished answering a question, then a new question came to the platform. As Obama stood up to answer, assuming it was his turn this time, Tom looked right at him and turned to McCain and asked that he answer the question. He left Obama just standing there. Embarrassing him. Senator Obama handled it well. He showed the world just how presidential he is.
Funny too, just last week, the McCain camp, cried out to the media, how "Life is so unfair sometimes" referring to Gwen Ifil who moderated last weeks Veep debate. This all came about because of a book Gwen Ifil has written, which seems to favor Obama. So give me a break! Gwen did a terrific job asking great questions and showed no biasness what so ever. And here, last night was so obvious, that Brokaw favored McCain and even laughed at his jokes. He also made snide remarks in which McCain laughed with him on those.
Someone pointed out that after Obama had answered a question regarding health care, in the backround, McCain is shown signaling Tom Brokaw. Tom coincidently, switched gears and started up with a completely new question so to avoid McCain having to answer the health care question.
Lastly, after the debate, as both candidates were working the room, Senator Obama went to shake Senator McCains hand. John McCain looked right at him but did not even reach out to shake hands. So, Senator Obama with his hand still out, turned to Cindy McCain and shook her hand instead. It was then, McCain decided to reach out to shake, but the moment was gone. McCain tried to imply that Obama did not want to shake his hand. What was THAT about? Not very presidential in my opinion. McCain is no Maverick. He is no gentleman. McCain needs to leave.
NEXT DEBATE:
Wednesday, October 15, 2008: Presidential debate
Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
Moderator: Bob Schieffer
Staging: Candidates will be seated at a table
With foreign policy focus, Domestic and Economic policy
Answer Format: Same as
First Presidential Debate – Closing Statements: At the end of
this debate (only) each candidate shall have the opportunity for
a 90 second closing statement.
McCain went past his two minutes, yet Tom Brokaw repremanded Obama for going over his time. Brokaw gave McCain the advantage by continuously asking McCain to answer the questions first. Brokaw hardly ever asked Obama to be the first to answer the question.
At one point, McCain had just finished answering a question, then a new question came to the platform. As Obama stood up to answer, assuming it was his turn this time, Tom looked right at him and turned to McCain and asked that he answer the question. He left Obama just standing there. Embarrassing him. Senator Obama handled it well. He showed the world just how presidential he is.
Funny too, just last week, the McCain camp, cried out to the media, how "Life is so unfair sometimes" referring to Gwen Ifil who moderated last weeks Veep debate. This all came about because of a book Gwen Ifil has written, which seems to favor Obama. So give me a break! Gwen did a terrific job asking great questions and showed no biasness what so ever. And here, last night was so obvious, that Brokaw favored McCain and even laughed at his jokes. He also made snide remarks in which McCain laughed with him on those.
Someone pointed out that after Obama had answered a question regarding health care, in the backround, McCain is shown signaling Tom Brokaw. Tom coincidently, switched gears and started up with a completely new question so to avoid McCain having to answer the health care question.
Lastly, after the debate, as both candidates were working the room, Senator Obama went to shake Senator McCains hand. John McCain looked right at him but did not even reach out to shake hands. So, Senator Obama with his hand still out, turned to Cindy McCain and shook her hand instead. It was then, McCain decided to reach out to shake, but the moment was gone. McCain tried to imply that Obama did not want to shake his hand. What was THAT about? Not very presidential in my opinion. McCain is no Maverick. He is no gentleman. McCain needs to leave.
NEXT DEBATE:
Wednesday, October 15, 2008: Presidential debate
Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
Moderator: Bob Schieffer
Staging: Candidates will be seated at a table
With foreign policy focus, Domestic and Economic policy
Answer Format: Same as
First Presidential Debate – Closing Statements: At the end of
this debate (only) each candidate shall have the opportunity for
a 90 second closing statement.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Union President Speaks about Racism and Obama
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QIGJTHdH50
Cut and paste this to your browser. It is awesome!
Also, STAR JONES REYNOLDS responds to Bill O'Reilly/Fox News about Michelle Obama!
Below is Star Jones' informed and provocative response
to Bill O'Reilly's
comment about 'having a lynching party for Michelle
Obama if he finds
out that she truly has no pride in her country.'
Bill O'Reilly said: 'I don't want to go on a
lynching party against Michelle Obama
unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is
how the woman really feels.
If that's how she really feels - that is a bad country
or a flawed nation, whatever -
then that's legit. We'll track it down.'
Star said: 'I'm sick to death of people like Fox
News' Bill O'Reilly, and his stupid
and ignorant thinking that he can use a racial
slur again st a black woman who
could be the next First Lady of the United States , and
then give a half-assed
apology and not be taken to task and called on his crap.
What the hell is if it's
'legit,' you're going to 'track it
down?'
And then what do you plan to do? How dare this white man
with a
microphone and the trust of the public think that in 2008,
he can still
put the words 'lynch and party' together in the
same sentence with a
reference to a black woman; in this case, Michelle Obama? I
don't care
how you 'spin it' in the 'no spin zone,'
that statement in and of itself
is racist, unacceptable and inappropriate on every level.
O'Reilly claims his comments were taken out of context.
Please don't insult my intelligence while you're insulting
me. I've read the comments and hea rd them delivered in O'Reilly's
own voice; and there is no right context that exists. So, his insincere apology
and 'out-of-context' excuse is not going to cut it with me.
And just so we're clear, this has nothing to do with
the 2008 presidential election, me being a Democrat, him claiming to
be an Independent while talking like a Republican, the liberal
media or a conservative point of view. To the contrary, this is about
crossing a line in the sand that needs to be drawn based on history,
dignity, taste and truth.
Bill, I'm not sure of where you come from, but let me
tell you what
the phrase 'lynching party' conjures up to me, a
black woman born in
North Carolina ..
Those words depict the image of a group of white men who
are angry
with the state of their own lives getting together,
drinking more than they
need to drink, lamenting how some black person has moved
forward
(usually ahead of them in stature or dignity), and had the
audacity to
think that they are equal.
These same men for years, instead of looking at what
changes they should
and could make in their own lives that might remove that
bitterness born
of perceived privilege, these white men take all of that
resentment and
anger and decide to get together and drag the closest black
person near
them to their death by hanging them from a tree - usually
after violent
beating, torturing and violating their human dignity. Check
your history
books, because you don't need a masters or a law degree
from Harvard
to know that is what constitutes a 'lynching
party.'
Imagine, Michelle and Barack Obama having the audacity to
think that
they have the right to the American dream, hopes, and
ideals. O'Reilly
must think to himself: 'How dare they have the
arrogance to think they
can stand in front of this nation, challenge the status quo
and express
the frustration of millions?
When this happens, the first thing that comes to mind for
O'Reilly and
people like him is: 'it's time for a party.'
Not so fast...don't order the rope just yet.
Would O'Reilly ever in a million years use this phrase
with reference
to Elizabeth Edwards, Cindy McCain or Judi Nathan? I mean,
in all of the
statements and criticisms that were made about Judi Nathan,
the one-time
mistress turned missus, of former presidential candidate
Rudy Giuliani,
I never hear d any talk of forming a lynch party because of
something she
said or did.
So why is it that when you're referring to someone
who' s
African-American you must dig to a historical place of
pain, agony and
death to symbolize your feelings? Lynching is not a joke to
off-handedly
throw around and it is not a metaphor that has a place in
political
commentary; provocative or otherwise.
I admit that I come from a place of personal outrage here
having buried
my 90 year-old grandfather last year. This proud,
amazing African-
American man raised his family and lived through the time
when
he had to use separate water fountains, ride in the back of
a bus, take
his wife on a date to the 'colored section' of a
movie theater, and
avert his eyes when a white woman walked down the street
for fear of
what a white man and his cronies might do if they felt the
urge to
'party'; don't tell me that the phrase you
chose, Mr. O'Reilly, was
taken out of context.
To add insult to injury, O'Reilly tried to
'clarify' his statements, by
using the excuse that his comments were reminiscent of
Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas' use of the term 'high-tech
lynching' during his
confirmation hearing. I reject that analogy. You see
Justice Thomas did
mean to bring up the image of lynching in its racist
context. He was
saying that politics and the media were using a new
technology to do to
him what had been done to black men for many years -- hang
him.
Regardless of if you agreed with Justice Thomas'
premise or not, if in
fact ---Bill O'Reilly was referencing i t the context
becomes even clearer.
What annoys me more than anything is that I get the feeling
that one of
the reasons Bill O'Reilly made this statement, thinking
he could get
away with it in the first place, and then followed it up
with a lame
apology in a half-hearted attempt to smooth any ruffled
feathers, is
because he doesn't think that black women will come out
and go after
him when he goes after us. Well, he's dead wrong. Be
clear Bill O'Reilly:
here will be no lynch party for that black woman.
And this black woman assures you that if you come for her,
you come for
all of us.'
Star Jones Reynolds
ON THE SAME NOTE:
What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain were still married to the only woman he married and 19 years.
What if Obama were the candidate who left dated another woman while still married, then left his wife, for that other woman?
What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain
killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization? What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5? What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
Lets put it this way. You are The Boss. Which team would you hire?
With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care, a
weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank
foreclosures, etc.
Educational Background:
Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in
International Relations. Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
Or...
McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism
Which team are you going to hire ?
PS: What if Barack Obama had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter....
Cut and paste this to your browser. It is awesome!
Also, STAR JONES REYNOLDS responds to Bill O'Reilly/Fox News about Michelle Obama!
Below is Star Jones' informed and provocative response
to Bill O'Reilly's
comment about 'having a lynching party for Michelle
Obama if he finds
out that she truly has no pride in her country.'
Bill O'Reilly said: 'I don't want to go on a
lynching party against Michelle Obama
unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is
how the woman really feels.
If that's how she really feels - that is a bad country
or a flawed nation, whatever -
then that's legit. We'll track it down.'
Star said: 'I'm sick to death of people like Fox
News' Bill O'Reilly, and his stupid
and ignorant thinking that he can use a racial
slur again st a black woman who
could be the next First Lady of the United States , and
then give a half-assed
apology and not be taken to task and called on his crap.
What the hell is if it's
'legit,' you're going to 'track it
down?'
And then what do you plan to do? How dare this white man
with a
microphone and the trust of the public think that in 2008,
he can still
put the words 'lynch and party' together in the
same sentence with a
reference to a black woman; in this case, Michelle Obama? I
don't care
how you 'spin it' in the 'no spin zone,'
that statement in and of itself
is racist, unacceptable and inappropriate on every level.
O'Reilly claims his comments were taken out of context.
Please don't insult my intelligence while you're insulting
me. I've read the comments and hea rd them delivered in O'Reilly's
own voice; and there is no right context that exists. So, his insincere apology
and 'out-of-context' excuse is not going to cut it with me.
And just so we're clear, this has nothing to do with
the 2008 presidential election, me being a Democrat, him claiming to
be an Independent while talking like a Republican, the liberal
media or a conservative point of view. To the contrary, this is about
crossing a line in the sand that needs to be drawn based on history,
dignity, taste and truth.
Bill, I'm not sure of where you come from, but let me
tell you what
the phrase 'lynching party' conjures up to me, a
black woman born in
North Carolina ..
Those words depict the image of a group of white men who
are angry
with the state of their own lives getting together,
drinking more than they
need to drink, lamenting how some black person has moved
forward
(usually ahead of them in stature or dignity), and had the
audacity to
think that they are equal.
These same men for years, instead of looking at what
changes they should
and could make in their own lives that might remove that
bitterness born
of perceived privilege, these white men take all of that
resentment and
anger and decide to get together and drag the closest black
person near
them to their death by hanging them from a tree - usually
after violent
beating, torturing and violating their human dignity. Check
your history
books, because you don't need a masters or a law degree
from Harvard
to know that is what constitutes a 'lynching
party.'
Imagine, Michelle and Barack Obama having the audacity to
think that
they have the right to the American dream, hopes, and
ideals. O'Reilly
must think to himself: 'How dare they have the
arrogance to think they
can stand in front of this nation, challenge the status quo
and express
the frustration of millions?
When this happens, the first thing that comes to mind for
O'Reilly and
people like him is: 'it's time for a party.'
Not so fast...don't order the rope just yet.
Would O'Reilly ever in a million years use this phrase
with reference
to Elizabeth Edwards, Cindy McCain or Judi Nathan? I mean,
in all of the
statements and criticisms that were made about Judi Nathan,
the one-time
mistress turned missus, of former presidential candidate
Rudy Giuliani,
I never hear d any talk of forming a lynch party because of
something she
said or did.
So why is it that when you're referring to someone
who' s
African-American you must dig to a historical place of
pain, agony and
death to symbolize your feelings? Lynching is not a joke to
off-handedly
throw around and it is not a metaphor that has a place in
political
commentary; provocative or otherwise.
I admit that I come from a place of personal outrage here
having buried
my 90 year-old grandfather last year. This proud,
amazing African-
American man raised his family and lived through the time
when
he had to use separate water fountains, ride in the back of
a bus, take
his wife on a date to the 'colored section' of a
movie theater, and
avert his eyes when a white woman walked down the street
for fear of
what a white man and his cronies might do if they felt the
urge to
'party'; don't tell me that the phrase you
chose, Mr. O'Reilly, was
taken out of context.
To add insult to injury, O'Reilly tried to
'clarify' his statements, by
using the excuse that his comments were reminiscent of
Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas' use of the term 'high-tech
lynching' during his
confirmation hearing. I reject that analogy. You see
Justice Thomas did
mean to bring up the image of lynching in its racist
context. He was
saying that politics and the media were using a new
technology to do to
him what had been done to black men for many years -- hang
him.
Regardless of if you agreed with Justice Thomas'
premise or not, if in
fact ---Bill O'Reilly was referencing i t the context
becomes even clearer.
What annoys me more than anything is that I get the feeling
that one of
the reasons Bill O'Reilly made this statement, thinking
he could get
away with it in the first place, and then followed it up
with a lame
apology in a half-hearted attempt to smooth any ruffled
feathers, is
because he doesn't think that black women will come out
and go after
him when he goes after us. Well, he's dead wrong. Be
clear Bill O'Reilly:
here will be no lynch party for that black woman.
And this black woman assures you that if you come for her,
you come for
all of us.'
Star Jones Reynolds
ON THE SAME NOTE:
What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain were still married to the only woman he married and 19 years.
What if Obama were the candidate who left dated another woman while still married, then left his wife, for that other woman?
What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain
killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization? What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5? What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
Lets put it this way. You are The Boss. Which team would you hire?
With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care, a
weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank
foreclosures, etc.
Educational Background:
Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in
International Relations. Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
Or...
McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism
Which team are you going to hire ?
PS: What if Barack Obama had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter....
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