The O-Train Station

Palin’s Obama Praise

2008-08-29T11:45:00.001-07:00

Palin Pleased with Obama's Energy Plan
Includes Alaska's Natural Gas Reserves

August 4, 2008, Fairbanks, Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin today responded to the energy plan put forward by the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, Illinois Senator BarackObama.

"I am pleased to see Senator Obama acknowledge the huge potential Alaska's natural gas reserves represent in terms of clean energy and sound jobs," Governor Palin said. "The steps taken by the Alaska State Legislature this past week demonstrate that we are ready, willing and able to supply the energy our nation needs."

In a speech given in Lansing, Michigan, Senator Obama called for the completion of the Alaska natural gas pipeline, stating, "Over the next five years, we should also lease more of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska for oil and gas production. And we should also tap more of our substantial natural gas reserves and work with the Canadian government to finally build the Alaska natural gas pipeline, delivering clean natural gas and creating good jobs in the process."

Governor Palin also acknowledged the Senator's proposal to offer $1,000 rebates to those struggling with the high cost of energy.

"We in Alaska feel that crunch and are taking steps to address it right here at home," GovernorPalin said. "This is a tool that must be on the table to buy us time until our long-term energyplans can be put into place. We have already enjoyed the support of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, and it is gratifying to see Senator Obama get on board."

The Governor did question the means to pay for Obama's proposed rebate — a windfall profits tax on oil companies. In Alaska, the state's resource valuation system, ACES, provides strong incentives for companies to re-invest their profits in new production.

"Windfall profits taxes alone prevent additional investment in domestic production. Without new supplies from American reserves, our dependency and addiction to foreign sources of oil will continue," Governor Palin said.

( I did not write this article and will not take credit for it – Simply reposting Purposes)

- ktjcm

Senator Obama calls for Florida and Michigan delegates to be seated

2008-08-03T15:43:00.001-07:00

This just in my inbox from Ms. Karen Thusman.

Fellow Democrats!

Today is a proud day for all of us who fought so hard to ensure Floridians votes are fully counted.

Just minutes ago, Sen. Barack Obama sent a letter to the DNC credentials committee urging them to restore the full vote of the Michigan and Florida Delegations, proving his commitment to uniting the party and ending the uncertainty surrounding the process.

With Florida's economy in recession for the first time in 16 years, our state leading the nation in job loss, and we are number two in foreclosures, Floridians in every corner of our state are excited to elect Barack Obama and other Democrats this fall to bring change to Washington and Florida. The people of Florida know Barack Obama and other Democrats will rebuild our economy, create good jobs, and lower gas prices and homeowners insurance rates.

I want to thank Barack Obama, the Florida Congressional Delegation, the Democrats in our Legislature, and voters across Florida for fighting to have our votes count. This is a proud day for all of us.

Sincerely,

Karen Thurman

Obama in Afghanistan - Nothing but net

2008-07-20T11:24:00.001-07:00

http://www.latimes.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=2710699

Barack's Sister in Tampa Bay

2008-07-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

If you weren't able to be there in person for Dr. Maya Soetero-Ng's great speech in Tampa last night, check out the YouTube video and then read the write-up in today's St. Petersburg Times:

2008 Temple Terrace 4th of July Parade

2008-07-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

Local Obama supporters participated in Tampa Bay area 4th of July parades. About 50 Obama supporters represented Senator Obama at the 2008 Temple Terrace 4th of July Parade.

Lydia Hudson did an outstanding job of organizing the O-Train's participation in the Temple Terrace Parade.

Most people along the parade route loved seeing the cardboard cut-out of Senator Obama. The most common reaction was a big smile as they grabbed their cameras to snap a picture.

We were right behind Keven Beckner supporters:

The Mitch Mobile:

The crowd participated in our Obama chants!
"Be a part of something great, Obama '08"

YES [HE] CAN!!!

2008-06-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hannity needs to vet his guests more because it seems that time and time again he has people on his show that seem like they are about to support his view of an Obama loss to McCain. Shelby Steele, Author of a A Bound Man, is now second guessing his subtitle "Why He Can't Win". Shelby now believes, like millions of other Americans, that Obama [can] win. Watch this snippet and have yourself a chuckle!

-KTJCM

Who Doesn't love America?

2008-06-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

Nice.... McCain needs to answer to this like he has made Michelle answer to her, taken out of context, Gaffe.

Country I love

2008-06-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

Opting Out (Public Financing)

2008-06-19T08:49:00.001-07:00

I would like to take this moment to congratulate Sen. Barack Obama on his ability and decision to opt out of the public financing system. It goes to show that when you have enough people supporting you then anything can be accomplished. Obama is the first presidential candidate in modern day history that will run a race solely on private funding. Private funding from citizens of this country who directly support a man they believe to be [the] answer to change in Washington.

There are people who will bash him and say that he's just another politician who will do whatever, even if it means going back on his word. Barack never committed to accepting public funding, he simply agreed to sit down and discus the option with his opponent, whomever that happened to be; in this case, it's Sen. John McCain.

In my opinion it would be a crime, not to accept the funding he has fought so hard for. I, as well as 1.5 million Americans, told him, with our contributions, that we will be there for him, now and throughout his entire campaign. Based on this decision I will donate again. He is true to his word about changing the way Washington does business, so I implore everyone to donate today. Even if it's just $5, it will send another strong message to Barack and the nation… We support this decision!

www.BarackObama.com

Time to win the Whitehouse!!!

KTJCM

Love w/ Disagreement (Oil Drilling)

2008-06-18T09:41:00.001-07:00

I want to start with a disclaimer; I am a huge Barack Obama Fan, DID I SAY HUGE!!! As a matter of fact, I intend on going to the inauguration January 29^th, 2009. As much as I respect and love to see him in the White House I also have to disagree with his stance on drilling for our own oil.

I think American's tend to look at things short term rather than long term, example… the war in Iraq. Americans, that supported the war in 2003, did not look at the long term affects. They were sold the idea that we must act quickly to restore our safety, so most thought with their emotions and not with their minds.

I know what most of you are thinking… that's not the same thing! No it isn't, but we must think with our minds and not with the emotions of saving bears in Alaska.

Now, I'm not saying that Barack is thinking of the bears but I am saying he's not thinking long term. If you look at countries that drill their own oil and sell it to the rest of the world, USA, you will see a pattern; they subsidize fuel cost to their citizens. Consequently, many of them have done so at a huge cost, such as Venezuela, but America and Americans are smarter than that. We can find ways to subsidize oil at the same time allowing major companies like ExxonMobile to earn a profit. They should be allowed to earn a profit because that's what American was built on, Capitalism.

He has brought up the notion of alternative fuels such as Wind Turbines but that's just a start, more need s to be done. We need to supply ourselves we natural resources we already own.

I don't believe we can spend billions on unproven technologies, such as Ethanol, and not spend some money drilling for our own oil in Alaska and or the Gulf of Mexico. Drilling for our own oil like we use to do in West Texas will not have negative consequences; it will help our curb dependency from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela or even little ole Libya [Link]. Why import Oil from a country that we consider an enemy, a country that exports 85 thousand barrels a day. Compare that to Canada's export to the USA of 1.9 million a day and it seems pointless.

Barack is by far the most qualified to run our country and I will vote for him but, I will not agree that it's ok to continue to import a commodity that we certainly can get on our own.

Just my thoughts,

KTJCM

Obama addresses fathers

2008-06-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, Senator Obama gave an address on fathers, their importance to the family - and the responsibility they have to their children. From the speech:

Yes, we need more cops on the street. Yes, we need fewer guns in the hands of people who shouldn't have them. Yes, we need more money for our schools, and more outstanding teachers in the classroom, and more afterschool programs for our children. Yes, we need more jobs and more job training and more opportunity in our communities.

But we also need families to raise our children. We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child - it's the courage to raise one.
Source: The Huffington Post

Elegy for Tim Russert

2008-06-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

It is little more than 5 minutes since I found out that Tim Russert has passed and I have not allowed enough time to process his loss, discover what he meant, or form a cogent thought about it. I imagine no time will ever be sufficient.

But Mr. Russert seemed like my friend, or more truthfully, like my dad. I looked forward to Sundays intensely. Meet The Press made politics relevant for me; I rarely legitimized any political story until Mr. Russert covered it. As a student of politics and of journalism, I saw no greater steward of those traditions than Tim Russert. No politician earned his or her mettle unless he or she sat down for an hour with Tim. I will miss him and journalism has lost its best today.

Quite often, Tim Russert reminded me of my own father; they share the same best qualities--sharp, tirelessly hardworking, quick-witted, yet even-tempered, breathtakingly smart, warm, calm. Indeed, once, while watching Meet The Press with my dad several years ago, he let on about his own admiration of Mr. Russert. "That Tim," my dad said, grinning, "he doesn't let you get away with much, does he?"

He had a keen ear, the best memory of anyone I have ever seen, and cared deeply for what he did and for the subjects on which he reported. He was the best there was.

Tim Russert had a profound effect on me. On Sundays, he was my teacher. I learned, though him, to analyze all facts, sift through all the information to get to that nugget of truth, and to ask questions clearly and poignantly. I became a better thinker, a better writer, and better citizen because of it. And I won't forget it.

He passed today doing what he loved and I am sure he regrets not living to see the conclusion of the best political season in decades.

The news today has me thinking of Edward R. Murrow--the only other journalist who meant as much to his profession as Tim--and his words ring in my ears: “To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.”

So who pays more in taxes?

2008-06-12T05:35:00.000-07:00

One of Senator McCain's favorite things to accuse Senator Obama on is that he's a "tax and spend liberal." This is usually followed by a hearty call of "OMG if you vote for Obama *everyone's* taxes will go up and we'll DIE!"

OK - maybe not that dour. But the basic accusation is there: vote for Obama, and "your taxes go up".

Only problem? For the majority of people, it's not true.

The Daily Kos put together some numbers from the Tax Policy Center that show the average taxpayer making less than $112,000 a year pays *less* taxes under Senator Obama's tax plan. That's right - more money to the middle class and poor that actually need it, instead of tax breaks that the wealthiest 1% never asked for (well, unless you're friends of President Bush and Senator McCain).

Fight the Smears!

2008-06-12T05:02:00.000-07:00

Sadly, some people just can't debate the issues - they have to go into the same silly politics we see all the time. So what do you do when someone says "I heard Barack wasn't born in America!" Or "Is it true that Barack one bench pressed 500 pounds then dropped the weights on top of a bus full of nuns?"

The answer to both questions are, of course, no. But there will be idiots and inflamers who try to spread such innuendo and rumor as fact. So how do you fight back? FighttheSmears.com leads right to an official Obama web site. Get the Rapid Response by signing up for the email group.

Don't let a lie stand alone - hit it back with the truth.

Obama's Address on the Economy

2008-06-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

Next week Senator Obama will go into even more detail - but for the outline of how he wants to bring the United States out of our current economic woes and chart a better future, you'll have to read his speech. My personal favorite part?

I understand that the challenges facing our economy didn't start the day George Bush took office and they won't end the day he leaves. Some are partly the result of forces that have globalized our economy over the last several decades – revolutions in communication and technology have sent jobs wherever there's an internet connection; that have forced children in Raleigh and Boston to compete for those jobs with children in Bangalore and Beijing. We live in a more competitive world, and that is a fact that cannot be reversed.

But I also know that this nation has faced such fundamental change before, and each time we've kept our economy strong and competitive by making the decision to expand opportunity outward; to grow our middle-class; to invest in innovation, and most importantly, to invest in the education and well-being of our workers.

Source: The Daily Kos

Yes, there are problems, and yes, they will require hard work to fix - not just wishing that magic tax cuts will be a cure for everything.

The Obama Media Diet

2008-06-10T08:02:00.001-07:00

The Root passed along a wonderful idea - an Obama Media Diet, which features such healthy new inputs as:

Look for organic and locally-grown politics. I am purging my political cupboards of the packaged and preservative-laden political approaches that parties have been feeding us for decades. I am especially vigilant to throw out anything that expired in 2000. In its place I am going to support political efforts that have emerged from local communities. Ordinary citizens are doing significant work in neighborhoods and cities to fight global warming, improve education, battle HIV-AIDS, increase racial tolerance, develop economic opportunities, stop genocide in Darfur, address malaria in Africa and end the war in Iraq. I am filling up my political plate with their fresh ideas and organic approaches.

Source: The Root

The O-Train is proud to welcome Senator Barack Obama back to Florida!

2008-05-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama is coming to Tampa on May 21st!

2008-05-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

Save the date! It's official. The next President of the United States, Senator Barack Obama, is coming to Tampa on Wednesday, May 21. This will be a day event. Further details concerning exact time and location will be released as soon as we know--likely mid-day tomorrow (Thursday). Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. For now, get excited and tell everyone you know about it. It is happening.

Let's win this election.

Johnny Bardine & Megan Foster

Bittergate: Who do you think is out of touch?

2008-04-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

Clinton's Michigan Stance

2008-04-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/2/174343/2241/69/489110

A more perfect union

2008-03-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

"A More Perfect Union"
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
Constitution Center
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

As Prepared for Delivery

“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.”

Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.

The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation’s original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.

Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution – a Constitution that had at is very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.

And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part – through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.

This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign – to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren.

This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

It’s a story that hasn’t made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts – that out of many, we are truly one.

Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.

This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either “too black” or “not black enough.” We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.

And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.

On one end of the spectrum, we’ve heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it’s based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we’ve heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely – just as I’m sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wright’s comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems – two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way

But the truth is, that isn’t all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God’s work here on Earth – by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

In my first book, Dreams From My Father, I described the experience of my first service at Trinity:

“People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend’s voice up into the rafters….And in that single note – hope! – I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion’s den, Ezekiel’s field of dry bones. Those stories – of survival, and freedom, and hope – became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories tha t we didn’t need to feel shame about…memories that all people might study and cherish – and with which we could start to rebuild.”

That has been my experience at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety – the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity’s services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America.

And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions – the good and the bad – of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.

But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America – to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.

The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through – a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.

Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, “The past isn’t dead and buried. In fact, it isn’t even past.” We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.

Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven’t fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today’s black and white students.

Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments – meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today’s urban and rural communities.

A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one’s family, contributed to the erosion of black families – a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods – parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement – all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us.

This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. What’s remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them.

But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn’t make it – those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations – those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright’s generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicia ns, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician’s own failings.

And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright’s sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don’t feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience – as far as they’re concerned, no one’s handed them anything, they’ve built it from scratch. They’ve worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committ ed; when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren’t always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze – a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns – this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.

This is where we are right now. It’s a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naïve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy – particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction – a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people – that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances – for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives – by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.

Ironically, this quintessentially American – and yes, conservative – notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright’s sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change.

The profound mistake of Reverend Wright’s sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It’s that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country – a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old -- is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know -- what we have seen – is that America can change. That is true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope – the audacity to hope – for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds – by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.

In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother’s keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister’s keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle – as we did in the OJ trial – or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she’s playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, “Not this time.” This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can’t learn; that those kids who don’t look like us are somebody else’s problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don’t have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.

This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn’t look like you might take your job; it’s that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.

This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should’ve been authorized and never should’ve been waged, and we want to talk about how we’ll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.

I would not be running for President if I didn’t believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation – the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.

There is one story in particularly that I’d like to leave you with today – a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King’s birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta.

There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.

And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that’s when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.

She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.

She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.

Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother’s problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn’t. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.

Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they’re supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who’s been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he’s there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, “I am here because of Ashley.”

“I’m here because of Ashley.” By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.

But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.

###

EMBARGOED FOR DELIVERY
March 18, 2008
Obama Press Office, 312-819-2423

'We have to come together'

2008-03-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGB8BL

You've got a friend in Pennsylvania. Remind them to register to vote!

2008-03-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Hillary,

2008-03-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

NOW's PAC has asked me to

Send Hillary a Women's History Month card - thanking her for having the guts to run, for standing up to the media, for being a role model for girls everywhere, and for making history.

NOW PAC

It's Women's History Month - and who is making more history for women than Hillary Clinton?

The problem is that Hillary Clinton is making history by using devious and disloyal campaign tactics. That is a horrible legacy to give to our daughters and granddaughters. Her recent behavior and tactics have made me sick to my stomach.

So, I sent a card to Hillary Clinton but I didn't use their script:

Thanks for making history and standing up for women everywhere! We appreciate you having the guts to run, for standing up to the media and for giving girls everywhere something to dream of. Happy Women's History Month!

I used my own words instead:

Dear Hillary,

I am a woman who used to admire you. Over the years, I have defended you time and time again. But this time, I cannot defend your actions because I believe that you crossed the line during this campaign. Your desperate Republican-like tactics of fear-mongering, insidious, bigoted, whisper campaigns and your support of John McCain over fellow Democratic candidate Barack Obama have disappointed me greatly.

I signed a loyalty pledge to never support a Republican candidate over a Democratic candidate. Did you sign a similar loyalty oath? Your betrayal cuts me to the core and I don’t know if I can forgive you for that.

The shame is that we have one amazing candidate who is rebuilding our party and country block by block, precinct by precinct, city by city, state by state, while the other one is trying to tear us all apart for her own ambitions.

My three daughters and I are proud to be supporting Senator Barack Obama for President. We believe that we are supporting the best candidate for the job.

Best wishes as you continue your work as a Senator from NY. I hope that you work hard to regain our respect and trust.

If you wish to send your own card to Hillary, by all means, do so here:
NOW PAC

We are ready to lead on the issues that matter

2008-03-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

When News and Profit Collide

2008-03-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

As the race for the Democratic nomination lumbers on toward the all-important contests in Guam and Puerto Rico (I wish I was joking), many Obama supporters have become increasingly aware of a chilling paradox in the way we receive our "news". Some supporters wonder why the very same networks that once dismissed the specter of Clinton wins in Ohio and Texas as incapable of alleviating her delegate deficit decided instead to celebrate those wins as a comeback of religious proportions this past Tuesday night. They wonder how the media can so effortlessly turn a tombstone into a triumph or, in the words of Bob Dylan, "make night out of the daytime and paint the daytime black." It is increasingly clear that the same people who carry themselves as objective deliverers of the news are in fact the sorcerers of a home-spun reality they manufacture to maximize profit, one in which plastic smiles are plastered across the rouge-crusted faces of blonde bobbleheads that read the copy their puppet masters fax them from headquarters. Is it just me, or have our televisions become chapters in a lost Aldous Huxley thriller?

A delegate race that outlasts the NBA playoffs is a cash cow for the CNNs and MSNBCs of the world; one can only imagine the hand-wringing behind the scenes as suspendered executives chortle and swipe the ashes of imported cigars from revised rate sheets, dangling those ungodly fees before the crazed eyes of advertisers dying to sell their products between segments of hoped-for debates. Bob Shrum salivated over the prospect of a seven-week-long campaign for votes in Pennsylvania on last Sunday's "Meet the Press," calling it "incredible." Pseudo-conservative hacks like Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan spew calculated tirades against Obama as a wet-behind-the-ears upstart who'll be a deer in the headlights of Rovean pitbulls waiting in the wings of summer to chomp him like a canned meal, when in fact they quake in their boots at the prospect of contending with the tsunami of a movement they are no more empowered than Hillary Clinton to stop. Meanwhile, Andrea Mitchell, whose husband Alan Greenspan benefited hugely from the Clinton administration's appointment of him as Fed chairman, is scandalously assigned to cover the Clinton campaign and pass off biased portrayals of Hillary as "a fighter" (as she called her following the most recent Democratic debate) as the objective analysis of a seasoned reporter. Nonsense!

So let us stop wondering why the media speaks from both corners of their mouths at once. Let us stop mistaking ad salesmen for news anchors. Let us understand that when a company in the business of selling ads fronts itself as a "news organization," the last thing you can expect of it is "news." Let us understand that commercials interrupted by programming provide no venue through which we can honestly expect to receive unfiltered information on issues of any substance. The aim is hardly to inform us; the aim, as with any business, is to make money. The aim, more specifically, is to over-exaggerate Clinton wins to manufacture a momentum that perpetuates this race long enough for General Electric (which owns NBC) to squeeze every last dime it can yield. An anchor whose paychecks were formerly signed by Jack Welch is no anchor in my eyes--he's a fly stuck to the fruit of the fool's gold he peddles as "news", a phantom reality whose violin he strokes with duplicitous mastery every weekday evening. It's no wonder words like "blogosphere" have found their way into the dictionary--those who want real news have learned that they'll have to write it themselves.

Yes we can transform our country!

2008-03-03T16:53:00.000-08:00

Why NOT Obama-Clinton '08?

2008-02-29T06:53:00.000-08:00

The issue of VP choices for the Democratic nominee has been a point of conjecture on many liberal forums. We are now down to two candidates and Barack Obama is the odds-on favorite.

Once Edwards dropped out of the race, the consensus seemed to be that if Hillary won, she would virtually have to offer the VP slot to Obama, whether he chose to accept it or not. I contend now that their political fortunes have reversed, Obama is obligated to extend the same respectful gesture to a worthy adversary. There is no doubt they have made each other better general-election candidates.

Why do I suggest Obama is obligated to extend the VP offer to Mme. Clinton? Because, respectfully, she has earned it.

While not running the best campaign, no one can contest Senator Clinton's appeal to a large segment of Democratic voters who view her, rightfully or wrongly, as having the experience to perform as Commander-in-Chief. Obama has expressed that sentiment himself on multiple occasions.

No one can also contest her command of the issues. When her and Obama go wonk-for-wonk, she holds her own and, on more than one debate exchange, has won outright. There is simply not much daylight between their policy positions, another point both candidates readily acknowledge.

Mrs. Clinton is, in fact, already known around the world, mostly in a positive light among international leaders. Hillary also enjoys a good, bi-partisan reputation in the Senate and would no doubt be a valuable ally in advancing Obama's agenda which, by and large, is also her own.

Senator Clinton as VP heals the electorate from a DNC standpoint, because the choices of Michigan and FL would be reflected on the ticket. She is not just an also-ran, but a survivor; if she were to carry the race out to the end, Obama may win by a few hundred delegates, but her pledged-delegate totals would be nothing to sneeze at.

I submit the most important question a nominee must ask himself when looking at prospective VP choices is not who would most help them get elected -- but rather, who would be the best president in the event the nominee could not serve. To this end, all the above said, if Obama were not in the race, I could argue Ms. Clinton would have long ago been declared the nominee.

However, the conventional wisdom is that Senator Clinton wouldn't accept a VP offer. But that's hardly the point. My argument is that she deserves the offer and the party has to prepare itself for the eventuality of an Obama-Clinton ticket. Before we rush to embrace that conventional wisdom, let's pause to answer why WOULDN'T she accept?

By accepting, she would:

- Be the first female on a ticket favored to win
- Mop the floor in any VP candidate debate with the other side
- Bring her policy knowledge to bear directly in the Oval Office
- Give Obama the worthy foil he suggested he wanted from a VP
- Unify the party behind a "dream ticket"
- Bring Bill Clinton's experience to the table by proxy
- Engage the joint power of the party's premier candidates

Naturally, there is an issue with the negatives a Clinton brings to the ticket. However, given that the offer is warranted, and Clinton was fully-prepared to deal with those negatives should she have won the nomination, why would she not be prepared to deal with them if she were the VP nominee? In this respect, she does come essentially pre-vetted, allowing the ticket to hit the ground running. And the two have remained about as civil as two combatants can be ("I am honored to be here with Barack Obama") -- neither has scorched the earth and need to be applauded for running, essentially, very positive campaigns.

The truth is, that Obama's look to change the style of politics in this nation and eliminating personal attacks provides perfect cover for any personal shortcomings of Mrs. Clinton the Republicans tried to exploit. One can almost see Obama taking on the other side, quoting, "This is exactly the kind of slash-and-burn politics that our ticket is trying to move the nation away from." The "change" Obama is looking to promote provides immediate insulation against the typical slanderous crap likely to be lodged against her.

With respect to Mrs. Clinton's high negatives, they are muted to a degree with her on the undercard. Of course, there are people (some Republicans and Independents) that won't vote for a ticket that has her on it. However, as the nominee, this becomes Obama's job to convince those voters that a vote for this ticket is precisely a vote for the same type of change he has always stood for -- building that new coalition, which is something Hillary would have to accept -- instead of looking to advance the agenda by beating the other side to a bloody pulp.

Personally, I think this could work very well. Hillary would be excellent presiding over the Senate, and one could just see the gleam in her eye as she casts tie-breaking votes. Heading up wonky task-forces with Obama graciously giving her the credit for everything accomplished in those areas. Her and Obama's agendas are nearly identical...advancing his agenda is already advancing her own. And in the political instances where Obama needs that hatchet-person or attack-dog...could there be anyone better?

Of course there will be those that argue a choice such as Clinton is inconsistent with Obama's message of "Change". After all, choosing a running-mate who's entire platform is "let's return to the good old days" hardly seems to play well with Obama's forward-looking political mantra. I would challenge those critics to imagine MORE change, in 2008, than a favored presidential ticket with nary a white man in sight.

And lastly, yet another benefit would be her ability to run in 2016, well outside the shadow of Bill Clinton's legacy. At 68, she would not be too old and enjoy the favor of incumbency as well.

I dunno...I could argue to leave Bill in the doghouse, allow Hillary to run alongside Obama as her own politician with her own personal narrative (and not on Bill's coattails), let Obama serve the sizzle while she serves the steak, and grant the Democratic party license to simultaneously bring it's two most popular personalities to the 2008 campaign stage. Why choose between the Mercedes or Cadillac....when you can have both?

Republicans will unify against Senator Clinton if she is on the ticket. Heck, they would unify against Chelsea. Why? Because, in my estimation, the GOP is battling against the prospect of Bill making his way back into the White House which, after what they put him through, is proverbially pissing in their corn flakes. With Hillary as #2, Bill is not back in the Oval Office, which I believe mitigates some measure of the Republican indignation. In any event, this is the year that Democratic values trounce tired Republican ideas due of the electorate sizes. Obama brings a new generation of voters that hold no grudge against Hillary, but long for the hope in their politics he embodies.

I say record Democratic turnouts absolutely blast McCain and whoever his foxhole-buddy is (since they are effectively running as Bush's 3rd term), with an Obama-Clinton ticket winning by a landslide.

Let's heal the party and get on with it.

John.he.is

2008-02-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

After Obama wins the primary, the real fight can begin, but for now, here is a preview of what will be a fun election year:

My South Carolina Experience on the Obama Campaign

2008-02-06T07:46:00.000-08:00

Being in South Carolina for the 7 days leading up to the Primary on Jan 29 was an amazing experience! I met volunteers from all over including, Texas, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Illinois, and others from Florida. All of us were there to do what we could to help get Senator Obama elected. I also met some great locals and had a wonderful host, Mike, that let 9 of us invade his beautiful home and I stayed with him for the remaining week after the big group left. We were perfect strangers before and now I've added a new friend to my life.

I helped with door to door canvassing and phone banking to undecided voters to tell them about rally's where Barack or Michelle Obama would be speaking.

On Tuesday of that week, the phone I was using starting ringing back and people were asking me where their voting precincts were. As it ended up my phone line was part of the Voter Assistance HotLine being handled by a lawyer named John from Austin. He is a spitting image of Stephen King and he had instructed us all week that only a lawyer could answer those hotline calls.

He asked me if I had my computer with me and if I would be willing to take some calls. He had been working in the office for over 2 weeks to line up the lawyers that would be working in the field and in the boiler room on election day to handling any election fraud or irregularities that might come up. The 877 number had been on one phone and then suddenly it expanded to two lines and the later in the week would be 4 lines and on election day there would be 10.

He gave me the links to the Obama site and the South Carolina state voter registration site and said just to look up their voter registration and let him talk to them if they had any legal questions.

It was a bit chaotic and we managed and got into a rhythm. 90% of the callers wanted to know where to vote. The state made some ridiculous amount of precinct changes and didn't notify voters. So the campaign published the 877 number on every mailing, handout and tv commercial. Somewhere along the way, someone also said it was the truth squad number too. So anyone could call to tell us about anything. It became the main campaign line for the state.

And we got a fair amount of random calls about how the Senator needed to be tougher on the Clintons, how he needed to not stand down, we had lots of requests to pass along messages like we were his personal secretary. We had a few hateful calls. One really came unexpected for me and really shook me up. But we also had lots of supportive calls with people calling to say they just mailed their Absentee ballot for him or that they were supporting Obama and it was the first election they had voted in in 20 years. it was really inspiring.

On election day itself I ended up being the operations manager of sorts for the 10 attorneys that drove in from Washington, DC, etc.

In addition to voting location questions, people where calling to schedule rides to the polls or asking if they could just bring their ID with them or if they needed their voter reg cards.

The phones never really stopped ringing. All 10 lines for 12 hours. We estimate that we were answering about 500 calls an hour.

By the end of the day were were all exhausted and on caffeine and adrenaline highs. Then suddenly someone got a text at 7:01, one minute after the polls had closed that the AP was already calling the race for Obama! It was amazing. We really didn't have a feel for how anything was going all day.

We headed down to the Convention Center where he was going to be giving his speech. My legs where so tight and tired. I had not sat down for more than 5 minutes all day. But as Mike and I walked in to the convention center we both had a bounce in our step! We waited what seemed like an eternity for his speech to start. The crowd was pumped up and we'd yell different chants at different times. "Race doesn't matter". "Fired Up. Ready to go." "Yes We Can" CNN was broadcasting live and we'd erupt when the live shots came over the large screen.

Here's a video of the speech - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8mG5qfDXL4

We were only about 10 people deep but I quickly became surrounded by a wall of tall people and some of them not smelling too pretty. :) Definitely not the place to be if you are the least bit claustrophobic. Mike had a better angle than I did so I gave him my digital camera. It was such a commanding and inspiring speech! If you haven't watched it yet, please do!!! I found it on youtube when I was driving back to Florida the next day. I hooked it up to the speaker in the car and listed to it several times. Each time I started to cry. I wasn't able to completely take it in being their live for it. I was too exhausted and overwhelmed by the entire experience.

Without a doubt it was an amazing experience! I wish I could do more but I know we all do what we can!

Maria Shriver made me cry today

2008-02-03T18:40:00.001-08:00

As bobnbob will gladly tell you, I don't cry often; at least not in public. But, Maria Shriver made me cry today. She made me proud to be an American, proud to be a woman, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a grassroots organizer, and an Obama supporter. Maria made me cry with joy and hope for my daughters, for California; for America and even for Florida.

Yesterday, my youngest daughter was racially profiled at a Florida clothing store. We entered the store together, but my daughter's body language was a little sullen and distant because she was being punished for normal teenage rebellious behavior. The salesperson must not have known that we were together, but I noticed her following my African American daughter around the store. She tried to be subtle about it, but I could see what was happening. She was racially profiling her. My daughter wasn't profiled because she was a female, she was targeted because of her race. This beautiful intelligent girl, who had everything going against her at her birth, has blossomed into an intelligent, goal driven student. Even though she was born addicted to crack, she is a vivacious, intelligent teenager who has high aspirations even while overcoming disabilities that came with the circumstances of birth. She is a blessing in all her teenage glory and angst. Girlie Girl is a joy to us.

She has something valuable to contribute to this world and yet, she was racially profiled yesterday.

I want more for my children. I want more for my daughters.

And I want more for my sons.

I support Barack Obama for many reasons. I support him for his amazing credentials. I support him for his intelligence. I support him because of his good judgement. I support him because of his amazing ability to bring people together. I support him because he has been able to engage our youth, including my own children, for the first time. My kids are finally engaged in politics; in their political future. I support Obama because he is infusing energy, youth and enthusiasm into the Democratic Party. I support Barack Obama because he makes us believe that...together..."Yes, we can heal this nation."

Maria reinforced my belief that "Yes, we can" change our country. We have the power to change it voice by voice, citizen by citizen, vote by vote.

And I will never get tired of this:

Now is the time to volunteer. Now is the time to vote...for Barack Obama.

Yes We Can!

2008-02-02T09:53:00.000-08:00

Fired up! Ready to go!

2008-02-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

And the video that includes some commentary...

New York Post Endorses Obama

2008-01-31T13:29:00.000-08:00

Find the New York Post's endorsement of Barack Obama here. It isn't exactly the most flattering endorsement in the world, but that's pretty much the kind of thing you can expect from the NY Post--trust me, I used to live up there. Nonetheless, it's better than an endorsement for Clinton! Enjoy.

New Tampa Democrats give edge to Obama

2008-01-28T07:46:00.000-08:00

The New Tampa Democratic Club caucused tonight, and shook out this way: 13 votes for Barack Obama, nine for Hillary Clinton and eight for John Edwards.

Obama supporter Jeff Blake came from St. Petersburg to the club's meeting in Tampa Palms.

"He can bring this country back to being the beacon of hope, so that other countries can look up to us, and we are the country they aspire to be," Blake told the club.

-- Bill Coats, Times staff writer.

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/28/Hillsborough/New_voters_find__D__g.shtml

In my mind I'm goin to Carolina (Part 1)

2008-01-25T12:49:00.000-08:00

When we left for Columbia, South Carolina last Friday at 5 am, I didn't expect to fall for South Carolina's voters but it hit me from behind.

In my mind I'm goin to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine
Can't you just feel the moonshine
Maybe just like a friend of mine
It hit me from behind
Yes I'm goin to Carolina in my mind

Dark and silent last night
I think I might have heard the highway calling
Geese in flight and dogs that bite
Signs that might be omens say I going, going
I'm goin to Carolina in my mind

With a holy host of others standing round me
Still I'm on the dark side of the moon
And it seems like it goes on like this forever
You must forgive me
If I'm up and gone to Carolina in my mind

- James Taylor

I was excited to finally be doing something concrete for Obama in an early primary state. But at the same time, I also felt torn about leaving Florida and all of the grassroots energy we had been putting into the Tampa Bay area, especially Monday's MLK parade in St. Petersburg.

Since the Florida primary debacle, the Tampa Bay O-Train volunteer group has refocused its attention on the national effort. With that in mind, we sent almost 40 volunteers to South Carolina. Some went for a long weekend and others volunteered for an entire week. We understand that this election is not about Florida anymore. It is now South Carolina's turn. South Carolina's voters are in a position to change the world.

Our particular O-Train caravan drove to Columbia, South Carolina with 9 volunteers in two cars with 2 more volunteers following a few hours later. We only made one food stop. When we stopped to eat breakfast at Cracker Barrel, we didn't realize that it would be our last meal until after 9 pm that night. Good thing I packed some snacks in my O-Train mobile.

We arrived at the Midlands Regional Headquarters around 3pm.

And they immediately put us to work.

Now I must admit that phone banking is my least favorite thing to do, so I jumped at the chance to canvass. It didn't look like Jerel was enjoying phonebanking either,

so I pulled him away from the phone to canvass with me. It was cold but we kept on knocking on doors until headquarters called us back in.

After a very late dinner, we went home to Mike's house. Mike had agreed to house a few volunteers from Tampa. Not only did Mike allow 9 of us to sleep at his place, but he also cooked breakfast for us. It was delicious!

We like Mike!

We reported for duty on Saturday morning at 10 am. Jerel and I were leaving headquarters to finish canvassing the neighborhood that we started the day before when a new volunteer, Mohan, walked in. Having traveled by plane and bus from Princeton University, Mohan was happy to join us. Fellow O-Trainer, Michele also helped us canvass this neighborhood.

Jerel, Mohan, an exhausted Edward and me:

Did I mention that Saturday was cold and rainy all day? Having lived in Pennsylvania most of my life, I knew that wearing plastic bags over my socks would be essential to my success and sure enough, the newspaper bags kept my socks dry. We knocked on doors all day. We only stopped to look for a Starbucks so we could have some hot chocolate and coffee. We couldn't find any Starbucks nearby so we ended up at a local McDonalds. We caused quite a scene at this McDonalds. First of all, Mary behind the counter, talked me into giving her my Obama button. Now I have given away a lot of Barack Obama buttons but this one was special. I had it since February 07 but there was something about Mary at McDonalds. After I gave it to her, she allowed me to video tape her.

We met a lot of Obama supporters at this McDonalds including Miss Cynthia. We were handing out tickets to the Sunday Obama Rally and Miss Cynthia handed us a pen as she invited us to come to her church the next morning. On the pen was a phone number for Shekinah Glory Family Care Ministries. I called and left a message that we wanted to attend their services on Sunday morning. Pastor Margaret Harper called me back Saturday night and gave me directions to their Sunday morning services. She told me that it was a small church that focuses its outreach ministry to single mothers and children.

After our McDonalds break, we knocked on doors in a new neighborhood. We were glad to hear that Obama had a lot of support in this neighborhood. Our favorite Obama supporter was Leon Robinson of Columbia, SC:

We were wet, cold and hungry but Leon got us fired up and ready to canvass some more. We finally joined other volunteers at Damon's for dinner Saturday evening. Jerel had discovered Damon's Friday night and it ended up being our favorite place to unwind. Chandra the bartender took good care of us:

The next morning, Jerel, Mohan and I were driving on the highway to attend church when the tire pressure warning symbol lit up on my dashboard. I admit that I am not very good at monitoring tire pressure but I believe that my brand new car was being a little extreme with its warning. I have only had this car for about 2 weeks so I wasn't sure exactly what the symbol meant. My co-pilot, Jerel, looked it up in the cliffnotes version of the manual. It had the whole color code scare-o-meter just like Homeland Security. Apparently, we were at the "immediately pull over and read owner's manual" alert stage. Knowing that the change in air temperature most likely caused a change in the air pressure in my tires, we stopped at the nearest gas station to add some air.

When Jerel, Mohan and I arrived at the strip mall where this small congregation would be worshipping, we didn't know what to expect. We didn't know how we strangers would be received. As we approached room where the church service was being held, we could hear it rocking with electric piano, drums, guitar, Congo drums and joyful voices. We were led to the second row and watched as a lesson about the Shield of Faith, the Sword of the Spirit, the Breastplate of Righteousness and the Helmet of Salvation was presented to the congregation. To briefly summarize; with prayer and faith, we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from those who would tempt us or do us harm.

They involved the children in the lesson by dressing them in toy armor and then quizzed them by giving away the toy armor set to the child who could name all four. They also had many of the children take turns reading Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech.

Pastor Harper

Pastor Harper allowed Jerel to read a letter from Senator Barack Obama outloud to the congregation. Jerel also talked about how Obama was the target of negative and misleading attacks. I thanked them for allowing us to attend their church. I mentioned that although we could have gone to any church in Columbia, we believed that we were meant to meet Miss Cynthia at McDonalds and attend their Sunday worship service.

Jerel and I both had experienced this kind of environment before but Mohan is a Hindu-Indian from England. He kept turning to me and whispering in his British accent “This is amazing. This is brilliant!”

A few minutes later, Jerel, Mohan and I were called to come up front to be Obama’s surrogates for prayer. Pastor Harper said that God wanted them to pray for Obama’s protection. They were going to pray for Obama through us as his surrogates. Jim Reed led the prayer as Jerel, Mohan and I held hands in the front of the room. The entire congregation surrounded us (also holding hands) and prayed for our protection. Tears streamed down my face as I felt all the prayers and energy in the room directed toward Senator Obama and his volunteers. Mohan was right. It was brilliant! This small congregation had opened their arms wide to welcome us and then wrapped them around us to protect us and Obama. I don’t think that the 3 of us will ever forget this experience.

The time at this service flew by so quickly that we had not realized that it was already 2 pm and we were supposed to report at the convention center to volunteer for the Obama rally at 3 pm. Would we make it in time? To be continued...

Follow-Up: New Hampshire Agrees to Recount

2008-01-14T14:11:00.000-08:00

Dennis Kucinich has succeeded in his pursuit of a recount of the New Hampshire primary results.

However you feel about the New Hampshire vote last week, I find it fascinating that state officials there would agree to a recount, and it will be equally fascinating to see what it reveals.

Dennis Kucinich Demands New Hampshire Recount

2008-01-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

Dennis Kucinich is actively seeking a recount of votes in the New Hampshire Primary. I have my suspicions about the legitimacy of the New Hampshire results, but I also fear that the more questions surrounding this issue become associated with Obama, the more it will be seen as sour grapes on his part and begin to tarnish him. I'm ambivalent--proud of Kucinich for his courage and worried that this push may give the media an opportunity to paint Obama and particularly his supporters as crybabies. I hate to give the media that kind of fodder. Anyhow, here's the story from the AP . . .

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hI6F-VhnmJPDIgAFnfu6VPHpqapAD8U3EBKG0

For Karl Rove, Race-Baiting Still En Vogue

2008-01-10T20:02:00.000-08:00

First, a short memo to Karl Rove: Before you start giving our candidates primers on how to conduct themselves, perhaps you should first tend to your party's disastrous gaggle of fearmongers, bloviators, and racists. That should be enough to keep you occupied.

Sadly, that is the least offensive part of Rove's drivel in today's Wall Street Journal. His commentary smacks of the desperation his party feels in the face of an Obama nomination and, in that solitary desperation, borders on overt racism.

According to Rove, Barack Obama is "often lazy" and, in the New Hampshire primary debate "his trash talking was an unattractive carryover from his days playing pickup basketball at Harvard." What else, Rove? I bet he can't swim, either. Perhaps he talks aloud in the movie theater.

I will let alone for now the host of unfounded assertions in this piece, but the thrust of it is significant for one very important reason: The Republicans cannot beat Obama and they know it. They felt much more secure when they thought they'd be facing Clinton; that is a fight they are used to having. They've memorized that play book.

Obama is different. The Republicans don't know how to deal with his broad appeal and in the groundswell of grassroots momentum that has propelled the senator to front-runner status. So they resort to the caustic, snarky old politics. They throw subtle racist barbs and levy unsubstantiated assertions.

They want nothing more than a Clinton nomination. We must not give them that chance. Their divisiveness is no match for our hope.

Nancy Pelosi Backs Barack Obama

2008-01-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

Amid all the press surrounding the more glamorous endorsement of John Kerry today, you may not yet know that veteran congressman George Miller (D) of California also endorsed Obama this morning. This is an absolutely pivotal endorsement, because, as Chuck Todd wrote today over at First Read, "This is perhaps the closest to a Nancy Pelosi endorsement as you can come without actually getting it. Miller is incredibly close with her politically. He wouldn't be doing this without her consent." Chris Matthews and his entire roundtable on today's "Hardball" wholly agreed with Todd's assessment: this is HUGE for Obama's chances in the upcoming California primary on the so-called Tsunami Tuesday. If you ask me, it's even bigger than Kerry's very eloquent and impassioned endorsement today in Charleston (which was the best damned speech I've heard Kerry give since he was a kid just back from Vietnam handing out some much-needed straight talk on Capitol Hill).

The significance of Miller's endorsement cannot be overstated. Lisa Vorderbrueggen of the Contra Costa Times reports that Miller, a more than 30-year veteran of the congress, "is also a renowned champion of women in politics -- he is a top advisor to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco." Given his stature as a "champion of women in politics," he answered the question of why he chose not to help elect the first woman-president with a question of his own: "why not elect the first African-American?" He distinguished between the Clinton and Obama campaigns by drawing contrasts between Clinton's more traditional candidacy and Obama's more genuine promise of change. "I've watched both campaigns and I know both candidates," he said, "and I believe Obama offers us an opportunity to truly change the way we do business in Washington.

Miller further praised Obama as one who "has the skills and experience that's necessary to really challenge the status quo in Washington, D.C.," and noted that he is "very encouraged by the energy of the people responding to him and his vision of how people can come together to solve the problems that confront us."

Obama's support among elected officials in California is growing. In addition to Miller, Obama also won the endorsements of Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland, CA and Susan Bonilla, the Contra Costa County Supervisor. His chances of securing the nomination may come to depend heavily on the results of the California primary on February 5th, an open primary in which independents and Republicans will be able to vote in the Democratic primary, so he needs every single endorsement he can get there. Pelosi's approval of her right-hand man's endorsement of Obama is just huge!

Did Clinton "Truck In" Voters To Win New Hampshire?

2008-01-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

This is a developing story, but I believe that Senator Clinton's campaign trucked in volunteers to vote for her in New Hampshire. The NH primary has a very loose system where a person can just come in and on the day of the primary vote declare an intention to move into New Hampshire.

If one checks the NH Secretary of State's office, they will see this:

January 8, 2008 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION DAY - Unregistered voters may register
and vote on this day.

And this...

WHO CAN REGISTER
New Hampshire residents who will be 18 years of age or older on election day, and a United States Citizen, may register with the town or city clerk where they live up to 10 days before any election. You may also register on election day at the polling place. The town clerk's office can inform voters of what proof of qualification they should bring to register.

There is no minimum period of time you are required to have lived in the state before being allowed to register. You may register as soon as you move into your new community.

I also have it from a good New Hampshire-based source that a person can walk in and tell the town hall representative that they intend to move to New Hampshire, and still be allowed to vote.

It's also known and documented that the Clinton campaign called and paid for volunteers to show up at rallies. That's right, paid for them.

By contrast, the Obama campaign volunteers that did come in did so on their own dime.

The open question I ask is how many New Hampshire Primary voters actually live in New Hampshire? The margin of difference between Senator Clinton's voters and Senator Obama's voters is so small that this question becomes an important one. Especially since the Clinton Campaign was facing a cash crunch. Where did that money go? Some of it went to paid people living in nearby states to come into New Hampshire.

...and then we won Iowa....

2008-01-04T07:44:00.000-08:00

Last night, we changed the world.

I grappled with the above statement. I thought it an exaggeration. I thought it was hyperbolic. That statement wants too much, I thought. I thought it was impossible, through one political act, to change the world.

I was wrong.

But, last night, a black man with a funny name and an odd background won the Iowa Caucus and is one giant step toward the presidency of the United States. And he didn't just win; he won big. This nation won big.

This was not just a self-interested win for us and our candidate. This represented a transformational shift in American democracy and in the conventional political paradigm.

As the Senator said in his acceptance speech: "They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided, too disillusioned. But on this January night, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do."

This speaks to the larger issue that this country is hungry for change, and yearns for it now, at this moment. It speaks to the bottom-up nature of this campaign and to the importance of the grassroots. The grassroots feed this campaign. Each of us has a stake here. Each of us is accountable for this campaign's success.

Last night, we changed the world. Everyone is watching and it is our responsibility now to show how much further we can go. We can celebrate now, but tomorrow the important work begins. There is much to be done, but with a fresh voice, renewed hope, and a clear-eyed commitment to the ideals upon which this nation is founded, that work will be done. And we will prevail.

Now, let's get on to New Hampshire. And let's kick some ass.

Thank you so much for your hard work and support,
Johnny Bardine
Co-chair, Netroots and Rapid Response Committee
Media Coordinator

Iowa: Obama 38%. How sweet it is!

2008-01-03T21:43:00.000-08:00

We are fired up. Ready to win!

Barack Obama: Our Moment Is Now, full speech

2007-12-27T20:41:00.000-08:00

Senator Obama and his family

2007-12-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

Obama: Four New Endorsements in 48 Hours

2007-12-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

As a further sign of Democrat momentum shift, Barack Obama has received four new political endorsements in the last 48 hours. While endorsements were slow coming out of the gate, Obama's increasing assault on Hillary Clinton's lead in key early states seems to be convincing-enough evidence for some that his campaign is nationally-viable.

It started on Monday afternoon, with the announcement that anti-war proponent U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) was endorsing Obama. More good news followed later from one of the earlier battleground states when news broke U.S. Representative Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) also came out in favor of Obama, resisting a strong consideration to remain neutral.

After that, U.S. Representative Betty McCollom (D-MN)announced she, too, was now supporting Obama, as a leader she "respects and has sound judgment on the most important issues facing the nation".

And earlier this afternoon, the former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party Joe Erwin threw his backing behind Obama, stating:

"I believe in his message and I think in Senator Obama we see a candidate who does what to me is the most important thing we can do in this election and that's to change the course of American politics."

As Obama is beginning to hit his stride and get his message in front of voters, it seems some undecideds are beginning to get comfortable with embracing a candidate who geniunely represents a break from politics-as-usual.

Latest Poll: Obama Expanding Lead in Iowa, Closing Gap in SC

2007-12-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

Strategic Vision just published the results of a 3-day poll taken in Iowa between November 30th and December 2nd, putting Barack Obama at 32% with John Edwards and Hillary Clinton tied at 25% with a 4.5% margin of error.

A new poll (link), released moments ago, shows Barack Obama riding a wave of momentum and slightly expanding his lead in Iowa.

And this is mostly before the recent switch by the Clinton campaign to attack mode. Such negative campaigning has historically not sat well with Iowa voters. John Edwards will undoubtedly benefit as well from the change in tone, but Obama's ground organization seems to be having an impact.

The email flap, Kindergate, and a number of other negative attacks sourced by the Clinton campaign are clearly not having the desired effect. Her national lead over Obama in the latest Rasmussen Reports presidential poll has dropped to just seven points.

Meanwhile, in SC, the Obama-Oprah roadshow has outsold the original 18,000-seat arena venue for their fundraiser to the point they've needed to move it to the 80,000-seat University of South Carolina football stadium. Within the state, Clinton's overall lead in South Carolina over Obama has dropped from 13 points in September to just 2 points.

There seems to be a movement underfoot.

[cross-posted at www.dailykos.com]

Dear Iowa, warm greetings from the O-Train w/video!

2007-12-06T03:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Iowa, (and New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina)

It is my understanding that we Floridians have been known to botch an election or two. I am innocent I tell you but here I sit in the time-out beach chair just the same. Here's the thing; when you are in time-out, you have plenty of time to think. So, as I slather on my sunscreen, I am thinking about all the reasons to encourage you to vote for Senator Barack Obama.

I believe that Senator Barack Obama represents so many strands of who we are as a nation. I can feel the fierce urgency of now in the air. With Barack Obama's leadership, I believe that we can recover from 8 years of the current administration's dangerous and frightening lack of moral integrity. We have a good field of candidates but I can already see Obama inspiring unlikely volunteers to work together. I believe that Senator Obama is the one who can unite our country and turn us around. The fierce urgency is now. Now is our chance to stop them from driving us over the cliff. If the GOP maintains control of the White House in 2008, I don't think that our democracy can survive another term of attacks on the Constitution.

The Tampa Bay O-Train has been working to elect Senator Obama as the President of the United States, not the President of Florida, so even though our all-volunteer grassroots group continues to introduce Barack Obama's message to Florida, we also recognize the importance of what the four early primary states will be doing very soon. We have continued our fundraising efforts to help Obama win in your states.

We also created an all-volunteer Youtube music video. No, we are not professionals and probably shouldn't have tried this at home, but we have an abundance of audacity, so here it is in all its optimistic and amateurish glory. We hope that it inspires you as you suffer blustery conditions up north over the next month or two.

We shot our video at a few locations on both sides of Tampa Bay. We started in historic Ybor City, known as Tampa’s Latin Quarter. From its origins as a cigar manufacturing center, Ybor has become one of Florida's top-ranked nightspots. Ybor has a charm and beauty that is unique and is also one of only two National Historic Landmark Districts in Florida. The O-Train group meets regularly in Ybor City at the historic Marti-Maceo Club. The O - Train also organized a $25 fundraiser/rally last April at the Cuban Club in Ybor City where 3000 people welcomed Senator Obama to the Tampa Bay area.

We began our video shoot at King Corona Cigar Bar & Cafe where the owner, Don, welcomed us and you to come on over:

What is remarkable about Senator Obama is that he has attracted enthusiastic volunteers from all walks of life, all political parties, all ages, all races, religions and income levels. We discovered that our music video volunteers also represent that wide variety of people who would not normally be found working side by side. Obama's fresh unbeholden approach has brought us together. We are each trying to be part of the solution with newfound common ground and a strong sense of purpose.

Dr. Smith is feeling that sunshine!

Boofdah:

Sisters, sisters. There were never more devoted sisters:

Our next video shoot location was at Dr. Marty's home in the Clearwater area. Dr. Marty told us

"Just call me Marty because my mother didn't name me doctor."

Marty was a wonderful host who treated each volunteer with warmth and enthusiasm.

Marty's beautiful home:

O-Train volunteers getting ready to go.

Yeah, we had choreography but no spirit fingers:

We took the time to listen to the wisdom of our elders,

O!

while our youth taught their elders a thing or two:

The peanut gallery was fired up and ready to go:

Bobnbob tried out Marty's hammock.

mommabobnbob and law ninja taking a break:

Barbara for Barack!

Our last location was on Bayshore Blvd not far from MacDill Air Force Base. We received quite a few thumbs up and honks from cars driving by as we shot this footage.

thefos, jjackso1, bobnbob, Rozrod, Georgia & Mizonglohong

Eric & Frank:

That's a wrap!

Please come on over and caucus for Senator Obama on January 3rd!

More O-Train pics here:http://www.flickr.com/groups/362034@N21/

A very special thank you to Eric Billington, Mo Eppley and all the volunteers who participated and made this such a fun adventure!

'Twas the month before Caucus

2007-12-03T18:30:00.000-08:00

'Twas the month before Caucus, when all through the state

Iowans were stirring, wanting a choice in their fate;

The candidates came before voters with care,

In hopes that the Caucuses soon would be theirs;

The volunteers were nestled all snug by their cell phones,

While visions of canvassing chilled them to their bones;

And mamma with her PC, and I with my laptop,

Had just settled down for a long-winded blog,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the keyboard to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But Senator Obama, armed with hope and not fear,

With young volunteers, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment that Clinton must feel sick.

More rapid than eagles his followers they came,

He inspired optimism, and called them by name;

"Now, Red! Now, Blue! Now, Independent and Green!

Come Black! Come White! Come elderly and young, so lean!

To the top of the polls! Don’t you hear the call?

Now caucus away! Caucus away! Caucus away all!"

As our weary country did hunger for hope,

when met with an obstacle, they did not mope,

So up to the poll-top Obama’s crew flew,

With a sleigh full of audacity to hitch themselves to.

And then, in a twinkling, The Register did leak

Obama’s surge in the polls is strong and not weak.

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,

Senator Barack Obama came in with a bound.

Equipped with integrity, from his head to his boot,

just hitting his stride, old polls and cynicism now moot.

With the wind of momentum now at his back,

he looks like a winner, who is right on track.

His eyes -- how they twinkle! His smile, wide as a brim

His ears sticking out, yet looking just right on him!

His manner a rare mix of confidence and humility,

Just what we need to break through hostility.

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke of the law and Senate Foreign Relations

And pledged to work with all to bring peace to the nations.

As he left us with challenges to do more than our foe,

We said yes! We are fired up and ready to go!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a nod,

leaving behind clear visions for here and abroad.

And I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy O-Caucus to all, and to Bush a good-night."

Barack Obama's Speech at the Jefferson Jackson Dinner

2007-11-11T07:07:00.001-08:00

Although Nancy Pelosi introduced each Democratic candidate as "the next President of the United States," Senator Obama definitely received the loudest and most enthusiastic response from everyone in the crowd. The only exception seemed to be the greenish-yellow area of Hillary supporters and staffers:

Live from New York...it's Saturday Night!

2007-11-04T06:53:00.000-08:00

Circus McClurkus

2007-10-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, I had the pleasure of manning the O-Train booth at Circus McGurkus, a liberal St. Pete park festival. Gena Keebler, our Visibility Committee chair, did a wonderful job organizing and coordinating our presence, the net result being yet more local positive exposure for our favorite candidate with many O-Train volunteer signups.

For the past two weeks, another circus has enamored the mainstream media, this one involving a controversy over the appearance of gospel singer and minister Donnie McClurkin at an Obama fundraiser in South Carolina.

Obama met Donnie McClurkin last December at an HIV/AIDS summit for Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in California. McClurkin is lowly-regarded within the GLBT community for declaring himself a "reformed" homosexual, and views sexual orientation as a choice rather than genetic pre-disposition.

Consequently, Obama's selection of McClurkin as a headliner in his gospel concert raised not only cash, but the ire of many gays across the country. The blogosphere was lit up by condemnations of Obama, in what was seen as a deeply offensive promotion of a homophobic hypocrite. There was a call within the GLBT community to uninvite McClurkin, a move Obama was understandably reluctant to make. Instead, the Senator invited an openly-gay minister to perform the convocation and issued the following statement:

I have clearly stated my belief that gays and lesbians are our brothers and sisters and should be provided the respect, dignity, and rights of all other citizens. I have consistently spoken directly to African-American religious leaders about the need to overcome the homophobia that persists in some parts our community so that we can confront issues like HIV/AIDS and broaden the reach of equal rights in this country.

I strongly believe that African Americans and the GLBT community must stand together in the fight for equal rights. And so I strongly disagree with Reverend McClurkin’s views and will continue to fight for these rights as President of the United States to ensure that America is a country that spreads tolerance instead of division.

As an act of damage-control, these olive-branches were useful in repairing the breach. Obama later acknowledged his campaign had not vetted McClurkin on his gay and lesbian views as much as the Senator would have liked. That said, South Carolina is a very winnable state for our candidate, and McClurkin was a prize draw, many attendees saying their donation was based, in some measure, on the Grammy-winning minister participating in the concert. Further, the black vote is a key demographic within the state, making up 70% of the Democratic electorate. The black evangelical community was largely responsible for the 30% of the black vote Bush received there in 2004.

Predictably, a modest protest was assembled outside the concert on the part of the gay community, with Obama (who was not in attendance) again later reiterating his message of inclusion and painting the parallels in the struggle for racial equality and gay rights.

My take on the whole hubbub would be it is ridiculous to hold Obama to a standard that says everyone his campaign invokes for support has to be in idealogical lockstep with him on every issue. It is the very fact that nearly everyone can find elements of his message they can agree with is what accounts for his broad base of support. No doubt votes will be lost within the GLBT community as a result of the flap, regardless of the Senator's attempt to placate those offended. Those votes are theoretically made up for by evangelical independents, who will see Obama's firm stand as a victory for their viewpoint.

As usual with our candidate, everyone can take away something be happy about, even if not getting everything they were looking for. Let's hope that message has enough breadth to persuade those looking for a unifying candidate, at a time when America should be fully fed up with combative politics, that Obama is their man.

Obama is WristStrong & an Emotional Magnet

2007-10-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

(Thefos and bobnbob's most excellent Obama adventure series)

Before I delve into my recent Obama experience, I feel that I must emphasize 3 points. Let’s call them “disclaimers,” shall we?

1. I think about Barack Obama and how campaigning must be taking a toll on him and his family. I think that Barack must be desperately missing his girls and that they probably do not understand the magnitude of what he is doing. They probably just want to sit on their daddy’s lap, maybe read a book together or just play with him. I imagine him trying to balance his job as a Senator with the demands of campaigning and time with his family. I think that his family is getting the short end of the stick; at least temporarily.

2. I believe that Barack is a brilliant man who understands the United States Constitution inside and out. He also understands the importance of a simple hello, thank you or handshake and what it means to the average citizen on the street. I think that his background in community organizing prepared him to connect with the average citizen. He understands that people want to touch him and he recognizes that he is an emotional magnet.

3. Last but not least, I am not bossy and I will tell all my friends and family to tell you that, so rules apply to everyone else but me. Yes, I am the exception. Our country will be much better off when everyone comes to terms with this final disclaimer.

As proud Florida Democrats, bobnbob and I are working hard to help elect Senator Barack Obama as the next President of the United States, not the President of Florida. So, if Senator Obama needs us to organize fundraisers, volunteer on the net or on the ground to help him compete and win the 4 early primary states, then that is what we'll do.

Our all-volunteer team is called the Tampa Bay O – Train. Under the leadership of Frank Sanchez, we had gracious hosts on both sides of the bay, local leaders and volunteers on the ground at the airport, on sidewalks in St. Pete and volunteers in place in both host homes. The O - Train was ready to welcome Senator Barack Obama back to the Tampa Bay area on Sunday, September 30, 2007. This was his first trip back here since last April.

I arrived at the first host home just in time to put out our O – Train signs and then settled in at the registration desk. The street was closed off, the Tampa police and SS (Secret Service) had everything covered.

After the bomb sniffing dog did one final sweep of the area, someone pointed out a small group of people on the front porch of a house across the street. I grabbed some signs and crossed the street and asked these porch dwellers if they were Obama supporters. When they said yes, I asked them if they wanted to hold signs on the sidewalk as Obama was soon to arrive. They jumped at the chance. One SS Agent, understood what I was doing, but another one was trying to order these people off their own property. I told the neighbors that if they “went down the street a little bit, you never know, Obama might stop and say hi.” They were very excited, so I took some pictures of them on the street.
Right after I snapped these pictures, I went back to the registration table. If only I would have stayed a minute or two longer, I could have taken some pictures when Obama's motorcade stopped and he shook their hands and thanked them. I had never met these people before so I had no idea what an impact this made on the 3 teenage boys in the picture. I received this email from the mom of one of them the next morning:

"It was good to meet you yesterday as you were helping out with the fundraiser on Orleans. My son, Grant, and the two young men who are being mentored as part of the Big Brother program were very excited to meet Senator Obama. One of the boys said he was never going to wash his hand after shaking hands with the Senator! It was a great experience for all of them."

Although I missed the shot of these teenagers meeting Obama, I did catch a priceless one of three young children who were anxiously awaiting his arrival. SS had moved them from their original spot, so they were straining to catch a glimpse of Obama from their new SS-approved location.

In between working the registration table, taking pictures and handing signs to the neighbors, I was also on the phone with both Obama's campaign and bobnbob because a large group of volunteers, who had staked out a position at the exit of the airport, had missed seeing him when his motorcade departed from the airport entrance instead of the exit.

From bobnbob’s perspective:

About 40-50 of us converged at a local airport to await his arrival. We weren’t planning on attending the fundraiser – our contribution to the campaign is our enthusiasm, our time, our canvassing, our phone-banking – you get the idea. We were the “grassroots” part of the Tampa Bay supporter club. It was organized by Team Captains Ann and Yasmin in Tampa and Suzanne and Andrea in St Pete.

We had folks from the age of 2 1/2 to approx 76. We were brown, white, red, and yellow, we were healthy and the not so healthy, we were walking on two legs, as well as rolling in for the fun. We had campaign signs, we had homemade signs, heck, and we even held “lollipop” signs with our local “Grassroots” group name – the Tampa Bay O-Train.

We felt a wonderful sense of hope in the waiting area – some of us have known each other for a couple of years (local/state candidate supporters), some hadn’t seen each other since the previous O-Train meeting, some had never met, and some were even from the local Students for Barack Obama!
Regardless, we were all connected to each other while supporting the next President of the United States.

We were urged (ok, bomb sniffing dogs entered) to go across the street to show our enthusiasm as Barack exited the airport – but funny thing with campaigns and Secret Service – the route is always a secret and it changes constantly. We were posted at the Exit and Barack and the SS left via the Entrance. Oh well, we knew that the SS guys had seen us, they cheered us on and the Senator was on his way for a quick refreshing before making an appearance at the first fundraiser. When Obama realized that he had missed the volunteers at the airport, thefos an his campaign contacted me to try to direct the volunteers to another location where he could stop and thank them. By that time, the only volunteers left were thefos’ daughter - Girlie Girl, a guy named Kurt, and me. So the three of us went to the new location where we were greeted and thanked by Obama. Sadly, the other volunteers had disbursed and there was no way to contact them but the good news was that there was a second sign waving scheduled in St. Petersburg a little later and Obama’s campaign and even the Secret Service were great about communicating with me so that he wouldn’t miss us again.

Meanwhile back at the house, I was relieved that bobnbob and the campaign were handling the volunteer visibility crisis. By now, I knew that she would be charming the SS agents and staffers. I could just imagine her calling them "Sugar" or "Darlin'" and I bet she even got a SS agent or two to crack a smile. I could now concentrate on trying to capture the day with my camera.

As I entered the house, Frank Sanchez, one of the Senator Obama’s national advisors, was guiding Obama through the crowded home and personally introducing him to everyone. I have spoken briefly to the Senator twice before, but this time, Frank formally introduced him to me. So, what do you say when you are introduced to the next President of the United States? Do you talk about the war? Maybe speak about the healthcare crisis? Or how about thanking him for his public service to our country? No, I told him that Girlie Girl said that he smelled like cinnamon. (Bobnbob and Girlie Girl had already told me about their Obama experience near the airport.) So, as I shook our next president’s hand, I told him that my daughter says that he smells like cinnamon. He thanked me for volunteering and laughed about the cinnamon comment.

It doesn’t make any difference what kind of crowd Obama is greeting, everyone seems to want a piece of him, so I backed off and concentrated on taking as many pictures as I could. After the Senator mingled with the guests, he made his way to the backyard where Frank Sanchez introduced the host, Tom Scarritt, who graciously welcomed his guests and Senator Barack Obama into his home.

As I roamed and snapped pictures as Obama spoke, I believe that I captured a few powerful images. The first one was when I bumped into Lauren, who is a caterer and old friend.
The last time I heard about Lauren, I was told that she had cancer and had left Florida to seek treatment because she didn’t have health insurance. Because she didn't have health insurance, the only treatment prescribed to her was invasive and drastic, so she was seeking alternative treatment elsewhere. When we spotted each other, we immediately embraced. I asked her if she was healthy and she said “Almost.” She was working the event, so we didn’t really have time to talk about it but I was really happy to see her and she looked great.

The second image I captured was of a waiter who was working the event. As he passed me, I could see one of our O – Train signs under the cloth of his serving trayI said, “I see that you have one of our signs under there.” He responded that he was hoping that Obama would sign it. I mentioned it to one of Obama’s staff members. I hope that he got it signed but I don’t know if he did.

When Obama finished addressing the guests, he made his way through the crowd. One of my friends, Patrick, decided to present Senator Obama with a WristStrong bracelet
I know that Senator Obama is a busy man, but he could not let the severity of wrist injuries go unrecognized.

WristStrong on The Colbert Report: http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/74324/detail/

The next good picture was successful because I used my "leadership qualities" to make it happen. I had observed the determined Delia Sanchez with cane in hand, following Obama as he made his way through the crowd. She cannot move quickly so she always seemed to be just one step behind him. As he tried to get into his car to head over to the next event, Miss Delia had finally caught up with him. Obama had graciously tolerated the cute teenage boy who had sidled up behind him while he was speaking
The boy was grinning ear to ear and Barack must have felt his breath on his neck, because he stopped in mid-sentence and allowed the boy’s grandmother to snap a picture. The Senator also astutely recognized when folks approached him for a second photo opportunity. Did I mention that this guy is brilliant? Obama said “Now, I know that you already got your picture and it was a good one!” He followed with the sage advice that “candid shots are better, trust me.”

Obama was trying to get into his car and when he saw me with my camera. He said that he had to get going. This is where my "alleged" bossiness first kicked in. I know that he couldn't possibly have known that Delia had been trying to catch up to him throughout the house. So even though I cared about disclaimers 1 & 2, number 3 clearly states that I am the exception, so I said "Come on, one last picture. It's for Frank's mother!" I think that Obama respected my "amazing dedication" because he allowed me to take this one last picture

As Obama drove away, I called to let bobnbob know that he was on his way.

So back to bobnbob's perspective:

Girlie Girl and I raced to the area of the 2nd fundraiser – as supporters were gathering to welcome Barack to this side of the Bay,too. We scoped out a great spot and hoped that Barack would be able to stop and say hi, or at least enjoy our “Welcome Back!” This group, there were many of the same from Tampa, but there were many new supporters, too.

We were welcoming everyone coming and leaving Snell Isle with great big chants of “Fired Up! Ready to Go!” We were waving and smiling, and showing off our signs and those great Barack Obama shirts! And lo and behold, coming up over the bridge was a caravan – and they pulled over and out steps Barack Obama, and a LOT of SS guys too! Barack apologized for not visiting with us over at the airport (can’t blame him, as he didn’t know we were going to be there,) shook every supporter’s hand, gave a few hugs and even signed a couple of books and a sign or two! Girlie Girl is right, the Senator smells like cinnamon! An awesome end to a fulfilling day welcoming the next President of the United States to Tampa Bay!

By this time, I was on my way to St. Pete. As I drove, I thought about the emotional connection that Obama volunteers have with Barack Obama and each other. After the volunteers were greeted by Obama, Georgia sent me this note:

I have been so excited since Sunday. When he finally reached the st.pete volunteers, we were so excited to see him up close. When he finally reached my hand [of course I was trembling] I could not stop saying I love you soooooo much, we love you soooooo much. He stopped, looked at me, gave me that beautiful smile and then said ‘come over here and give me a hug”........I will never wash that t-shirt!! I can’t wait to see the photos others have of him, the volunteers and sponsors and the events as well.

Obama didn't know that Georgia lost a husband to the Vietnam War or that as a young woman growing up in Georgia, she went against her family's wishes and volunteered with the civil rights movement. Obama didn't know that this is the first time that she has been involved in politics since the civil rights movement. Obama also didn't know that when Georgia couldn't get through to his website, she had written me a letter to make sure she didn't miss any meeting notices. Obama didn't know that her 37 year old son registered to vote for the first time because of her involvement in and support of Senator Obama's campaign. Georgia sent me another email:

I forgot to tell you that my husband recently registered to vote too!. He also wants to be a poll worker! It has been 20 years since he voted! He felt the same way; “My vote won’t count. Politicians are all crooks”............well something changed both of their minds! I never asked them to go register. They both did it on their own, at different times, and they never discussed it with each other or with me!

Thanks so much for the sign.........I will treasure it forever! I can also get the stick fixed and put it in my yard! Love and hugs, Georgia.........thought this would make you smile. Don’t I look silly?? Who cares, when you get old you can do anything.

Senator Obama didn't know anything about our own Georgia "Peach," but he felt her emotion, accepted it, embraced it and gave it back to her.
By the time I arrived at the 2nd Obama event, I had met bobnbob and Girlie Girl and led them to the house. They had been out for hours and needed to refresh themselves. We finally had a chance to relax, so bobnbob had her usual "something fruity" and I had a glass of Merlot. We also caught up with some more O - Train volunteers who were enjoying the calm after the storm:

After Obama spoke and answered questions, he let everyone know that he needed to catch a plane, so if you already had your picture taken with him, let someone else have an opportunity. Well, I made bobnbob get in line because the pictures taken with her camera didn't come out well at all. At this time, I had no prior knowledge that Kurt (who we never met before) would come through with a decent picture of bobnbob & Obama, so when Obama saw us, I said this is bobnbob and she was helping to coordinate the volunteers today. He responded with "I know her and she had her picture taken with me today." I said, "Yes, but it didn't turn out." So he patiently allowed us to take one last picture. But...here's the thing...bobnbob was trying to tell him at that particular moment that he made her feel empowered back in 2005 and that she was quoted in the Chicago Tribune way back then. When I took the picture, I could immediately see that it was a bad shot. Obama said "OK, you got your picture. I said "NO! It was good of you, bad of her!" I don't know if I shouted that or not, but Obama cooperated as I told bobnbob to shut up and smile. I give you exhibit A:

& B:

Before this case goes to you, the judge, a jury of my volunteer peers spoke on my behalf while they were waiting at the bridge. Let's call them "character witnesses," shall we? They didn't know that I would need this testimony but Georgia ended her email to me with this:

As we waited for him we talked about you and how dedicated you are to this campaign. We all agreed, you are amazing!!

Thanks for all that you do to make this such a wonderful experience for all of us! You inspire us to become more active and dedicated, more aware of politics and certainly more aware of our purpose on making this world a better place. That in itself is such a wonderful contribution to the planet......love and blessings

As much as I hate to give this guy any credit, I am quoting Republican pollster and Market Researcher, Frank Luntz: "80 percent of our life is emotion, and only 20 percent is intellect. I am much more interested in how you feel than how you think. I can change how you think, but how you feel is something deeper and stronger, and it's something that's inside you. How you think is on the outside, how you feel is on the inside, so that's what I need to understand." http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders/interviews/luntz.html

My thoughts on that: In 2004, approximately 1/2 of Americans voted with/for the emotion of fear. In 2008, a majority of Americans will vote with/for the emotion of hope.

In conclusion, am I bossy? Or am I an amazing volunteer who is dedicated to Senator Obama's campaign and an inspiration to other volunteers along the way?

You be the judge.

The defense rests.

By the way, I did not pose for a picture with Obama that day but someone snapped a candid shot when Obama was being introduced to me, so Obama was right; candid shots OK, too:

WristStrong on The Colbert Report: http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/74324/detail/

This is what it's all about......

2007-10-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

"Well I’m not running for President to conform to Washington’s conventional thinking – I’m running to challenge it. I’m not running to join the kind of Washington groupthink that led us to war in Iraq – I’m running to change our politics and our policy so we can leave the world a better place than our generation has found it." - Barack Obama

This is why it is so important that I support Obama. We are playing for keeps in this time here and now, and we can't risk electing hawks or doves. We need someone savvy and compassionate, and the wisdom to know the difference. He may not have decades of "DC experience," but this man has surely pegged everything that he's said every step of the way from Iraq to Blackwater. He has all the human experience I need, and I would bet my life on him.

The Implication of Edwards' Financing Woes

2007-10-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

John Edwards announced this past Friday that he will accept public financing for his presidential campaign. The former NC senator says this decision is not about money calculations, but rather about taking a "principled stand". Of course, one cannot help but wonder if he would be taking that stand were he leading the top-tier candidates in fundraising instead of trailing them.

Edwards has challenged the other candidates to join him, attempting to box-in Hillary Clinton with the statement, "Sen. Clinton said she is for public financing so she can step forward and show she actually means it". While Edwards is trying to claim a mantle of leadership, Obama was actually the first to throw down the challenge gauntlet on public financing.

Way back in February, Obama was the first candidate ever to ask the Federal Elections Commission whether he could accept money from private donors for the general election before the primary, but give it back, should he win the nomination, and accept public financing. Of course, the FEC was completely flummoxed, as no candidate had ever approached them with the novel idea of actually returning donated money.

The FEC answered affirmatively with the caveat that, among other restrictions, the general election monies had to be kept in a separate account. Obama's innovative approach allows options, such as proposing to an eventual Republican nominee that both parties only use matching Federal funds in the general election. Senator John McCain and Obama have, in fact, already entered such a pact.

Fast-forwarding to the present, we find Obama now taking the lead in Iowa (among caucus goers), a product of almost daily appearances in the state and 33 strategically placed field offices. To her credit, Clinton's campaign has steadied since the replacement of their Iowa Field Director Angelique Pirozzi, but it is Edwards for whom Iowa is make-or-break. His entire campaign strategy has been rooted from jumpstreet in Iowa, knowing Clinton would be a 2008 candidate and he wouldn't likely be able to out-fundraise her. Obama has cast a monkey-wrench into even that plan, however, by competing for the "anybody-but-Hillary" vote and drawing more than his fair share of fundraising oxygen -- largely at the expense of the Edwards campaign along with those of the second and third-tier candidates.

Should Edwards lose Iowa, his one-state campaign is effectively over. By petitioning for matching federal funds, he accepts with it the severe handicap on how that money can be spent. The most restrictive of these regulations regards per-state spending, which for Iowa amounts to a whopping $1,486,433. While the restrictions on this money are primary related to direct-mail and television advertising within 28 days of the primary date, this puts Edwards at a serious spending disadvantage in a state that is notorious for deciding late. Expect Obama (and Clinton, perhaps to a lesser degree) to spend cash like drunken sailors, saturating airwaves and mailboxes, while ground-canvassing the entire state.

Make no mistake about it, however. An Edwards loss in Iowa is important to Obama, while Mme. Clinton is rooting for an Edwards win -- perhaps even moreso than her own. An Edwards victory in Iowa allows him to remain competitive in the "anybody-but-Hillary" sweepstakes, and his presence will likely draw considerable votes from the Obama campaign. The longer Edwards remains viable, the longer the vote-split will continue, and the more Clinton will benefit. A perfect storm for her campaign would be to finish 2nd in Iowa to Edwards, while winning New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada primaries with a plurality of votes. Heading into February 5th, all the candidates know that momentum is going to be the name of the game.

For Obama, a perfect storm would be to win Iowa, New Hampshire (where independents can vote in the primary, tilting the race decidedly in Obama's favor), and South Carolina (where half of the registered Democrats are black). The second-most favorable outcome would be a Clinton victory, with Obama a close second, eliminating Edwards while still lending legitimacy to his campaign by finishing second in a state that is 94% white. Under either scenario, Nevada might be sacrificed.

Since no candidate has won the nomination without winning two of the first four primaries, history would not favor Hillary assuming an Obama victory in Iowa. And with her cloak of inevitability pierced, the table could be set for an Obama landslide, as the "anybody-but-Hillary" vote unifies under his banner.

New York loves Obama part 3!

2007-09-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

New York loves Obama part 2!

2007-09-28T09:41:00.001-07:00

New York loves Obama part 1!

2007-09-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

Obama Takes Lead on Security Contractors

2007-09-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

You've likely never heard of Blackwater USA and they'd like to keep it that way. First, watch this video produced by Sam Graham-Felsen, Obama for America blogger:

Senator Obama is taking the lead on reigning in this nefarious organization:

I was disturbed by recent press accounts describing a firefight in which Blackwater USA security contractors killed at least 9 people and wounded many others. According to the Iraqi government, last weekend’s incident is one of seven incidents in which the company’s employees have allegedly opened fire on Iraqi civilians.
[. . . ]
In February, I introduced the Transparency and Accountability in Military and Security Contracting Act (S. 674). This bill would require federal agencies to report to Congress on: the total number of security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan; the total cost of the contractors; the number of contractors killed or wounded; information about the military and safety equipment provided to contractors; and a description of disciplinary action taken against contractors. The bill also would improve coordination between security contractors and U.S. armed forces by requiring the issuance of rules of engagement, clarify the legal status of contractors, and require investigation of criminal misconduct committed by contractors.

Once again, Senator Obama sees the forest for the trees, attacking the larger issue of transparency and accountability in our government. He is also taking head-on national security, again dismantling the "experience " argument.

Believe in America again...Vote Obama 08!

2007-09-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

Another great video by lovingj1:

Iraq Speech Dust Settling

2007-09-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

Last week in a major speech, Senator Obama announced his plan for ending the war in Iraq. Predictably, Obama has again set the standard for other candidates as each now look to issue their own Iraq policy statement. Just as predictably, he has taken incoming fire from both Democrats and Republicans alike -- which, in the 2008 U.S. Presidential campaign, seems to be a cost of leadership.

For Democrats like Chris Dodd, the fact that Obama will not unequivocally state he is against any war funding bill going to Bush which does not contain timelines for withdrawal makes the plan a non-starter. From the other side of the aisle, any plan which presents Iraq withdrawal scenarios is tantamount to renouncing the War on Terrorism and a global surrender to Al-Qaeda. Appeasement. Capitulation.

Both sides, however, seem to be overlooking Obama's strategic point, which is mainly to provide cover for Republicans signing up onto his plan, exploding the current grid-lock over troop withdrawals, and providing a veto-proof majority. How?

Republicans have operated with three major objections to drawing down troops from Iraq:

Surrenders the Iraqi battlefield to Al-Qaeda, exposing the US to the possibility of having to re-engage a stronger enemy in Iraq than it left behind
Establishing a "date-certain" for withdrawal telegraphs to the enemy precisely how long they have to hold out
Manipulating troop levels essentially amounts to micro-managing the war effort, by depriving on-the-ground commanders with personnel resources that may be needed to execute various tactical plans

Obama's plan brilliantly undercuts these reservations, paving the way for the 67 votes needed to institute a veto-proof withdrawal plan.

Firstly, the battlefield is not surrendered, even after the final combat batallion has returned home in late 2008. Under Obama's plan, the US would maintain a sizable contingent of special-ops forces to help maintain "over-the-horizon" strike capability, in addition to providing training support to the Iraqi Army. US troops would no longer be used for routine patrol operations, but rather as supplemental muscle for Iraqi operations against Al-Qaeda.

If that government breaks down, the primary role of US forces are to try and keep the conflict from spreading over the border and destabilizing the whole region. This is an entirely different mission from nation-building, a role US military officials have distinctly tried to avoid, but in the current situation have it thrust upon them. Once a new government emerges from the conflict, the US support role will be no different than it was with the previous Iraqi government.

Secondly, no "date-certain" is established for the withdrawal of US troops. While regular combat troops are projected to be out of Iraq by late 2008, the US is expected to maintain a significant military capability within the region. The new American capability carries a much smaller footprint than today's force, leading to virtually zero-presence of US personnel on Iraqi city streets (other than Embassy protection). With the label of "occupier" invalidated, propoganda campaigns against US presence lack traction, credibility, and targets.

Lastly, Obama's responsible, phased withdrawal plan (1-2 combat batallions per month) results in troops being redeployed no faster than Bush's currently-proposed plan up to June, 2008. Consequently, there can be no calls of "micromanagement" before next summer that could not similarly have been levelled at Bush's plan. The difference is Obama's plan continues the slow drawdown beyond that date, while Bush has made no such commitment.

No one would contend that if Bush's plan has yielded no measurable progress by summer 2008 (e.g. no measurable progress in the Iraqi government arriving at the political accomodations necessary to insure the well-being of all Iraqis), that enough Republicans would vote to "continue the course" to save a presidential veto of troop drawdowns in the next round of funding (only 17 out of 49 Republican signatures needed). So, from the micromanagement standpoint, there is effectively no difference between Bush's current plan to reduce to pre-surge levels by the summer and Obama's plan. The pace of the withdrawals have to be agreeable to Republicans, while the goals of the plan have to be agreeable to Democrats.

Obama has removed the typical Republican resistance points, so they can sign on with a clear conscience and Dems can get some sort of genuine veto-proof withdrawal underway. It's not an extreme solution that folks like Kucinich or Richardson are calling for, but it's a workable solution that both sides of the aisle can get on board with and feel like they came away with something.

Vintage Obama.

From The "Tell Us Something We Don't Know" File

2007-09-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Still, the messenger is important, nonetheless:

Instead, notes former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan, who served in that influential role from 1987 to 2006: "I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil." The Federal Reserve Board chairman oversees the United States' Federal Reserve Bank system; Greenspan, who was appointed to his powerful post by Ronald Reagan, went on to serve under several presidents. A self-described "libertarian Republican," he makes his observation - and others that are sure to upset the Bush gang - in his much-anticipated memoirs, The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World. The book is being published today in the U.S. (In Britain, the Daily Telegraph will begin serialzing excerpts from it tomorrow.) (Daily Telegraph; see also Radio Canada, French-language service)

But, Mr. Greenspan...but...Weapons of mass destruction...and...blah blah blah:

"I thought the issue of weapons of mass destruction as the excuse was utterly beside the point."

. . . Oh . . .

GOP losing its grip on Miami's Cuban-Americans

2007-09-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

A job well done by fellow Florida Obama supporter Giancarlo Sopo...

When Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama took the same stage last month to address a crowd packed with Cuban-Americans he rebuked the Bush administration for tightening the embargo, a move Bush had made to appease Cuban-American hardliners.

If he became president, Obama said, he would grant "unrestricted" travel for Cuban-Americans to visit family and send remittances to the island.

In the audience was Giancarlo Sopo, a 24-year-old government and economics student, who carried a poster saying "Cubanos con Obama" despite a political pedigree that is thoroughbred Republican.

His father participated in the Bay of Pigs, and both parents were staunch Reaganites. Sopo, 24, supported Bush in 2000, though he was too young to vote then.

"I was a Bushie," he says over coffee near where he grew up in Miami's Little Havana. "I was following the traditional lineage of my family's politics."

He puts his conversion down to a confluence of factors, including Obama's inspirational life story. He also likes his humanitarian Cuba policy.

But mostly it was a factor he thinks could swing many young Cuban-American voters away from their traditional Republican party roots in 2008.

"What tipped me over? It was the Iraq war," he says.

And the endorsements keep coming in...

2007-09-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Join Barack at the Harkin Steak Fry

2007-09-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Hot off the presses...

Hillary's "Experience" In Foreign Affairs

2007-09-12T17:59:00.000-07:00

The most prevalent meme out of the Clinton camp is that she is the candidate of experience. This is a farce. A lie. And, indeed, the narrative dichotomy of this campaign has already been determined: we must choose between the experienced candidate (apparently Clinton) and the candidate who will turn the page (clearly Obama). That is a rather narrow depiction of this race, but it's the one we've got right now. While the Obama meme is accurate, Clinton's is patently and demonstrably false. That doesn't stop her from trying, though. Especially in foreign affairs, where she routinely touts she's visited 82 countries. Well, that tired line doesn't fool anyone, in particular Zbigniew Brzezinski, former Carter National Security Adviser:

"I would say my travel agent has probably been to more than 82 countries," Brezezinski said with a smile, "but that doesn't qualify my travel agent to be secretary of state or president."

No, it certainly doesn't. Neither does being married to the president. When people talk about Hillary's experience, they evidently include the eight years she was First Lady. Being married to the guy who knows and does stuff is not the same thing as knowing and doing stuff. It doesn't show a grasp of policy and ability to courageously lead as, say, correctly opposing a war when it is politically unpopular to do so. Brzezinski understands that and draws the distinction between Obama and Clinton:

Being First Lady is not the same thing as showing, on her own, that she understands what is really at stake in a situation, and to understand it early on, and not to understand it when a lot of other people have belatedly reached the same conclusion.

Amen.

Obama Questions General Petraeus on Iraq

2007-09-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

Watch it. Rate it. Share it.

A Message From Barack On This Sad Anniversary

2007-09-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

Six years ago, on a bright and beautiful Tuesday morning, a new kind of enemy came to America's shores.

We will never forget the images of that terrible day -- the planes vanishing into buildings, the thick black clouds of smoke, and the haunting pictures of the missing.

On this anniversary, we pause to remember each and every victim of those attacks.

We celebrate the lives that were tragically cut short. We grieve with the families and friends who lost loved ones. We honor the service and sacrifice of the emergency responders who set an example to the whole world that in America we are our brother's keeper and our sister's keeper.

And we pause to honor the brave men and women of the United States military -- and their families -- who have borne such a heavy burden for the last six years.

We also remember how Americans were stirred to a common purpose. On the lines to donate blood or the candlelight vigils that stretched across our country, there was no red America and there was no blue America. We were united in our grief for our fellow citizens. We were united in our resolve to stand with one another and to stand up to terror. We were united as Americans.

Six years later, the threat to America has only grown. Al Qaeda has reconstituted a new safe-haven where it trains recruits and plots attacks. Al Qaeda's top two leaders, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, continue to disseminate their hate-filled propaganda and inspire legions of followers. Like-minded extremists have struck in scores of countries. The war in Iraq continues to fuel terror and extremism. A Taliban insurgency rages on in Afghanistan. In too many disconnected corners of the world, hate is casting a shadow over hope.

Our calling today remains the same as it was on 9/11. We must write a new chapter in American history. We must bring justice to the terrorists who killed on our shores. We must devise new strategies, develop new capabilities, and build new alliances to defeat the threats of the 21st century. We must extend hope to the hopeless corners of the world and reaffirm our core values to counter the hateful message of the extremists. And we must secure a more resilient homeland.

To write that new American story, we must recapture that sense of common purpose that we had on September 11, 2001.

America is bigger than the challenge that came to our shores. Let us honor the legacy of those we lost by coming together anew. Let us always mark this day by affirming that hope will triumph over fear, and that a new generation of Americans will seek a safer, freer, and more perfect union.

Barack Obama

9/11 to Today

2007-09-11T04:11:00.000-07:00

Well, today is the anniversary of the day we all have come to remember as the beginning of the end as the life we knew. I remember being at work and hearing that a plane had hit the Trade Center. I knew in that moment it was terrorism. People told me it wasn't, but it was a clear day in New York, and it couldn't have been a mistake. Then, the second plane hit. I was sure of my first inclination. It didn't take too long, and we were on our way to Afghanistan. Then out of no where, we jumped into Iraq, had our constitutional rights taken away, and our current administration tried to force us into a box life of fear and submission. That may have worked 50 years ago, but today, we are a nation of truth seekers, and those days of absolute obedience are over. We are free thinkers. We have been accused of not being patriotic because we question our administration's motifs, but I say we are more than patriotic because we do question. We are trying to protect ourselves and others from the misguided notion that we must give up rights in order to be safe. In fact, it is just the opposite. The more we hunker down, and give into fear, the more we are vulnerable to dictatorship, and history tells us how well that turns out. This government, our government, was based on the rights of its citizens to speak out against injustice. The Constitution is our law. So, today, on this day, we remember not only to mourn for the loss of the lives on 09-11-01, but we should remember to live and fight for the people that are still being victimized by 9/11. This tragedy has taught me that we need to always be vigilant. Not only in regard to the situation at hand, but to also keep looking behind the scenes. Especially when it comes to selecting leaders. We must select leaders with integrity and honor. They must always be true to what is in the best interest of the American people. I have found this in Barack Obama. He is who I have chosen to be the leader of the United Stated of America.

This Just In: Morons Work For Fox News

2007-09-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the non-Obama blogging, but this was too confounding to pass up. I was watching Faux News yesterday (sometimes I tune in to recreationally hate it) and a makeup-caked Shepard Smith delivered this gem:

"'......[quoting latest Osama Bin Laden video] neo-conservatives such as Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Richard Perle.....'[Smith interjects] You remember Richard Perle, the Wall Street Journal journalist who was killed over there."

To review: Richard Perle is one of the neo-conservative architects of the Bush foreign policy. Daniel Pearl was the assassinated American journalist in Pakistan. And Shepard Smith is an idiot.

Kos' Selective Memory

2007-09-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

Kos temporarily (possibly, but that remains to be seen, I guess.) takes leave of his senses, or conveniently forgets facts, as he waxes moronic:

So where are the two "front runner" candidates on Iraq? Have they conquered their fear and actually said something of substance regarding the pre-emptive capitulation bill?

There's more, of course, but you can read it for yourself. Basically, Kos accuses Obama (and Clinton) for not being aggressive enough on Iraq and credits (naively) John Edwards and Chris Dodd for their brave leadership.

Well, it's easy for a guy who isn't in the Senate (who, by the way, voted FOR this mismanaged, immoral war against his better judgment) and a Donahue-coiffed guy who doesn't have a shot. It's much more difficult to speak out on a controversial issue when it's politically unpopular to do so. Kos asserts there's a dearth of information about Obama's stance on Iraq on his campaign's website, but he apparently missed this. Oh, and this, too. Obama has done more than most on this subject. His stance has been unwavering. That's leadership.

The "O" Factor

2007-09-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

I'm talking about Oprah this time and her potentially huge positive effect on the Senator's campaign, both financially and culturally:

Here's one way you can measure what Oprah Winfrey's endorsement means for Democrat Barack Obama: the fund-raiser she's throwing for him Saturday at her Santa Barbara mansion will likely raise some $3 million.

But as Oprah herself noted when she explained her first-ever presidential endorsement to CNN's Larry King, money may not be biggest asset she brings.

"I think my value to him, my support of him, is probably worth more than any check that I could write," she said.

Quite right. And what's more:

"She's got not just a TV show where she reaches over 40 million viewers a week, she has a Web site ... she's got magazines ... and she's been at it for years so she's built quite, not just a fan base but a following, and that's key," said Elizabeth MacDonald, a senior editor for Forbes Magazine. "It's not just that she has viewers, people act on what she says."

With her daily talk show, Oprah can put books on the best seller list and start fashion, diet and exercise crazes. She has also been talking to, and with, Americans about the most intimate aspects of their lives.

And she got me to read Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, which surprised even me. So I don't doubt her influence.

Former Clinton Cabinet Member Endorses Obama

2007-09-07T09:42:00.001-07:00

Booyah!:*

Former Clinton Cabinet member Federico Peña says he is endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
A formal announcement is scheduled later Friday.
Peña was secretary of energy and secretary of transportation under President Bill Clinton. He was mayor of Denver from 1983 to 1991 and is now a managing partner of a Denver investment company.
Obama, an Illinois senator, trails Hillary Clinton in most polls.
In a written statement, Peña praised Obama's judgment and leadership.

Asked for further comment about his support for Obama, Peña added, "He has better suits, too."

*People don't still say "booyah," do they?

Obama leads in campaign web site visits

2007-09-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

I already knew that Obama is dominating onlne. It will just take the media a little longer to catch on:

Obama leads in campaign Web site visits

by John McCormick

Sen. Barack Obama is leading all presidential candidates in campaign Web
site visits, The Nielsen Company reported today.

Obama's web site had the most unique visitors in July, with 717,000,
according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Fellow Democrats Sen. Hillary Clinton had
437,000 unique visits, followed by 348,000 for former North Carolina Sen.
John Edwards.

To read the rest of the article, click on:

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2007/09/obama_leads_in_campaign_web_si.html

A message to the O-Train Team from Frank Sanchez

2007-09-03T16:41:00.000-07:00

Dear O-Train members and Barack Obama supporters,

By the time you read this, you will likely already know that, for the time being, Barack Obama is going to abide by the DNC ruling and not campaign actively in any of the states that have been found to be in violation of moving up their primary elections earlier than February 5th. This includes Florida. The Obama campaign also urged states in danger of violating DNC rules to adjust their plans to comply with the DNC's calendar, so that every state contributes delegates to the nominating process. As of last weekend's ruling, there is still a 30 day window to try to work out a solution to lift the penalty and allow Florida delegates to be seated at the National Democratic Convention. While Barack will not be doing active political campaigning, he will make his commitment to be in Tampa Bay later this month. Therefore, we will still have Senator Obama in the Tampa Bay area on September 30th for the planned fundraising events.

I know this situation is extremely frustrating and disappointing to many people. Here is the reality: Barack is between a rock and hard place. No candidate from either party has ever won the nomination without winning at least two of the early states. If Barack ignored the DNC he risks alienating early states. If he made Florida happy and campaigned here, he likely would lose the early states and almost be guaranteed to lose the nomination. I don't like what is happening with the DNC. But I also want Barack to win the nomination and then the general election. I'm supporting him to be President of the United Sates not just to be a candidate in the Florida Primary. Am I pleased with this situation? NO! Still, I'm going to cut Barack some slack because I'm keeping my eye on the prize: putting Barack Obama in the White House. That is the O-Train's mission. As supporters in Florida, there are still plenty of things that we can do get him elected. We are not limited by the Florida border. Our O-Train team can support the campaign efforts in the early states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

In the coming weeks, we will be discussing the activities that we, as strong supporters of Barack Obama, can continue to do, so that he wins the nomination and ultimately wins the White House in November 2008. I, along with our Chair, Co-Chairs and Executive Committee, look forward to seeing everyone at the next O-Train Meeting, where we will be able to answer any of your questions regarding this.

Thank you for your continued support on behalf of Senator Barack Obama. It is an honor to work with each and every one of you.

Frank Sanchez
Obama For America Finance Chair Tampa Bay
National Finance Committee

Brzezinski Says Obama More Suited to Be President Than Clinton

2007-08-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

Aug. 24 (Bloomberg) --

Zbigniew Brzezinski, one of the most influential foreign-policy experts in the Democratic Party, threw his support behind Barack Obama's presidential candidacy, saying the Illinois senator has a better global grasp than his chief rival, Hillary Clinton.

To read the rest of the article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20070824/pl_bloomberg/a5lofo2yh6fe_1

It's all about priorities for Michelle Obama

2007-08-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

It's all about priorities for Michelle Obama
L.A. Times | August 22, 2007
By Maria L. La Ganga

The candidate's wife with a six-figure income and two Ivy League degrees connects with women on the campaign trail over shared struggles.

Chicago -- The young professional woman was in a bind. She had a job interview scheduled with a prospective boss, but she didn't have a baby-sitter. Not even her Harvard law degree could help her.

So Michelle Obama -- still in maternity clothes -- strapped her newborn daughter, Sasha, in the stroller and headed out to meet Michael E. Riordan, president and chief executive of the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Luckily, Sasha kept her little mouth shut, but her presence that day in 2001 "was more than symbolic. It was significant," Riordan said in a recent interview. Obama "had her priorities in line. She really wanted to make that known to me. . . that family came first."

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, 43, is not your mother's political spouse.

She is 5-feet-11 in her stocking feet, earned more than $300,000 last year -- husband's paycheck not included -- has two Ivy League degrees and was just named to Vanity Fair's 68th annual international best-dressed list.

But on the campaign trail, she has carved out a niche connecting with women over shared daily struggles: to get the kids up, their hair brushed, their lunch packed and out the door; to have a job and a family and not go crazy; to hope for better things for their daughters when they grow up and are off on their own.

To read the rest of this article, click on:
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-michelle22aug22,1,4822401,full.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Experience v Good Judgement

2007-08-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

Some people say

2007-08-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Some people say that Michelle Obama is controversial. Others know that she is a remarkable woman who supports her husband's candidacy and protects her children. I would love to meet her one day.

Michelle was speaking out about real family values. If Rudy had spoken about the same thing, which of his wives would he be referring to?

Barack Obama on The Daily Show tonight!

2007-08-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest news from Barack Obama's campaign site--be sure to set your DVRs:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/dailyshowtonight

Barack Obama will be a guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart tonight, August 22nd at 11:00 pm EDT.

I've got a Crush on Obama

2007-08-12T19:13:00.000-07:00