"Tennessee voters got the shaft today by a shameless group of Republican politicians bent on winning at all costs," Forrester said. "They evidently could care less about trampling on democracy. I hope voters understand they have been had by a group of politicians who cooked up an elaborate scheme to steal elections here in Tennessee.
"Their claim that this was only about saving taxpayer money is a bogus one. We have $35 million already set aside in federal funds to buy this equipment and train workers on it. To knowingly mislead the public about this issue is wrong and a disservice to the state."
State lawmakers overwhelmingly passed in 2008 the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act, which requires all county election commissions to make the switch to optical scan machines and paper ballots before the November 2010 elections.
Last year, Secretary of State Tre Hargett spearheaded efforts to delay implementation of the law, claiming he could not find properly certified machines in time for the 2010 elections. The Senate failed to pass the delaying tactic, but Republican state Sens. Ron Ramsey and Bill Ketron vowed to delay the law at the beginning of this year's session, which began on Tuesday (Jan. 12).
"Some of the Republicans in the state Legislature's leadership were emboldened by what happened in 2008 when they gained majorities in both chambers," Forrester said. "So they figured the best way to maintain their majorities was to control who and how the ballots are counted."
The nonpartisan group Common Cause Tennessee even sued the secretary of state, state Election Coordinator Mark Goins and the state Election Commission for failing to implement the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act. A Davidson County judge agreed with TVCA proponents and ruled in November "that the State is obligated to take prompt, effective steps to meet the statutory deadline using compliant voting systems."
"Yesterday's action by the Senate's Republican leadership just goes to show you how some of them think," Forrester said. "If you don't like the rules, change them."
Republicans now control all 95 county election commissions where many local election administrators have been replaced. A federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the ousted election administrators, contending Republicans violated their constitutional rights by conspiring to treat their jobs as political patronage. The federal suit coincides with several other pending lawsuits filed in state chancery courts by individual county election administrators who were fired.
"I believe that the Republican leadership in the General Assembly is involved in a conspiracy to steal elections through intimidation, fraud and denying basic constitutional rights," Forrester said. "Mr. Hargett, Mr. Ketron and Mr. Ramsey should be ashamed of what they have done."
###
Contact: Keith Talley
TNDP Communications Director
615-327-9779 (office)
keith@tndp.org
We have added 3 co-hosts- Dana Garrett (Delaware), John Morgan (Pennsylvania) and Walt Garvin (Pennsylvania) to our WGPA SUNNY 1100AM Thursday morning show. We expect to soon offer a college radio version of the show and are actively exploring new commercial stations.
We are moving from just a show to a "brand" concept that will hopefully have many new Democratic Talk Radio shows each unique to their market/station. All will work together with various DTR hosts being frequent guests on other DTR shows. We have been doing something similar with other progressive and labor radio shows for years.
Our goal is to either get a version of our show in every community or get another progressive, pro-labor, pro-middle class, pro-democratic show on the air in each community. In our opinion, our kind of shows are allies of similar shows instead of competitors. We are really mission driven instead of profit driven. Breaking even while not taking a paycheck sounds fine to us provided we impact policy discussions and actual policy in a positive way.
We badly need funding to move forward or even stay on the air in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. We need your help in raising these funds.
We welcome and need your ideas as well as new allies in these new markets. Our top fundraisers will be invited to join the new Democratic Talk Radio Advisory Board. This group will steer our expansion efforts, help raise funds, plan activities and play a role in our future programming.
If interested, please contact me at demlabor@aol.com. Our phone number is 443-907-2367. Our mailing address is: Democratic Talk Radio, 698 Old Baltimore Pike, Newark, Delaware 19702.
Even if you are not interested in joining our Advisory Board, we could still use any donations in any amount.
We can run ads or you can sponsor a whole show for just $250. Sponsors can sometimes be guests or play a role in guest selection provided the desired show fits with our larger mission.
In solidarity,
Stephen Crockett
Host, Democratic Talk Radio
Editor, Mid-Atlantic Labor.com
Talk about losing ALL claim to "Fair and Balanced."
I certainly do do see them offering Al Gore or Howard Dean the same kind of deal. FOX NEWS looks like a way to finance Republican hacks to spew Republican talking points 24/7 and call that BS news.
Everyone should publicly denounce the deal unless Fox News gets either Howard Dean, Al Gore or someone of their status from the Democratic side a show on the network.
One of the villains was an easy and obvious choice. Fox News commentator and author Glenn Beck wins a Democratic Talk Radio Villain of 2009 Award for unashamedly spreading lies, myths and innuendos with no conscience.
The Editor of Buzzflash.com Mark Karlin wins a Democratic Talk Radio Hero of 2009 Award for unselfishly devoting all his time and energies to debunking them. The role the Internet played in counteracting the corporate dominance and bias in the realm of political news in 2009 cannot be overstated.
Paul Krugman wins a Hero Award for his role of speaking truth to power in his multiple roles as economist, New York Times columnist and Book author. Congress and the Obama Administration should be listening to him in dealing with the current economic crisis. Every American citizen should read his recent book The Conscience of a Liberal. It will help you understand the current economic crisis, healthcare reform and much more.
Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) wins a Villain Award for politicizing national security and putting every American flying on a commercial airline at risk by placing a hold on the confirmation of the head of the TSA. His rationale for this action is nearly as outrageous as the action. He does not want TSA employees to have the right to unionize and bargain collectively for better pay, benefits and working conditions. DeMint claims that TSA would not be as effective with a unionized workforce. Exactly why having demoralized, underpaid workers doing security screening at airports will make us safer escapes all of us here at Democratic Talk Radio. Union haters abound in Republican Right circles but DeMint has taken his bias to dangerous extremes.
The entire Republican Party power structure and the few corporate Democrats undermining healthcare insurance reform in America collectively win a Democratic Talk Radio Villain of 2009 award for their outrageous public behavior, serving corporate interests instead of the public good and lying to the American public. Single-payer, government provided healthcare should have been seriously considered as a policy option but was not because of these villains. The final bills passed by both houses of Congress are much weaker than they should have been (although the House version does have a better funding mechanism and a weak public option provision). Americans will suffer and die as a result of the actions of these villains by the millions in coming decades! Jobs will be lost because American businesses will still be paying for health insurance while foreign competitors will not.
Former Vermont Governor and DNC Chair Howard Dean wins a Hero Award for publicly speaking the truth during the healthcare insurance debate. Unlike the Republican medical doctors serving in Congress, Dr. Dean understands and lives by the medical ethical slogan “do not harm.” This ethical standard should be applied in both the medical and political fields.
For more information, please contact Democratic Talk Radio at demlabor@aol.com or by phone at 443-907-2367.Our website is http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com .
The current healthcare insurance reform debate has highlighted for everyone how much the balance of power has shifted in terms of public debate against the interests of American workers and towards the interests of giant corporations. Corporate media has not given a real voice to labor leaders who represent the millions of American workers most heavily impacted by this issue. Right Wing talk radio has distorted elements of the issue, the process and relevant facts beyond all recognition. Most of the opposition to real change from the American public comes from not hearing the truth. Lack of balance in this debate reveals the one-sided nature of corporate media.
Why was single-payer, universal healthcare deemed “off the table” when it is the norm in nearly every other industrialized nation in the world? It was corporate power! The corporate media deemed it “radical” and working Americans had no effective voice in framing the debate. We will all suffer as a result.
Corporate power killed the Fairness Doctrine in broadcasting. This means that the public airwaves are solely being used even in political terms for private profit. Since corporations have huge spending advantages over their workers’ organizations (labor unions), workers have been effectively shut out of the public debate. It has impacted politics, government policy and American working family living standards for decades.
The relative lack of effective working families-oriented media has resulted in awful government policies that have ruined American manufacturing, killed Americans in unjustified wars and by denying healthcare, gutted pensions, legalized predatory lending, polluted our environment, weakened civil liberties, curtailed voting rights and given the wealthiest of the wealthy near veto rights over government policy. Instead of government acting as a check and balance to international corporations it far too often has become a tool of them. The ruination of the American economy has assisted the excessive concentration of wealth in our nation and weakened American democracy.
We cannot reverse this anti-working family, anti-American democracy course without getting our message to the American people. We must create a media network to help offset one-sided corporate media. Labor radio certainly will play a key role if it survives!
Progressive organizations and individuals inside and outside organized labor must find a way to help struggling labor radio programs survive the current economic crisis. Will they? I do not know the answer. Read More »
On Monday, Wisconsin Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton (D) droped out of the 2010 Wisconsin gubernatorial race and that puts eyes on Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to enter the gubernatorial race as the Democratic candidate. Rumors have been around since August of this year that Mayor Barrett might be a candidate for Governor.
On Tuesday, Wisconsin for Tom Barrett launched TomForGovernor.com, a supplement to their Facebook Group that has over 700 members supporting Mayor Barrett for Governor in 2010.
From TomForGovernor.com:
Wisconsin for Tom Barrett is aimed at asking and supporting Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to run as a candidate for Wisconsin Governor. We believe Mayor Barrett is the best Democratic candidate for the Governor's Office. Mayor Barrett has been committed to creating family supporting jobs, strengthening neighborhoods. We believe that Mayor Barrett will make Wisconsin a safe and healthy environment for every resident.
Please join us in encouraging Mayor Barrett to run for Governor of the State of Wisconsin.
Scott Walker, the only major Republican candidate for Governor in Wisconsin, has already raised over one million dollars and is working hard to raise another million dollars while the Democrats in Wisconsin don't have a candidate. We need to keep Wisconsin a Blue State.
Please check out TomForGovernor.com and join the Facebook Group. Please encourage Mayor Tom Barrett to run for Wisconsin Governor. Mayor Barrett has a better political resume than other Democrat else considering a run. He is not only a politician but a citizen that cares deeply for Wisconsin.
Asher Heimermann is a teenager from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Please visit his official website at www.asherheimermann.org for more information. You can also follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/aheimermann.
http://www.asherheimermann.com
The new AsherHeimermann.com includes: ideas to get involved, a sign up for email updates, social networks to help get the word out online, and much more. This website was designed to efficiently and effectively learn about me and my efforts to family, friends, neighbors, and strangers alike
This new website is the latest addition to our efforts, but it is by no means the culmination. Stay tuned to AsherHeimermann.com the coming days for more information. And remember, be the first to know when you follow me on Twitter.
Thanks for your support,
Asher Heimermann
http://www.asherheimermann.com
http://www.twitter.com/aheimermann
P.S. If you are able, please consider donating today to help ensure that I can keep making a difference. Go to http://donate.asherheimermann.com to make a donation of any size. Your small donations help me in a huge way. Thank you.
After listening today to the Louisiana Governor respond to Obama's speech to Congress and the American nation on the economic crisis and healthcare, I suddenly realized that the Jindal-type of Republican should never, ever be placed in a position of governmental responsibility. Unfortunately, the Jindal-type dominates the national Republican power structure.
Governor Jindal simply does not believe in government. His references to the awful Bush Republican response to Katrina show that he just does not get it. Jindal seems to think that since Bush blew the federal government response to that disaster, therefore, government is inherently incompetent.
It is true that under Bush the personnel responsible for disaster relief were incompetent. Those individuals were selected for entirely political and ideological reasons. They did not believe in government. Essentially, they were Jindal-type Republicans! They were Bush Republicans!
If you believe government will always fail, you are very likely going to fail in the management of government. If politics, ideology and achieving power take precedence over implementing sound policy in your value system, you are a poor candidate for being good at managing government agencies or programs.
Jindal is certainly not alone in his contempt for using government to better the condition of our economically suffering citizens. Along with Jindal, the Republican Governors of Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Alaska have indicated that they would not accept federal money to extend and expand unemployment benefits for the citizens of their states. The reasons they gave are illogical and seem to be motivated by politics instead of real policy concerns.
The citizens of these states losing their jobs are going to suffer simply because these Governors do not really believe in helping citizens facing economic adversity not of their own making. Texas Governor Perry has never been concerned with helping the unemployed, in my opinion; because they do not write big campaign checks and Perry does not really believe in government. Governor Palin of Alaska along with Governor Jindal of Louisiana both seem to be more concerned with running for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination than in serving the citizens of their states. Read More »
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create or save 143,000 Pennsylvania jobs by the end of 2010. The jobs will come from smart investments in the future of Pennsylvania including.
ďĽ Children
$99.5 million Child support enforcement
$ 42 million child tax credit
$60 million childcare access and quality improvement
http://clasp.org/publications/aara_childcarestatealloc.pdf
Education
$565 for Pell grants
$22 million for Head Start
$460 million for students with disabilities
http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/ARRAConferenceStateTable.pdf
ďĽ Rebuilding and Repowering America
$343 million in transit
$460 for energy conservation
$1 billion in highway funding
$225 million for clean water
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/02/compromise_map.html
ďĽ
$536.1 million in unemployment insurance
$792 million in food stamps
$4 billion for health care for low-income families and seniors
$680 million in aid to seniors and disabled veterans
http://www.cbpp.org/1-22-09bud.htm
ďĽ Children
$29 million child support enforcement
$194 million child tax credit
$ 24 million childcare access and quality improvement
http://clasp.org/publications/aara_childcarestatealloc.pdf
ďĽ Education
$ 198 million for Pell grants
$ 7.9 million for Head Start
$ 216.4 million for students with disabilities
http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/ARRAConferenceStateTable.pdf
ďĽ Rebuilding and Repowering America
$ 179 million in transit
$ 115 million for energy conservation
$431 million in highway funding
$124 million for clean water
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/02/compromise_map.html
ďĽ
$367 million in unemployment insurance
$ 223 million in food stamps
$ 1.3 billion for health care for low-income families and seniors
$222 million in aid to seniors and disabled veterans
http://www.cbpp.org/1-22-09bud.htm
On air with labor radio host Steve Crockett
Interview by Ron Ennis, Lehigh Valley Postal Workers
Editor, Lehigh Valley Labor Council
Steve Crockett is a busy guy. The radio talk show host had just traveled through a January storm the night before his Thursday morning program when he sat down with the News & Views. His weekly show, Democratic Talk Radio, is a Steve Crockett magnet for labor activists, progressives and Democrats.
The success of Crockett’s show is largely attributable to his friendly manner and his passionate interest in labor issues and civil liberties. He is a member of the National Writers Union (United Autoworkers, Local #1981) and the Office and Professional Employees International Union, Local #277.
The News & Views caught up with Crockett in his hotel lobby to talk to him about labor and the media.
News & Views: What makes your program different than the other talk radio shows?
Primarily, it’s the message and who we represent. Right wing talk radio represents corporate forces. Their message is that labor unions are bad, workers should not be able to act collectively and there should be neither consumer nor environmental protection laws. Everything I don’t believe in, they believe in.
How did you get into the business as a radio talk show host?
I started Democratic Talk Radio because of the role right-wing radio played in stopping the recount vote in Florida during the 2000 presidential campaign between Al Gore and George Bush. As you know, it was a judicial coup d’ etat orchestrated by the U.S. Supreme Court that stopped the recount.
I asked myself after the ruling was handed down, what’s it worth to me as a working class guy to live in a free country? And the answer was everything.
So, I started out in Fayetteville, Tenn., Al Gore’s old House district, and over the next five years spent $30,000 of my own money to get the message out about the corporate forces taking over America.
Eventually, I had a show that was nationally syndicated on i.e. America Network, which was backed by the United Autoworkers. It folded at about the same time as Air America went into production.
My current show, Democratic Talk Radio, started on April 3, 2008. It’s broadcast from Bethlehem every Thursday morning at 8:05 am on WGPA-1100AM. Read More »
I think there is something to be said for getting away from it all. And what better time to step away from our day to day routine than right now in our present economic and world condition. I have to admit, I am one of these people who likes,.ok,..NEEDS to be in touch with daily NEWS. When we first brought the baby home and we were running on little sleep, and I was nursing, well, a lot. I lost track of time, and daily news. It made me feel out of touch, not watching my daily news supply. And Im still like that. I have the news on, off and on throughout the day. Or I check online news sites if I don�t listen to the news. And despite the terrible economic news that pumps forth from our tv�s and every other imaginable source, I still need and want to listen to the daily news. I need to be in touch with reality. That being said,..I also am finding it helpful to STEP AWAY from the constant drum beat of chicken little screaming that the sky is falling. Don�t get me wrong,..I know the realities of our worlds present condition, I don�t choose to ignore it. But I do choose to STEP AWAY FROM IT NOW AND THEN. Actually Im not sure if Im choosing to step away, or it�s just a form of preservation. If you have read my blogs before, you know I believe in the law of attraction and it�s principles. With that in mind I don�t want to spend too much energy getting my emotions too engrossed in the fears that the media is spreading like a plague. So Im trying to live with and accept the reality of where our world currently is, without becoming consumed by the worries so many of us have. And sometimes I get it right. Like the past few weekends. One day my toddler and I spent time with my parents, feeding ducks at the local zoo, getting apple slushy�s and fresh cookies at a local orchard�s market. And Daddy went to play some golf. Just being together and thinking only of the moment we were in,..enjoying each other. And then on another weekend, my husband and I and our toddler went to our larger Zoo in St. Louis. And if you want to forget about the world around you, take a toddler to a zoo! You feel their excitement, and their happiness when the miniature train choo choo�s on by. Doesn�t matter that you have been here before, and that the elephant is too far away to get a good look. Nothing matters except that you are all together, and it�s just a perfectly imperfect day with your family. Memories made. Tired feet. And a sleepy toddler latter. We are ready to go home and feeling,.. could it be,..refreshed? Mentally that is.
Yes, a day at a large zoo walking all over with a toddler left us feeling happy ( ok except during the occasional toddler melt down). So I say, what ever your �toddler at the zoo� thing is,..just do it. Step Away From The Current World�s Realities for a while. And refresh.. I say current because I do believe the experts out there are right. This too shall pass. Our world will get back to a more familiar healthy normal. Perhaps a new Happier normal. But it will get there.
And a prayer for everyone out there who is feeling the crush of the reality of the circumstances that our world is experiencing.
But take heart and have faith, as we are now entering a period of change with our New President Barack Obama! Happy Inauguration !
Tiffany
Also if you would like to view my newest President Obama oil painting please go to my web site http://www.tiffanybeane.com
Or go directly to the paintings web page at http://www.tiffanybeane.com/mainbusinesswebsite/sale_obama_Head_oil_.html
Our first choice is obvious. Fox News wins the first 2008 villain slot for their disinformation campaign against ACORN. The efforts of Fox News to provide political cover for Republican efforts at voter suppression during the 2008 elections were, in the opinion of Democratic Talk Radio, the lowest thing ever done by Fox News.
The second winner for 2008 political villain is George McGovern. Fans of Democratic Talk Radio may be surprised by this choice. Frankly, we never expected to be giving a former Democratic Presidential candidate a villain of the year award. However, McGovern has lent his name to the Right-Wing, corporate effort to undermine workers’ right to unionize. George McGovern has allied himself with the anti-worker efforts to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act. His TV commercials are frankly an open act on working Americans. McGovern has disgraced himself by joining with the most anti-working class political forces in America and misleading the American public on the nature of the Employee Free Choice Act.
The Senate Republicans out to destroy the American auto industry and the United Auto Workers union are our third villainous winners. Senator Corker of Tennessee, Senator Shelby of Alabama, Senator McConnell of Kentucky, Senator Vitter of Louisiana and their fellow Senate Republicans put the interests of foreign corporations over the interests of the American economy. Since all were opposed by the United Auto Workers in previous elections because of their militantly anti-worker voting records, their efforts are obviously motivated by personal political considerations that directly undermine the national interest. These Senate Republicans have sided with foreign companies to drive down the wages and healthcare benefits of American workers.
The hero of the year selected by Democratic Talk Radio is Al Franken. The American nation should be delighted at his political courage and determination. By insisting that all the votes be counted in the 2008 Minnesota Senate race, Franken has set a good example for all candidates running for office and for American voters. American Democracy has been strengthened by his resolve.
Al Franken will be a great asset should he eventually prevail when all the votes are finally counted. Norm Coleman has been very aggressive in his attempts to undermine a free and fair counting of the ballots.
For more information, contact Stephen Crockett at 443-907-2367.
The stakes are huge. A million auto worker retirees have their healthcare and pensions put at risk by Shelby’s unpatriotic and reckless actions. The ripple effect of not approving the loans could destroy one out of ten jobs in the American economy.
Political and economic pundits along with most officeholders have refused to link the economic crisis facing the auto industry to government policy. The situation facing the auto industry is more a result of bad government policy than bad management decisions. The attempt by politicians like Shelby to blame labor unions is factually wrong and, in my opinion, intentionally dishonest. Shelby and his Senate allies created this auto industry crisis by adopting economic policies that have crippled the American economy.
All industrialized nations except the United States has government provided, universal healthcare. Only in America, do we place the costs of workers’ healthcare and their families’ healthcare on the backs of employers. This puts our employers at a huge competitive disadvantage with foreign corporations. Read More »
Hey Everyone:
Just wanted to let you all know that I have a page on the Democratic National Committee's website! I'm trying to raise money to ensure that the party can support its strategy in the years to come, and your contribution would really help me reach my goal.
http://www.democrats.org/page/outreach/view/total/aheimermann
Remember, with your help this past year, I was able to raise $13,725 from 335 for Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I've set a fundraising goal of $500 for the Democratic National Committee. As a remember, all of the donations goes directly to the DNC and I got earn a cent.
http://www.democrats.org/page/outreach/view/total/aheimermann
Thanks For Your Continued Support,
Mr. Asher Heimermann
Wisconsin High School Student
P.S. Please go to my website at www.AsherHeimermann.com and sign up to receive monthly updates from me. You'll be the first one to know if I will run for political office in 2011. In return for your support, I will mail everyone that signs up BY MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, a FREE bumper sticker.
Asher Heimermann is a teenager from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. You can learn more information about Heimermann by visiting his official website at www.AsherHeimermann.com.
My name is Asher Heimermann, 14, from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. I am supporting Barack Obama because I believe he is the right candidate to bring the change we need. I know that Senator Barack Obama and Senator Joe Biden are best prepared to address our economic crisis by bringing tax relief to working families, protecting American jobs and investing in education and new technology. As a student in a public high school in the Midwest, I understand the importance of education and how my education will lead to my career later in life.
Senator Obama has dedicated his career to bring people together to tackle the large issues facing our country. As a state Senator he worked with Republicans to expand healthcare to 150,000 children in Illinois and passed $100 million in tax cuts for working families. In the United States Senate, Senator Obama worked across the aisle to pass ethics reform leglation that was described as the "gold standard" for ethics reform. He worked with Republican Senator Richard Lugar to pass legislation to secure dangerous nuclear weapons.
As President, Senator Obama will bring the change we need and make this economy work for the middle class families by cutting their taxes and reducing the cost of gas and healthcare. I support Senator Obama and Senator Biden because I want America to be the country of hopes and dreams. I hope that you will join me and support Barack Obama and Joe Biden on November 4th. Time and time again, Senator Obama has proven himself as a leader who can bring together people of all different backgrounds and beliefs to help us address the important problems facing the country. He is the type of leader we need in Washington to get this nation on the right track.
If you’d like more information about Senator Obama or Senator Biden’s positions or would like to get involved in our campaign, you can call 1-866-675-2008 or visit www.BarackObama.com. Only you can decide who our country’s next President of the United States of America will be.
Asher Heimermann is a teenager from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. You can learn more information about Heimermann by visiting his official website at www.AsherHeimermann.com.
MY PERSONAL FUNDRAISING GOAL:
As a young American, I dream of a President who is honest, personable, intelligent, and wise. I want a leader with courage and integrity who has known the struggles of an everyday American. A lot of people have stopped believing that may even be possible. I haven't stopped believing. I support Senator Barack Obama because he is that leader.
http://my.barackobama.com/asherheimermann
Please help donate to personal fundraising goal for Senator Barack Obama and Senator Joe Biden. Every dollar counts. You're not just helping me reach my personal fundraising goal but you're also helping Senator Obama and Senator Biden get elected as our next President and Vice President of the United States of America.
I immediately called the wife of James Yetman, the union construction worker whose family was facing the loss of their home, at their house. She explained that James was already on the job. She gave me his cell phone number. As I fired up my coffee pot and started dialing James Yetman, I looked at my clock. It was 6:45am. I thought to myself, “How can a working man already on the job at this hour be facing foreclosure?”
I already knew the answer. James had a wife who was unable to work because of a uncurable serious chronic health condition and because she was nearly 8 months pregnant. She had 5 children from a previous marriage when she married James. They had 3 more together (not counting the one on the way at that time). James had been out of work for an extended length of time during the winter. Fuel, food, medical, insurance and heating expenses had exploded during the past year. They were being squeezed from every direction.
They had been victims of a mortgage that I had viewed as predatory when I examined it. It was certainly more than they could afford on their income. They had not had many options other than agreeing to the lenders terms since it is almost impossible to find landlords willing to rent to such a large family. Section 8 housing had been severely underfunded by the Bush White House and their Republican allies in Congress. They were going to get no help from the Bush Administration. Maybe, just maybe, Biden might be able to help.
I managed to get James on the phone as I sipped on my first cup of coffee. I had great difficulty getting him to agree to meet Senator Biden. James did not want to miss the hours of work. He needed the money. This was before Senator Biden had been selected as the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate. James finally relented when I told him that Biden was on a banking committee in the US Senate and was his best chance of keeping his home.
James checked with his boss and called me back after getting approval to leave for the meeting with Biden. I picked him up from his job site in Newark, Delaware. We drove to Wilmington, Delaware to meet Biden at Angelo’s Luncheonette. We arrived a little early.
Angelo’s is a really small, working class neighborhood establishment with excellent and inexpensive food. I was surprised that the Senator would pick a place like this to meet. It had no reporters hanging around nor the usual political crowd that frequent the kind of public places where I had normally met other political figures in the past. I liked it immediately.
I had ordered lunch for James and myself when three of the leaders of Laborers Local 199 walked in the door. They were Business Manager William Carter, Vice President James Maravelias and Business Agent Toby Lamb. They explained that they were there to show their support for the union member facing foreclosure.
They were very concerned about the plight of the family. I understood their position. Non-union members often do not understand that members of the union movement really do consider each other as members of the same union “family.” We call each other brothers and sisters. The really active members and the leaders really mean it!
We were all finishing our lunch together when Biden arrived. He had his sister Valerie with him and several staff members. I was really surprised that no press were in attendance although one of the staffers had a camera. We persuaded the staffer to take some photos. I am really glad they did since many friends of the Yetman family refused to believe the story about the meeting without the photos.
There were maybe another ten customers and workers in Angelo’s Luncheonette besides the five of us from labor. Biden gave everyone considerable personal time and attention before talking to us.
Everyone wanted their photo taken with Biden. Most had personal stories to share or previous personal meetings to discuss with the Senator. It was easy to see that Biden was at home in this middle class and working class neighborhood. He was one of them who had made good and not forgotten them.
Eventually, Biden made it to the back of the establishment where we were sitting. He remembered the local union leaders and talked with them briefly. They introduced James Yetman to Senator Biden. James was visibly nervious at first but the Senator quickly put him at ease. Soon they were deeply involved in conversation. Read More »
Let's be very clear about what's at stake this November. We're either going to get ourselves back on track or we're gong to face another round of the same failed policies we've had for the last eight years.
I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a change. That's why I'm so excited about Senator Barack Obama.
So, here's what I want you to do. Click Here, and join me in making a contribution to elect Senator Obama this November. With the support of hundreds of Democrats across the nation, I have already raised $4,400! I still need to raise $500 more to reach my fundraising goal.
I believe we're about to elect one of the greatest presidents in a long time -- Barack Obama. But if his campaign is not funded until Election Day, his agenda to help middle-class families is going to run into a roadblock.
http://my.barackobama.com/asherheimermann
I know that politicians are constantly asking for your money and support. But you have to remember that Senator Obama is not a career politician. He's a man who knows what America needs are and knows what he's fighting for. And, with our help, he'll be a President we can be proud of.
http://my.barackobama.com/asherheimermann
Midnight Tuesday, September 30th, is the financial reporting deadline for this month. The resources we have on hand going into October will determine our ability to compete in key battleground states. Your donation today will help fund time-sensitive voter registration and Get Out The Vote operations.
Asher Heimermann is a teenager from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. You can learn more information about Heimermann by visiting his official website at www.AsherHeimermann.com.
REMINDER:
Go to store.barackobama.com, and shop normally, placing shirts, magnets, or any of our other merchandise in your cart. When you're finished, proceed to checkout. On your shopping cart page, enter this coupon code: GFC08 and then proceed to the next checkout page, and under Referral, enter Asher Heimermann as the GFC member who referred you.
The coupon code is only active until October 15th so you will have just a couple weeks to use it toward to get 15% off. Just make sure that you enter GFC08 as the code and enter Asher Heimermann as the Referer. This is my way of thanking all of those that have supported Senator Obama and myself the past few months.
John McCain can't win this election by running on his experience as a Washington insider who voted with President Bush 90% of the time. So now he's trying to claim he's the candidate of change. The fact is, while John McCain mouths the word "change," his record and his platform scream out for more of the same.
Americans need change now, and Senator Barack Obama and me need your help to get the word out about this movement. In the coming days, it's going to be up to you to organize locally and reach the voters that are going to decide this election.
Now's the time to make your voice heard. I've made my voice heard all across America in the last months by making calls and spreading Senator Obama's message of change. Please make a donation of $5 or more right now to support this campaign for change:
http://my.barackobama.com/asherheimermann
I know that in the past, I've asked for Democrats and fellow Barack Obama supporters to donate to my personal fundraising page but sadly, many of you have not even made a donation. I'm not asking for you to make huge donations, I'm just asking for $5 or more to help me reach my fundraising goal.
The September financial reporting deadline is on Tuesday at midnight, and we have an opportunity to show that a campaign funded by ordinary people can go toe-to-toe with the Washington lobbyists and special interests lined up behind John McCain and the Republican Party.
Most of you already know, but for those that don't, I'm a high school freshman in Wisconsin. I've donated so much time to Senator Obama, his campaign, and the Democratic National Committee. I can't vote for another four years but I'm counting on all of you to make the right choice on November 4.
Asher Heimermann is a teenager from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. You can learn more information about Heimermann by visiting his official website at www.AsherHeimermann.com.
REMINDER:
Go to store.barackobama.com, and shop normally, placing shirts, magnets, or any of our other merchandise in your cart. When you're finished, proceed to checkout. On your shopping cart page, enter this coupon code: GFC08 and then proceed to the next checkout page, and under Referral, enter Asher Heimermann as the GFC member who referred you.
The coupon code is only active until October 15th so you will have just a couple weeks to use it toward to get 15% off. Just make sure that you enter GFC08 as the code and enter Asher Heimermann as the Referer. This is my way of thanking all of those that have supported Senator Obama and myself the past few months.
I would like to share a 15% discount at the official Barack Obama store.
Go to store.barackobama.com, and shop normally, placing shirts, magnets, or any of our other merchandise in your cart. When you're finished, proceed to checkout. On your shopping cart page, enter this coupon code: GFC08 and then proceed to the next checkout page, and under Referral, enter Asher Heimermann as the GFC member who referred you.
The coupon code is only active until October 15th so you will have just a couple weeks to use it toward to get 15% off. Just make sure that you enter GFC08 as the code and enter Asher Heimermann as the Referer. This is my way of thanking all of those that have supported Senator Obama and myself the past few months.
Asher Heimermann is a teenager from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. You can learn more information about Heimermann by visiting his official website at www.AsherHeimermann.com.
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