Richmond for Obama
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An open forum for the Democratic base in Richmond to schedule events, educate voters and support the campaign for Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.
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By Robert Hutton - Nov 9, 2010
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron resisted a request from Chinese officials yesterday to remove the poppy symbol that Britons wear every November in memory of their war dead during his visit to Beijing.
Poppies have been Britain’s symbol of remembrance since World War I, when the flowers grew on battlefields. The Royal British Legion sells paper poppies in November to raise funds for veterans in the run-up to Armistice Day on Nov. 11.
The flower has a different resonance in China, which fought and lost two Opium Wars with Britain in the 19th century. Those resulted in the U.K. forcing the Chinese to open their borders to trade, including in the narcotic derived from the poppy. Britain also gained the territory of Hong Kong, which was not handed back to China until 1997.
Two British officials familiar with the matter said the Chinese had requested the prime minister and his delegation remove the poppies from their lapels before they arrived yesterday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where Cameron was greeted by Premier Wen Jiabao and inspected an honor guard of the People’s Liberation Army. The U.K. government refused, on the grounds that the symbol was important to Britain.
This year is the 150th anniversary of the Second Opium War, which ended when the British and French armies arrived in Peking, as Beijing was then known, and destroyed the emperor’s Summer Palace to remind the Chinese of their defeat...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-09/cameron-risks-spat-with-chinese-by-wearing-poppy-during-visit-to-beijing.html
My compliments to the British Prime Minister on his firm stance to still honor his nation's soldiers regardless of Red China's position. We understand the Red Chinese have little to no regard for humanity but to expect to impose such a belief on the British, or anyone else for that matter, is beyond the pale.
Furthermore, it was Britain who first gave credibility to the Red Chinese takeover of the Chinese mainland some sixty years ago in the brand spanking new United Nations by recognizing the Communist government led by Mao Se Tung (sp?). Red China needs to get over itself. Prime Minister Cameron would be wise to read the Red Chinese the proverbial riot act, in private of course, about this tempest in a teapot and move on.
Why is [President] Obama putting a Fannie Mae/Goldman Sachs lobbyist/consultant as NSA?
By: Timothy P. Carney
Senior Examiner Columnist
10/15/10 4:10 PM EDT
Obama last week tapped Tom Donilon as National Security Advisor. What’s Donilon’s resume? I summarized it when folks floated his name as potential White House chief of staff:
He was a top lobbyist at Fannie Mae during the housing bubble, when Fannie fought — with Democratic help — to avoid any restrictions or curbs on its work to inflate home values and get more people under mortgage. Before that, Donilon was a lobbyist at O’Melveny and Myers, where Fannie was a client.
In 2008, according to his financial disclosure forms, Donilon was a paid consultant for Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Apollo Investments.
Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., had a similar reaction to the NSA news, putting out this press release:
“Now that we’re in a post 9/11 environment we need a National Security Advisor who has a history of expertise with security issues to protect us against terrorists and not a lobbyist who has a history of running our economy into the ditch as Senior Vice President & General Counsel for Fannie Mae and a lobbyist for Goldman Sachs”
This doesn't happen too often but, I find myself in agreement with the Republicans on this one. Mr. President, we can do far better than some financial lobbyist for the post of National Security Adviser. The Republican gentlemen from FL is spot on in his critque of this decision. And quite frankly, Mr. President, this is yet another reason why us Blue Dogs are feeling rather apathetic about the mid-term elections. We have to do better, Mr. President. Our future as a nation depends on it.
In that short period of time, voters across the nation will head to the polls for the 2010 midterm elections. By all accounts, we Democrats are headed for an arse-whipping. Could this be true? What has brought us to this point especially after the miracle of 2008?
It can be for only one reason, bad management. We knew we were sending in a new guy when we voted for President Obama in 2008. That is what we were looking for. However, it would appear that the POTUS has done an excellent job of becoming "one of the gang" in DC. That isn't why we voted for him.
Mr. President, I believe the majority of us voted for you to bring change to DC. We understand that the GOP have been inventing new and exciting ways of obstructing your legislative agenda. But the disconnect you have displayed between your administration and the people who elected you to that office has been growing, it seems, by the day.
We all understood the need for comprehensive legislative reform to the medical insurance industry and we appreciate most of what you accomplished. But the fact that certain Senators were allowed to either gut or cash in on this legislation without so much as a whisper of discontent coming from the West Wing is beyond the pale. And to push through this legislation while practically ignoring the plight of the common working person through the second George W. Bush recession is what garnered, in part, such a vicious response. And still, you ignored the people and allowed legislation to passed and enacted that does nothing but make people buy insurance they can't afford in a recession or otherwise.
Mr. President, we the people are tired of being ignored especially in favor of the fat cats who appear to be running this administration. While Larry Summers resignation was welcome news, there are still a number of people in your administration, namely Treasury Secretary Geithner, whose actions, to date, suggest they don't give a rat's arse about the working people of this nation, only the fat cats. If you think I'm wrong about this, look at how well Wall St. has recovered from the recession. Well, what about Main St., Mr. President?
I'm sitting this election out as a protest to the policies of the first two years. Normally, I find a campaign to work for as I did with VP Gore in 2000, Sen. Kerry in 2004, Gov. Kaine in 2005, Sen. Webb in 2006, Sen. Warner in 2008, and State Sen. Deeds failed VA gubnetorial bid in 2009. Mr. President, I cannot support the party this fall because, IMHO, the party has failed to support us.
This does not mean I'll support a Republican this fall. I may as well shoot myself if I drop off the deep end that far. But just like the Republican Party, it would appear that we, too, have become beholden to big business interests in lieu of everyone else. And that stance I cannot and will not support.
In closing, Mr. President, you have two years left to turn it all around. Don't end up a victim of history like President Carter did. Fight for what you know is right, Mr. President, and not just for the top two percent but for the bottom ninety-eight percent. The top two percent are doing just fine and will continue to be just fine.
I know this one post will not be enough to change everyone's mind. Perhaps the 2010 election results will. If the 2010 results do not make this administration see the errors of its way, the 2012 results most certainly will.
It can be for only one reason, bad management. We knew we were sending in a new guy when we voted for President Obama in 2008. That is what we were looking for. However, it would appear that the POTUS has done an excellent job of becoming "one of the gang" in DC. That isn't why we voted for him.
Mr. President, I believe the majority of us voted for you to bring change to DC. We understand that the GOP have been inventing new and exciting ways of obstructing your legislative agenda. But the disconnect you have displayed between your administration and the people who elected you to that office has been growing, it seems, by the day.
We all understood the need for comprehensive legislative reform to the medical insurance industry and we appreciate most of what you accomplished. But the fact that certain Senators were allowed to either gut or cash in on this legislation without so much as a whisper of discontent coming from the West Wing is beyond the pale. And to push through this legislation while practically ignoring the plight of the common working person through the second George W. Bush recession is what garnered, in part, such a vicious response. And still, you ignored the people and allowed legislation to passed and enacted that does nothing but make people buy insurance they can't afford in a recession or otherwise.
Mr. President, we the people are tired of being ignored especially in favor of the fat cats who appear to be running this administration. While Larry Summers resignation was welcome news, there are still a number of people in your administration, namely Treasury Secretary Geithner, whose actions, to date, suggest they don't give a rat's arse about the working people of this nation, only the fat cats. If you think I'm wrong about this, look at how well Wall St. has recovered from the recession. Well, what about Main St., Mr. President?
I'm sitting this election out as a protest to the policies of the first two years. Normally, I find a campaign to work for as I did with VP Gore in 2000, Sen. Kerry in 2004, Gov. Kaine in 2005, Sen. Webb in 2006, Sen. Warner in 2008, and State Sen. Deeds failed VA gubnetorial bid in 2009. Mr. President, I cannot support the party this fall because, IMHO, the party has failed to support us.
This does not mean I'll support a Republican this fall. I may as well shoot myself if I drop off the deep end that far. But just like the Republican Party, it would appear that we, too, have become beholden to big business interests in lieu of everyone else. And that stance I cannot and will not support.
In closing, Mr. President, you have two years left to turn it all around. Don't end up a victim of history like President Carter did. Fight for what you know is right, Mr. President, and not just for the top two percent but for the bottom ninety-eight percent. The top two percent are doing just fine and will continue to be just fine.
I know this one post will not be enough to change everyone's mind. Perhaps the 2010 election results will. If the 2010 results do not make this administration see the errors of its way, the 2012 results most certainly will.
...Also, let me put to you another simple question: Have you as an individual paid too high a price for these gains? Plausible self-seekers and theoretical die-hards will tell you of the loss of individual liberty. Answer this question also out of the facts of your own life. Have you lost any of your rights or liberty or constitutional freedom of action and choice? Turn to the Bill of Rights of the Constitution, which I have solemnly sworn to maintain and under which your freedom rests secure. Read each provision of that Bill of Rights and ask yourself whether you personally have suffered the impairment of a single jot of these great assurances. I have no question in my mind as to what your answer will be. The record is written in the experiences of your own personal lives.
In other words, it is not the overwhelming majority of the farmers or manufacturers or workers who deny the substantial gains of the past year. The most vociferous of the doubting Thomases may be divided roughly into two groups: First, those who seek special political privilege and, second, those who seek special financial privilege. About a year ago I used as an illustration the 90% of the cotton manufacturers of the United States who wanted to do the right thing by their employees and by the public but were prevented from doing so by the 10% who undercut them by unfair practices and un-American standards. It is well for us to remember that humanity is a long way from being perfect and that a selfish minority in every walk of life -- farming, business, finance and even Government service itself -- will always continue to think of themselves first and their fellow-being second.
In the working out of a great national program which seeks the primary good of the greater number, it is true that the toes of some people are being stepped on and are going to be stepped on. But these toes belong to the comparative few who seek to retain or to gain position or riches or both by some short cut which is harmful to the greater good. In the execution of the powers conferred on it by Congress, the Administration needs and will tirelessly seek the best ability that the country affords. Public service offers better rewards in the opportunity for service than ever before in our history -- not great salaries, but enough to live on. In the building of this service there are coming to us men and women with ability and courage from every part of the Union. The days of the seeking of mere party advantage through the misuse of public power are drawing to a close. We are increasingly demanding and getting devotion to the public service on the part of every member of the Administration, high and low...
http://www.ssa.gov/history/fdrstmts.html
The conservatives have been using the same tactics for over seventy years. They attempt to scare the sheeple into believing their rights are being stripped away when, in fact, they're not. Over the past decade and a half, conservatives have stripped away more rights and protections of the every day working person than even the most savvy of politicos realize.
The comments from above are from an address made by the great Franklin D. Roosevelt on 28JUN34. Isn't ironic how they ring true today? Once again, the conservative money worshippers in the Republican Party have attempted to divide us by spreading malicious, untrue statements about our liberties. They're trying to convince the sheeple President Obama is turning our great nation into a socialist or communist form of government. They were lying seventy-five years ago and they're lying again.
So we are called to once again defend this great nation of ours against all enemies foreign and domestic. We know who our foreign enemies are. Fortunately, we know who our domestic enemies are as well. Recognize them for what they are; Americans in name only. A real American cares about what happens to their neighbor, their state or commonwealth, their fellow Americans.
Does the rhetoric from the political right reflect those traditional American values? Does a Republican and\or a conservative hollering, "Get a job", to a handicapped person attempting to ask a question at a town hall meeting instill a sense of pride in your fellow citizens? Does a person carrying a firearm to an event where the first African-American POTUS is speaking instill a sense of security? There can be only one logical answer to that question. Isn't it ironic that the modern day Republican Party has been nicknamed the party of no because that is the answer to those questions.
I am, in no way, as elequent a speaker or writer as the great FDR nor do I presume to be. I wish I were. But I cannot sit idly by while nefarious right wing forces attempt to overthrow the duly elected U.S. government with talk of coups and insurrections. Is this what the Republican Party has devolved to now that they've, once again, been cast into the political wilderness where they belong? Sadly, the answer would appear to be yes.
Be prepared my fellow Americans. Be prepared to use rheotric, or any other tool at our disposal, to beat back those who measure a man's worth simply by the contents of his checkbook, not his character. Be prepared to defend your country, your way of life, and your POTUS from the forces of darkness.
In closing, I quote from the Holy Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:7-13.
7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
9 What profit hath he that worketh in that for which he laboreth?
10 I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time. Also He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice and to do good in his life,
13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor: it is the gift of God.
Claim your gift from God. But prepare yourselves for the evils conservatives would wrought upon us especially those who claim to come in the name of God. And the next time some conservative and\or Republican says that every American does not deserve the basic rights of food, shelter, clothing, and healthcare, do not be afraid to call a spade a spade or, in this case, an evildoer and evildoer. Shout it from the rooftops. Arm yourselves with intelligence, wit, and guile. And if all else fails, arm yourselves in the traditional sense for their rhetoric indicates those on the radical right are doing such. Put the proverbial spotlight on this person, or group of people, and let sunlight be the best antiseptic. We can rid ourselves of the cancer of conservatism. Like any medical procedure that any American should be entitled to, it may hurt at first but it'll be well worth it in the end.
Rachel Maddow and Keith Olberman last night (18DEC08), on their respective shows on MSNBC, http://www.rachel.msnbc.com , did a good job at espousing the opinion of those who believe that Pastor Warren was not the best choice to deliver inauguration invocation on 20JAN09. I do not share all of Pastor Warren's views, either however, the choice was not yours or mine to make, it was President-elect Obama's choice as it is his inauguration.
But to automatically disqualify him for his opinion(s) is no better than qualifying someone based merely on their opinion(s). Pastor Warren, and those that follow him, had every right to advocate for CA Prop 8 as much as all the groups that advocated against CA Prop 8. That is our political process. And once again, in accordance with CA law, the will of the people is served. You and I may not agree with the majority decision but, elections have consequences.
Pastor Warren represents the views of tens of millions of Americans if not hundreds of millions when it comes to his religious convictions about gay marriage and other political hot button issues such as abortion. President-elect Obama will be the POTUS to all 300 million of us, not just the LGBT community and their supporters. Furthermore, the President-elect stated throughout his entire campaign that he was opposed to gay marriage but in favor of civil unions. The LGBT's knew this. What was their alternative, vote for Sen. McCain (R-AZ) or some third-party hack that didn't stand a snowball's chance in Hades of getting elected? The LGBT community will have a seat at the proverbial table in 2009. It will not be a front row seat though due to political considerations.
Once again, we are a nation of law, not men. The rule of law must be followed otherwise we live in a state of anarchy. Every single right we have, or do not have, is by the will of the people through their elected officials. There are consitutional mechanisms in place to amend the constitution or repeal any amendment. If the votes were there, any Amendment could be gone by the end of 2009. Want to ban guns? Repeal the 2nd Amendment. Want to make alcohol illegal again? Repeal the 21st Amendment. Want to ban term limits on the POTUS and VPOTUS? Repeal the 22nd Amendment. And if you want to secure gay marriage for the LGBT community, then it is time for the "28th Amendment". The trick will be finding the votes for such.
And as of this time in history, the votes are not there. IMO, the votes will not be there until the baby boomers have died off. Polling of CA voters indicated that those under 35 voted two to one against CA Prop 8. That will be the generation that brings gay marriage into existence, not us.
In VA, when we amended our constitution back in 2004, the gay marriage ban passed by a margin of two to one. The thirty-plus states that have passed similar amendments saw those pass by a similar margin.
The LGBT Community often asks, "How would gay people marrying affect heterosexual marriage"? The correct answer is, "It wouldn't". But the majority of Americans (60%+) disagree with that notion. Therefore, the question needs to be changed to, "If the LGBT community has the same rights as marriage but it is called a CU, why should that affect their 'marriage'"?
In closing, if the LGBT Community wants the same rights as married couples, the only viable alternative at this point in history is Civil Unions (CU's). Polling indicates that CU's enjoy significantly more support than gay marriage does. Is that seperate but equal? Yes, it is. Does that suck? Yes, it does as much as it did when the same standard was applied to African-Americans. Is that the best we can do now under the rule of law. Yes, it is because if it won't pass in, arguably, the most liberal state in the union, it darn sure won't pass anywhere else.
But to automatically disqualify him for his opinion(s) is no better than qualifying someone based merely on their opinion(s). Pastor Warren, and those that follow him, had every right to advocate for CA Prop 8 as much as all the groups that advocated against CA Prop 8. That is our political process. And once again, in accordance with CA law, the will of the people is served. You and I may not agree with the majority decision but, elections have consequences.
Pastor Warren represents the views of tens of millions of Americans if not hundreds of millions when it comes to his religious convictions about gay marriage and other political hot button issues such as abortion. President-elect Obama will be the POTUS to all 300 million of us, not just the LGBT community and their supporters. Furthermore, the President-elect stated throughout his entire campaign that he was opposed to gay marriage but in favor of civil unions. The LGBT's knew this. What was their alternative, vote for Sen. McCain (R-AZ) or some third-party hack that didn't stand a snowball's chance in Hades of getting elected? The LGBT community will have a seat at the proverbial table in 2009. It will not be a front row seat though due to political considerations.
Once again, we are a nation of law, not men. The rule of law must be followed otherwise we live in a state of anarchy. Every single right we have, or do not have, is by the will of the people through their elected officials. There are consitutional mechanisms in place to amend the constitution or repeal any amendment. If the votes were there, any Amendment could be gone by the end of 2009. Want to ban guns? Repeal the 2nd Amendment. Want to make alcohol illegal again? Repeal the 21st Amendment. Want to ban term limits on the POTUS and VPOTUS? Repeal the 22nd Amendment. And if you want to secure gay marriage for the LGBT community, then it is time for the "28th Amendment". The trick will be finding the votes for such.
And as of this time in history, the votes are not there. IMO, the votes will not be there until the baby boomers have died off. Polling of CA voters indicated that those under 35 voted two to one against CA Prop 8. That will be the generation that brings gay marriage into existence, not us.
In VA, when we amended our constitution back in 2004, the gay marriage ban passed by a margin of two to one. The thirty-plus states that have passed similar amendments saw those pass by a similar margin.
The LGBT Community often asks, "How would gay people marrying affect heterosexual marriage"? The correct answer is, "It wouldn't". But the majority of Americans (60%+) disagree with that notion. Therefore, the question needs to be changed to, "If the LGBT community has the same rights as marriage but it is called a CU, why should that affect their 'marriage'"?
In closing, if the LGBT Community wants the same rights as married couples, the only viable alternative at this point in history is Civil Unions (CU's). Polling indicates that CU's enjoy significantly more support than gay marriage does. Is that seperate but equal? Yes, it is. Does that suck? Yes, it does as much as it did when the same standard was applied to African-Americans. Is that the best we can do now under the rule of law. Yes, it is because if it won't pass in, arguably, the most liberal state in the union, it darn sure won't pass anywhere else.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden 1,313,103 49.56%
John McCain and Sarah Palin 1,308,123 49.37%
Precincts Reporting:
1,997 of 2,496 (80.00%)
Voter Turnout:
2,649,181 of 4,912,971 active voters (53.92%)
2,649,181 of 5,034,660 total voters (52.61%) Votes by County/City
https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2008/07261AFC-9ED3-410F-B07D-84D014AB2C6B/Unofficial/1_s.shtml
How's that for close. We're still waiting to hear from Richmond, Roanoke, and part of northern VA. VA will be close!
Congratulations to Senator-Elect Mark Warner!
John McCain and Sarah Palin 1,308,123 49.37%
Precincts Reporting:
1,997 of 2,496 (80.00%)
Voter Turnout:
2,649,181 of 4,912,971 active voters (53.92%)
2,649,181 of 5,034,660 total voters (52.61%) Votes by County/City
https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2008/07261AFC-9ED3-410F-B07D-84D014AB2C6B/Unofficial/1_s.shtml
How's that for close. We're still waiting to hear from Richmond, Roanoke, and part of northern VA. VA will be close!
Congratulations to Senator-Elect Mark Warner!
VA is going to be closer than it looks. The weather forecast is for rain in the SE quadrant of the state. This is a big area for the Republicans due to the military population of Hampton Roads however, we're relying on heavy African-American turnout in Portsmouth, Norfolk, and Newport News.
Along the I-95 corridor, where we Democrats enjoy the advantage, the forecast is for intermittent rain. While none of the projected precipitation for Election Day is expected to be severe, it may have an impact on voter turnout.
So where does that leave us? I stand by my original predicition from last week.
Obama 49%
McCain 47%
Nader 2%
Barr 1%
All others 1%
Senate:
Former Gov. Mark Warner (D-VA) 62%
Former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R-VA) 35%
House:
Dems +1
Along the I-95 corridor, where we Democrats enjoy the advantage, the forecast is for intermittent rain. While none of the projected precipitation for Election Day is expected to be severe, it may have an impact on voter turnout.
So where does that leave us? I stand by my original predicition from last week.
Obama 49%
McCain 47%
Nader 2%
Barr 1%
All others 1%
Senate:
Former Gov. Mark Warner (D-VA) 62%
Former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R-VA) 35%
House:
Dems +1
I witnessed something today that made me incredibly proud. Something that gives me hope for a better tomorrow. Those events are few and far between these days.
My mother is seventy-nine years old and is from the coal camps of the great state of WV. She was still in diapers when the Great Depression started in 1929 and, needless to say,
her childhood consisted of a dirt-poor existence during the depression and World War Two. How these people made it through that is beyond me but it speaks volumes as to
the noble and enduring spirit of this generation of Americans. It is that spirit and perservernace that we should all aspire to.
My mother was an ardent supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) during the Democratic primary. She proudly casted her ballot for Sen. Clinton on 12FEB08 here in VA. When Sen. Clinton conceded, my mother was crushed and took her disappointment out on our nominee, Sen. Obama (D-IL). Furthermore, my mother is from a different
time. She had the old prejudices from a time that should be long forgotten but isn’t. It was the same reservations that Sen. Obama expressed about his ailing grandmother having. In fact, at the behest of my now decease father, she voted for Gov. George
Wallace (I-AL) in the 1968 election.
At first, she stated that she was going to vote for Sen. McCain (R-AZ) out of anger for the way she perceived that Sen. Clinton was treated. For all intents and purposes, she was a de facto PUMA without even knowing what a PUMA was. Slowly, she realized the error
of doing that. After all, people of her generation from WV believe in God, guns, coal, and Robert C. Byrd Democrats. She then thought of casting a write-in ballot for Sen. Clinton. Then she realized the futility of that.
Today, her absentee ballot came in the mail that we requested from VA Board of Elections. Her heart condition and athritis would not her stand in line for hours on Election Day. She stated she would miss the sense of community one feels when they’re standing in line with their neighbors to perform their second most important civic duty as Americans. The most important, of course, is to defend this nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. But today, I am proud to report that after much soul searching, and a bit campaigning from her only child, namely me, that my mother proudly cast her VA
Absentee Ballot for Senator Barack H. Obama, hopefully to be our forty-fourth President of the United States. And now all I can think about are the words of the great Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), “The hope still lives and the dream shall never die.”
My mother is seventy-nine years old and is from the coal camps of the great state of WV. She was still in diapers when the Great Depression started in 1929 and, needless to say,
her childhood consisted of a dirt-poor existence during the depression and World War Two. How these people made it through that is beyond me but it speaks volumes as to
the noble and enduring spirit of this generation of Americans. It is that spirit and perservernace that we should all aspire to.
My mother was an ardent supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) during the Democratic primary. She proudly casted her ballot for Sen. Clinton on 12FEB08 here in VA. When Sen. Clinton conceded, my mother was crushed and took her disappointment out on our nominee, Sen. Obama (D-IL). Furthermore, my mother is from a different
time. She had the old prejudices from a time that should be long forgotten but isn’t. It was the same reservations that Sen. Obama expressed about his ailing grandmother having. In fact, at the behest of my now decease father, she voted for Gov. George
Wallace (I-AL) in the 1968 election.
At first, she stated that she was going to vote for Sen. McCain (R-AZ) out of anger for the way she perceived that Sen. Clinton was treated. For all intents and purposes, she was a de facto PUMA without even knowing what a PUMA was. Slowly, she realized the error
of doing that. After all, people of her generation from WV believe in God, guns, coal, and Robert C. Byrd Democrats. She then thought of casting a write-in ballot for Sen. Clinton. Then she realized the futility of that.
Today, her absentee ballot came in the mail that we requested from VA Board of Elections. Her heart condition and athritis would not her stand in line for hours on Election Day. She stated she would miss the sense of community one feels when they’re standing in line with their neighbors to perform their second most important civic duty as Americans. The most important, of course, is to defend this nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. But today, I am proud to report that after much soul searching, and a bit campaigning from her only child, namely me, that my mother proudly cast her VA
Absentee Ballot for Senator Barack H. Obama, hopefully to be our forty-fourth President of the United States. And now all I can think about are the words of the great Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), “The hope still lives and the dream shall never die.”
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Police say a campaign volunteer confessed to making up a story that a mugger attacked her and cut the letter B in her face after seeing her McCain bumper sticker; now she's facing charges.
At a news conference this afternoon, officials said they believe that Ashley Todd's injuries were self-inflicted.
Todd, 20, of Texas, is now facing charges for filing a false report to police.
Todd initially told police that she was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield and that the suspect began beating her after seeing her GOP sticker on her car.
Police investigating the alleged attack, however, began to notice some inconsistencies in her story and administered a polygraph test.
Investigators asked Todd to return to the police station today for more questioning and to help them release a composite sketch of the suspect.
When she did, police say she admitted that she made the whole thing up and that it snowballed out of control.
Todd told investigators today that she "just wanted to tell the truth" â€" adding that she was neither robbed, nor attacked.
Todd told police that while she did not remember how the backward "B" got on her face, she may have done it herself since she was the only one in the car when she saw it.
According to police, Todd said she thought of Barack Obama when she saw the "B" in her rearview mirror.
Officials say they do not believe any other people were involved; and Todd's friends believed the story about the attack â€" encouraging her to call police. Read More »
At a news conference this afternoon, officials said they believe that Ashley Todd's injuries were self-inflicted.
Todd, 20, of Texas, is now facing charges for filing a false report to police.
Todd initially told police that she was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield and that the suspect began beating her after seeing her GOP sticker on her car.
Police investigating the alleged attack, however, began to notice some inconsistencies in her story and administered a polygraph test.
Investigators asked Todd to return to the police station today for more questioning and to help them release a composite sketch of the suspect.
When she did, police say she admitted that she made the whole thing up and that it snowballed out of control.
Todd told investigators today that she "just wanted to tell the truth" â€" adding that she was neither robbed, nor attacked.
Todd told police that while she did not remember how the backward "B" got on her face, she may have done it herself since she was the only one in the car when she saw it.
According to police, Todd said she thought of Barack Obama when she saw the "B" in her rearview mirror.
Officials say they do not believe any other people were involved; and Todd's friends believed the story about the attack â€" encouraging her to call police. Read More »
Three weeks from now the first results from the east coast will be coming in. It'll still be early but, we should have a good sense as to what the night shall bring. We will either experience a win that'll give this great nation of ours a fighting chance or a crushing defeat that very well may doom our very existence.
Why do I bring up the spectre of defeat? One, I'm a Democrat; I'm used to it. Two, with all the polls showing we are pulling away we run the risk of voter apathy. If we get soft now, we run the risk of letting Sen. McCain making an epic comeback. He's already done it once in his party's primaries. Do not underestimate this man or his followers.
We must keep knocking on doors. We must keep manning the phone banks and making donations to the Obama campaign as well as all of the down ticket races. This is our last chance. Treat it as such.
Three more weeks, my fellow Democrats, three more weeks...
Read More »My fellow Democrats, like you, I am quite encouraged by all of the polling data we've seen in the past few weeks. Click on the "Read More" link for current polling data from ElecotralVote.com. I firmly believe that if the election were held today we'd clear 300 electoral votes easily. But the election is not today. It is four weeks from today. There are two more debates and, of course, the proverbial October Surprise to get through. And we all know that four weeks is a long time in the world of politics.
Please do not become complacent. Keep working at your local campaign offices. Keep making donations if and when you can. Sen. McCain (R-AZ) has not given up yet and we will not let up. This election is too important and we've come to far to do anything less. Our very future is at stake.
In closing, we have all come a long way here. We should take some solace in what we've accomplished but not let up one single iota. The party is as unified as it's going to get. We are on the cusp of beginning to recover from the worst presidential administration in American history. The best way to accomplish that is to elect Senator Barack Hussein Obama our forty-fourth POTUS and to elect sixty Democratic Senators for a filibuster proof majority. Four more weeks, my fellow Democrats, four more weeks... Read More »
Please do not become complacent. Keep working at your local campaign offices. Keep making donations if and when you can. Sen. McCain (R-AZ) has not given up yet and we will not let up. This election is too important and we've come to far to do anything less. Our very future is at stake.
In closing, we have all come a long way here. We should take some solace in what we've accomplished but not let up one single iota. The party is as unified as it's going to get. We are on the cusp of beginning to recover from the worst presidential administration in American history. The best way to accomplish that is to elect Senator Barack Hussein Obama our forty-fourth POTUS and to elect sixty Democratic Senators for a filibuster proof majority. Four more weeks, my fellow Democrats, four more weeks... Read More »
Soros floats alternative bailout plan with Dems
By Alexander Bolton
Posted: 09/30/08 11:19 PM [ET]
The billionaire financier George Soros, a major Democratic financial backer, is floating his own rescue plan among Democratic lawmakers who are uncertain what to do in the wake of a surprise defeat of a proposed $700 billion rescue package proposed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
Soros has outlined his plan in an opinion editorial in the Financial Times and circulated a concept paper among decision-makers.
Specifically, the liberal philanthropist has proposed that government funds should be used to recapitalize the American banking system by purchasing equity in banks and investment firms.
Democratic Rep. Jim Moran (Va.) scheduled a meeting Tuesday afternoon with Robert Johnson, a former manager of the Soros Fund Management, to discuss the proposal.
Moran compared the proposal to Warren Buffet’s $5 billion investment in the investment firm Goldman Sachs Group in return for preferred stock and warrants to buy common stock at a discount.
Soros has also contacted Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) presidential campaign to share his views on the financial crisis and the best way to solve it.
Soros described the plan he outlined in his concept paper in an opinion editorial that appeared in the Financial Times early Wednesday morning, Greenwich Meridian Time.
“Instead of purchasing troubled assets, the bulk of the funds ought to be used to recapitalize the banking system,” Soros wrote.
“The Treasury secretary would rely on bank examiners rather than delegate implementation of [the Troubled Asset Relief Program] to Wall Street firms,” he wrote in reference to the plan first crafted by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. “The bank examiners would establish how much additional equity capital each bank needs in order to be properly capitalized according to existing capital requirements.”
“The recapitalized banks would be allowed to increase their leverage, so they would resume lending,” he wrote.
Soros has emerged as a harsh critic of the Treasury Department, especially of Paulson’s proposal for the government to buy $700 billion of distressed mortgage-backed securities to restore the flow of credit in the financial markets.
It is unclear whether his entry onto the debris-strewn field of the debate will help lawmakers reach agreement on an alternative proposal or further anger House Republicans, who blew up a compromise plan on the House floor Monday...
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/soros-floats-alternative-bailout-plan-with-dems-2008-09-30.html Read More »
LISBON, Portugal (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she's excited about a landmark trip she will make to Libya on Friday, becoming the highest-ranking American official to visit the North African country in more than a half-century.
"I am very much looking forward to it," she said here before leaving for Tripoli, where she will meet and shake hands with Moammar Gadhafi and close a nearly three-decade era of bitter animosity between the United States and Libya.
"It is a historic moment and it is one that has come after a lot of difficulty, the suffering of many people that will never be forgotten or assuaged, Americans in particular for whom I am very concerned," Rice told a news conference in Lisbon.
"It is also the case that this comes out of a historic decision that Libya made to give up weapons of mass destruction and renounce terrorism," she said. "Libya," she added, "is a place that is changing and I want to discuss how that change is taking place."...
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080905/D930HSA00.html
Now what the hell is Secretary Rice doing in Libya when the Russians are invading Georgia, Iraq is still a mess, Afghanistan is neglected, and so on? Then I read on...
...As the first secretary of state to visit the former pariah, oil-rich country in more than a half-century, Rice's visit will represent a foreign policy success for a Bush administration badly in need of one in its final months...
It's all about the oil, again. COL Ghaddafi should feel fortunate in one respect. We didn't send the Marines in to "negotiate" as we did in Iraq.
Two months from yesterday, we will elect the United States' forty-fourth POTUS. This POTUS will be responsible for cleaning up the affairs of the Bush Administration, the most incompetent since the days of Herbert Hoover and to restore America's standing in the world. It is a daunting task.
Some have argued that this election will pit young against old, black versus white, religious against secularist. They are correct. And they have been correct since the inception of American elections over two centuries ago.
So how do we win? Read More »
Some have argued that this election will pit young against old, black versus white, religious against secularist. They are correct. And they have been correct since the inception of American elections over two centuries ago.
So how do we win? Read More »
Location: Wilmington, DE
My Story: Joe Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the first of four siblings in an Irish-Catholic family. The family later moved to a middle-class neighborhood in Delaware. At age 29, he became one of the youngest people ever elected to the United States Senate. Right after being elected, his first wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. People rallied around him, and for the next five years, he raised his two sons as a single parent, never forgetting family comes first. He never forgot where he came from. While most Senators live in Washington, he commutes home every night using public transportation to be with his wife of almost 30 years, Jill, a school teacher, and his now 89-year-old mother. They have three children - Beau, Hunter, and Ashley - and five grandchildren.
Birth Date: November 20th Issues: Civil Liberties; Civil Rights; Economic Growth; Education; Election Reform; Energy Policy; Environment; Good Government; Healthcare; Military Issues; National Security; Retirement Security
Registered to Vote: Yes
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Political Identification: Progressive
"History says, Don't hope on this side of the grave. But then, once in a lifetime the longed for tidal wave of justice can rise up, and hope and history rhyme." - Seamus Heaney's "The Cure at Troy"
http://www.democrats.org/page/dashboard/public/gHskf
Also, here are some more links regarding Sen. Biden's service and career:
http://biden.senate.gov/senator/
http://biden.senate.gov/senator/timeline/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26010055/
Location: Wilmington, DE
My Story: Joe Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the first of four siblings in an Irish-Catholic family. The family later moved to a middle-class neighborhood in Delaware. At age 29, he became one of the youngest people ever elected to the United States Senate. Right after being elected, his first wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. People rallied around him, and for the next five years, he raised his two sons as a single parent, never forgetting family comes first. He never forgot where he came from. While most Senators live in Washington, he commutes home every night using public transportation to be with his wife of almost 30 years, Jill, a school teacher, and his now 89-year-old mother. They have three children - Beau, Hunter, and Ashley - and five grandchildren.
Birth Date: November 20th
Issues: Civil Liberties; Civil Rights; Economic Growth; Education; Election Reform; Energy Policy; Environment; Good Government; Healthcare; Military Issues; National Security; Retirement Security
Registered to Vote: Yes
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Political Identification: Progressive
"History says, Don't hope on this side of the grave. But then, once in a lifetime the longed for tidal wave of justice can rise up, and hope and history rhyme." - Seamus Heaney's "The Cure at Troy"
http://www.democrats.org/page/dashboard/public/gHskf
Read More »LENEXA, Kan. -- After weeks of speculation and days of intense rumors, the answer to who Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama would name as his running mate may have come down to a bumper sticker printed in Lenexa.
KMBC's Micheal Mahoney reported that the company, which specializes in political literature, has been printing Obama-Bayh material. That's Bayh as in U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana. Word leaked out about the material as it was being printed up by Gill Studios of Lenexa. The Obama campaign had said it would make the announcement by text message on Friday.
Gill Studios, would not confirm information about the material. They would not deny it either. The company president would not comment when asked by Mahoney about the reports. But at least three sources close to the plant's operations reported the Obama-Bayh material was being produced.
Bayh has a reputation as a fiscally conservative Democrat. Bayh endorsed Hillary Clinton and it is believed that he could help the Obama ticket by delivering a key battleground state.
Obama has arranged a joint appearance for Saturday with his running mate at the state capitol in Springfield, Ill...
http://www.kmbc.com/politics/17267009/detail.html Read More »
Michelle was born on January 17, 1964, to Marian and Fraser Robinson on Chicago's South Side and graduated from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago's West Loop. After high school Michelle went on to Princeton University where in 1985 she graduated with a B.A. in sociology and a minor in African American studies. After college, Michelle continued her education at Harvard Law School, where she earned her degree in 1988. For three years after law school, Michelle worked as an associate in the area of marketing and intellectual property at Chicago law firm Sidley and Austin, where she met Barack Obama. She left the corporate law world in 1991 to pursue a career in public service, serving as an assistant to the mayor and then as the assistant commissioner of planning and development for the City of Chicago. In 1993, she became the founding executive director of Public Allies - Chicago, a leadership training program that received AmeriCorps National Service funding and helped young adults develop skills for future careers in the public sector. Michelle began her involvement with the University of Chicago in 1996. As associate dean of student services, she developed the University's first community service program. Michelle also served as executive director of community and external affairs until 2005, when she was appointed vice president of community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center. She also managed the business diversity program. Michelle has fostered the University of Chicago's relationship with the surrounding community and developed the diversity program, making them both integral parts of the Medical Center's mission. Barack, Michelle and their two daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, live on the South Side of Chicago.
http://www.barackobama.com/learn/meet.php#michelle
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid474445759?KeepThis=true&
Just west of El Paso, near where Spanish conquistador Juan de Onate crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico in 1598, construction crews have completed a steel fence authorities say is a new model for border security. The five-meter (18-foot) tall fence has a mesh woven so tightly that feet and fingers cannot grab hold, but it still allows people to see through. Steel pylons are set close enough to stop a truck from bursting through, and two meters of reinforced concrete underground deters any tunneling. The structure is designed to push would-be illegal immigrants and drug smugglers out into the desert where they are more easily caught, said Border Patrol Agent Martin Hernandez. "Will it completely stop them from coming across? Of course not," Hernandez said. "Rest assured, there will eventually be holes in parts of the wall made by people trying to get in. But it buys us valuable time." The US Department of Homeland Security is racing to meet a December 31 deadline to raise 670 miles of steel fences and vehicle barriers along the 3,200 kilometer (2,000 mile) long southern border. About half has been completed, including this six kilometer (four mile) segment at New Mexico's Santa Teresa Port of Entry. But DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff faces a flurry of lawsuits by environmentalists and border communities that could stop construction cold... http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080805132655.d1bc5iw6&show_article=1 Read More »
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