CNN Report Debunking Obama Muslim Hoax

Now that we know that the original "Muslim smear" email can be traced to a fellow named Andy Martin, who was running for Senate, I thought it appropriate to resurrect this from the Wayback Machine.

Here is the CNN news piece debunking the "Obama attended a madrassa" email smear.

The Origin of the Muslim Smear Email

The seamy underworld of those who are responsible for starting the Muslim smear email.

Danielle Allen traced the first Muslim email to Andy Martin. Martin wanted to run for the senate, and admitted he has no reason for his accusations except to try to score political points. "There's nothing sinister here. I was thinking of running for Senate and was looking for a story to put some sizzle on the plate."


From The Washington Post:

The e-mail landed in Danielle Allen's queue one winter morning as she was studying in her office at the Institute for Advanced Study, the renowned haven for some of the nation's most brilliant minds. The missive began: "THIS DEFINITELY WARRANTS LOOKING INTO."

Laid out before Allen, a razor-sharp, 36-year-old political theorist, was what purported to be a biographical sketch of Barack Obama that has become one of the most effective -- and baseless -- Internet attacks of the 2008 presidential season. The anonymous chain e-mail makes the false claim that Obama is concealing a radical Islamic background. By the time it reached Allen on Jan. 11, 2008, it had spread with viral efficiency for more than a year.

During that time, polls show the number of voters who mistakenly believe Obama is a Muslim rose -- from 8 percent to 13 percent between November 2007 and March 2008. And some cited this religious mis-affiliation when explaining their primary votes against him.

As the general-election campaign against Sen. John McCain has gotten underway, Obama's aides have made the smears a top target. They recently launched FightTheSmears.com to "aggressively push back with the truth," said Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor, and go viral with it. The Web site urges supporters to upload their address books and send e-mails to all of their friends. "

But long before this, Allen had been obsessing about the origins of her e-mail at the institute, which is most famous for having been the research home of Albert Einstein. Allen studies the way voters in a democracy gather their information and act on what they learn. She was familiar, of course, with the false rumors of a secret love child that helped sink McCain's White House bid in 2000, and the Swift boat attacks that did the same to Democrat John Kerry in 2004. But the Obama e-mail was on another plane: The use of the Internet made it possible to launch anonymous attacks that could reach millions of voters in weeks or even days.

As an Obama supporter -- she had met the senator while she worked as a dean at the University of Chicago -- it made her angry. And curious.

"I started thinking, 'How does one stop it?' "

Allen set her sights on dissecting the modern version of a whisper campaign, even though experts told her it would be impossible to trace the chain e-mail to its origin. Along the way, even as her hunt grew cold, she gained valuable insight into the way political information circulates, mutates and sometimes devastates in the digital age.

read more here | digg story

The Whole World Loves Obama

My father just came back from a trip to Brazil.

He was on a group tour of Sugarloaf Mountain. There were a lot of Brazilian schoolkids there, dressed in their school uniforms, lined up waiting to take the tour.

The kids heard my father speaking English and in broken English asked him where he was from..."America?" they said.

My father responded, "Si, America." Then he added, "Obama! America!"

"Obama! Obama!" The children started shouting into the crowd, which broke out in smiles and cries of approval. Then kids started dancing, "Obama, Obama!"

Donate Before Monday... Get a T-Shirt!

Let's keep those numbers up!

On Monday, everyone will be watching our fundraising totals to see if we can compete with the McCain campaign.

This month is the first test of our grassroots fundraising strategy since we declared our independence from the broken campaign finance system.

You can help build our organization and show that a movement of ordinary people giving only what they can afford is changing the way presidential campaigns are funded.

Your support has gotten us this far, but if you make another donation today, you'll receive a special gift.

Make a donation of $30 or more by midnight on Monday, June 30th, and show off your support with an Obama logo T-shirt:

Donate Before the June 30th Deadline

https://donate.barackobama.com/logotshirt

Thanks to the support of people like you, this is the first presidential campaign in a generation to build an organization in all 50 states.

This campaign is committed to changing the political map and competing in every part of the country, not just in traditionally Democratic areas.

It's going to require unprecedented resources to take on John McCain in states like Virginia, Alaska, North Carolina, Montana, Georgia, North Dakota, Indiana, and Colorado.

And right now, we're opening offices and adding staff in these states and many more. That's why your contribution now is so crucial to our success in November.

Make a donation of $30 or more before Monday's financial reporting deadline. Not only will you help build our 50-state strategy, but you will be able to show your support with an Obama logo T-shirt that's not available anywhere else:

https://donate.barackobama.com/logotshirt

Thank you for everything you're doing,

Obama for America

Disclaimer

Well, I've been fortunate to be hired by my local Democratic Party club headquarters to work on staff for this election.

So, now that I'm totally legit, I'd like to say that regarding this blog, the views that I express here are my own as an individual, and are not to be construed as being in any way representative of the Democratic Party or the Obama campaign.

'nuff said.

Campaign Minute

A (very) quick rundown for folks in a hurry.

Join HuffPo "Special Ops"

Huffington Post's "Off the Bus" section is looking for citizen journalists to cover the action in your local communities for the general election.

Click here to join the team.

It's the electoral race of the century. Political maps are being redrawn, and rules are getting rewritten across the board. Fundraising records have been broken. The candidates are even comparing the size of their email lists.

The mainstream media is tripping over itself to report on every last press release and campaign announcement. But do any of us REALLY know what's going on?

With your help from the frontlines, HuffPost's OffTheBus can change campaign coverage.

CAN YOU HELP US? Join OffTheBus' Special Ops team, and report back to us on what's happening in your town and state.

No traditional media organization can afford to dispatch reporters all over the country, and certainly not this "early" in the general election. But that's exactly what HuffPost's OffTheBus, with 2500 members, can do.

Monday Sen. McCain opened a campaign office in St. Paul, Minnesota. Tuesday Sen. Obama set up shop in Orlando, Florida. Friday McCain and the GOP will cut the ribbons on their new HQ in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. By next week scores of new volunteers and campaign staffers will be crawling all over the battleground states in search of votes.

We've got a real competitive advantage over traditional media, but that may not last long.

As an OffTheBus Special Ops recruit you'll receive a reporting assignment each week. We'll equip you with special reporting guidelines for each assignment.

The information you relay to us -- contact information for local grassroots leaders, event locations and details, and more -- will be stored in our database, and then made available as a resource to our members and writers.

Last October OffTheBus members dropped in on Sen. Barack Obama's Nationwide Canvassing Day from more than two dozen locations. Hours later every observer independently relayed to us that the economy, not the war, was THE voting issue. Twenty-four hours later we reported on the significance of the economy, beating the mainstream media to the punch by several weeks ("Reporting the Obama Campaign Coast-to-Coast: Democrats More Undecided Than Polls Suggest").

As our numbers grow, the same collaborative reporting model that got us the scoop on the economy may tell us a lot more about what's happening nationwide.

Join the team, and get your first assignment!

AFL-CIO Endorses Obama

This is great news for the campaign. Large labor unions, like this one, can provide the (wo)man power and volunteers needed to help lick the stamps, knock on the doors, make the phone calls for the general election.

“In so many ways―on jobs, health care, gas prices and the war in Iraq―our country is headed in the wrong direction,” AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said. “Barack Obama has proven from his days as an organizer, to his time in the Senate and his historic run for the presidency, that he’s leading the fight to turn around America. He’s a champion for working families who knows what it’s going to take to create an economy that works for everyone, not just Big Oil, Big Pharma, the insurance companies, the giant mortgage lenders, speculators and the very wealthy. We’re proud to stand with Sen. Obama to help our nation chart a course that will improve life for generations of working people and our children.

In its endorsement statement, the AFL-CIO General Board cited Obama’s strong support of working families on issues such as health care reform, fair trade that will lift up workers here and around the world, retirement security and the freedom to form unions and bargain for middle-class living standards. Obama has a 98 percent voting record on working families’ issues, compared to just 16 percent for Sen. John McCain.

“Senator Barack Obama has secured the nomination of his party in a campaign that has energized millions of Americans and spoken to the hopes and dreams of people from every corner of our nation,” read the AFL-CIO General Board’s statement to endorse Obama. “His leadership can re-engage disenfranchised Americans and bring our country together.” The General Board, which includes presidents of all 56 unions in the federation as well as Executive Council members and representatives of state and local federations, trade departments and constituency groups, votes by per capita membership.

“Senator Obama has advocated a change of direction for our nation that mirrors the priorities of the labor movement,” the statement continued.

The endorsement is not only a stamp of approval; it marks the beginning of a huge, united political mobilization among working class voters. The AFL-CIO will focus on mobilizing more than 13 million union voters―including union members, families of members, retirees and members of the AFL-CIO community affiliate Working America―in 24 priority states, working to elect U.S. senators and representatives, as well as state and local candidates.

“We’ll work our hearts out for Barack Obama,” said AFSCME President and AFL-CIO Political Committee Chair Gerald McEntee. “Our program is going to be worker to worker and neighbor to neighbor. We’re ready to mobilize. We’re ready to rock and roll. This country and our people are ready for change

If you're a member of a labor union, join Labor for Obama to get involved.

Obama vs. McCain Energy Plans

The campaign website has a section called "New Energy for America," comparing Obama's and McCain's energy plans.

In 2000, countries like Germany made a major commitment to increase the use of renewable energy and begin to get off oil. We elected George Bush and Dick Cheney -- who gave us a secret energy task force, a war in Iraq and the same old energy policies.

Eight years later, gas prices are soaring above $4 a gallon and the nation stands at a crossroads.

We can either “go big” and follow Barack Obama’s 2007 blueprint to create a new energy economy -- or we can rely on John McCain’s sudden 2008 urge to drill for offshore oil -- a distracting idea which won’t reduce gas prices but will boost oil company profits.

The facts are clear. Only one candidate has a detailed plan that is at Apollo moon-mission scale, using technologies that work right now -- Barack Obama. Clean energy isn’t pie in the sky -- the Germans created 250,000 jobs in less time than it will take for John McCain and Big Oil to drill for oil offshore -- and bring it to market. Failing to invest in new energy means we will continue to fall behind in the competitive race for new jobs and manufacturing. That’s not the road to smart energy independence; it’s a backwards formula for more Exxon dependence.

Read more here


Here is a speech Obama recently gave in Las Vegas on his plan for our energy future.



After you note the stark differences between Obama and McCain, join Environmentalists for Obama, and help take back our government from the oil interests and energy speculators.

Obama Helps Relieve Clinton Campaign Debt

McCain and Madonna

Stephen Colbert has asked to his viewers to help make McCain more exciting with his Green Screen Challenge.

Here is one of the winners from last night's show...McDonna:

Obama to Crackdown on Energy Speculators

From Associated Press:

Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday said as president he would strengthen government oversight of energy traders he blames in large part for the skyrocketing price of oil.

The Democratic candidate's campaign singled out the so-called "Enron loophole" for allowing speculators to run up the cost of fuel by operating outside federal regulation. Oil closed near $135 a barrel on Friday - almost double the price a year ago.

Read more here

Postcards From Europe

Postcards from Europe for Obama is hoping to send 5,000 signed postcards from European Obama supporters to American volunteers.

Just because you're living overseas doesn't mean your voice can't be heard in this important election.

Go to www.obamaeurope.org to sign up.

Barack Obama on the New Green Economy

Barack speaking yesterday in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Obama's Statement on the Crisis in Zimbabwe

Barack Obama on the Zimbabwean elections:

I am deeply disturbed by the recent events in Zimbabwe and condemn the actions of President Robert Mugabe in the strongest possible terms. The United States and the international community must be united, clear and unequivocal: the Government of Zimbabwe is illegitimate and lacks any credibility.

I welcome yesterday's United Nations Security Council statement condemning the violence sweeping Zimbabwe, and underscoring that the Zimbabwean government's campaign of repression and brutality has made it impossible for the June 27 elections to be free and fair. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is absolutely right when he says that run-off elections under these circumstances would lack any legitimacy.

Indeed, it is the result of the abrogated March 2008 elections that represents the genuine will of the Zimbabwean people. I have spoken with MDC Leader Morgan Tsvangirai to share my deep concern for the way his supporters are being targeted by the regime, and to express my admiration for his efforts to ensure that the will of the Zimbabwean people is finally respected.

The people of Zimbabwe have suffered far too long. They live in fear and struggle to survive, as opposition supporters and leaders, civil society activists, and ordinary citizens are subject to harassment, torture, and murder. The government-orchestrated economic catastrophe has wrought run-away inflation and food and fuel shortages. The regime's deliberate disruption of humanitarian operations has left the Zimbabwean people in utter despair. This crisis is affecting the entire Southern African region and mars the vision of a more just, prosperous, and stable continent to which African leaders are committed.

I am heartened by the growing chorus of African leaders supporting the civil and political rights of the Zimbabwean people. The Governments of Zambia, Botswana, Tanzania, Angola, Senegal, Kenya and South Africa's African National Congress (ANC), civil society leaders and trade unions have all denounced the Zimbabwean government's repression. But they must do much more to help prevent the crisis in Zimbabwe from spiraling out of control. In particular, the South African government and the ANC must recognize the need – and must call for – the kind of diplomatic action that is necessary to pressure the Zimbabwean government to stop its repressive behavior.

The United States should work with regional leaders and others to press for postponed elections conducted under a strong international monitoring presence and, to the extent possible, meaningful civil protection measures. If fresh elections prove impossible, regional leaders backed by the international community should pursue an enforceable, negotiated political transition in Zimbabwe that would end repressive rule and enable genuine democracy to take root. Finally, the United States must tighten our existing sanctions, just as the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), and the UN should implement a carefully crafted regime of targeted sanctions against Zimbabwean officials who continue to thwart democracy and undermine the rule of law.

Campaign Powerpoint Strategy

From The Atlantic:

Here's a new Powerpoint briefing from Obama campaign manager David Plouffe that's making the rounds of Clinton donors. It's a fairly standard presentation, but it makes a few points about where the campaign sees itself as the general election begins.

One slide reads: "Obama poised to win historic amount of support from women," with data points showing that Obama's margin over John McCain is nearly equivalent to Bill Clinton's margin over Bob Dole in 1996.

Read more here

Click here to watch the presentation.

Obama: McCain Energy Proposals "Gimmick"

From the New York Times:

Senator Barack Obama took a poke at his Republican opponent on Tuesday, saying that for Senator John McCain to talk of a “psychological benefit” from expanded offshore drilling is to define that policy as a gimmick.
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Mr. Obama was responding to remarks that Mr. McCain made on Monday in Fresno, Calif., when he observed that even though the nation might take years to benefit from offshore drilling, “exploiting those reserves would have psychological impact that I think is beneficial.”

Mr. Obama seized on those comments while speaking at a town hall-style meeting here.

“ ‘Psychological impact’?” Mr. Obama said. “In case you’re wondering, that’s Washington-speak for ‘It polls well.’ ”

Read more here

Watch the speech here

Bush to Filipino Prez: Filipinos Make Great Kitchen Staff

209 days... 209 days...

From Huffington Post:

President Bush met with Filipino President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today at the White House. Arroyo was in Washington while her country tries to recover from a typhoon that devastated coastal areas and flipped a ferry carrying over 800 passengers last week. Before discussing aide for the Philippines, Bush couldn't resist beginning the sober meeting with a quip about a Filipino member of his kitchen staff.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Madam President, it is a pleasure to welcome you back to the Oval Office. We have just had a very constructive dialogue. First, I want to tell you how proud I am to be the President of a nation that -- in which there's a lot of Philippine-Americans. They love America and they love their heritage. And I reminded the President that I am reminded of the great talent of the -- of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House. (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT ARROYO: Yes.

PRESIDENT BUSH: And the chef is a great person and a really good cook, by the way, Madam President.

PRESIDENT ARROYO: Thank you.

Read more here

You can watch the video here

McCain Camp Using Politics of Fear

From the Obama Action Wire:

In a recent Forbes Magazine article, top McCain strategist Charlie Black said that a terrorist attack on American soil would be a "big advantage" for their campaign.

McCain distanced himself from Black's remarks, but in the past, McCain has also indicated that acts of terrorism would politically benefit his campaign.

TAKE ACTION NOW.

Share this blog post with your friends and family -- including folks you know who are considering supporting McCain -- and let them know the truth about the McCain campaign's use of fear tactics.

BACKGROUND

Charlie Black said that a terrorist attack on American soil would be a "big advantage" for the McCain campaign:

"The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December was an 'unfortunate event,' says Black. 'But his knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who's ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us.' As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on
U.S. soil. 'Certainly it would be a big advantage to him,' says Black." [Fortune, 6/23/08]

John McCain condemned Black's statements, yet McCain has made similar claims himself in the past.

According to CNN's Dana Bash, in the wake of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, John McCain personally indicated that the terrorist act would benefit him politically.

Watch the video:

And as the blog Think Progress points out, John McCain was also quoted in the AP, days before the 2004 election, saying that a just-released tape from Osama bin Laden would be "very helpful" to George W. Bush:

"'I think it's very helpful to President Bush,' said McCain, R-Ariz., while stumping in Stamford for U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays. It focuses America's attention on the war on terrorism. I'm not sure if it was
intentional or not, but I think it does have an effect.'" [AP 10/30/04]

ABOUT THE OBAMA ACTION WIRE

The Obama Action Wire is a grassroots rapid response group for supporters to fight smears, spread the truth, push back on misleading media, and take positive action.

It's easy to join Obama Action Wire -- just click here:

http://actionwire.barackobama.com

Obama With 15-Point Lead Over McCain

From the latest LA Times/Bloomberg poll:

Democrat Barack Obama has opened a 15-point lead in the presidential race, and most of the political trends -- voter enthusiasm, views of President George W. Bush, the Republicans, the economy and the direction of the country -- point to even greater trouble for rival John McCain.

Illinois Senator Obama, winning support from once skeptical women and Democrats, beats McCain 48 percent to 33 percent in a four-way race, a Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll shows. Independent candidates Bob Barr and Ralph Nader get 7 percent combined, with the remainder undecided.

...``The Obama voters are much more energized and motivated to come out to vote than the McCain voters; McCain is still struggling to win over some of his core groups,'' she says. ``The good news for Obama is also that he seems to be doing better on the issue that is uppermost in voters' minds, and that is the economy.''

Read more here

GAO Report: Surge Poorly Planned

From Washington Post:

The administration lacks an updated and comprehensive Iraq strategy to move beyond the "surge" of combat troops President Bush launched in January 2007 as an 18-month effort to curtail violence and build Iraqi democracy, government investigators said yesterday.

While agreeing with the administration that violence has decreased sharply, a report released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office concluded that many other goals Bush outlined a year and a half ago in the "New Way Forward" strategy remain unmet.

The report, after a bleak GAO assessment last summer, cited little improvement in the ability of the Iraqi security forces to act independently of the U.S. military, and noted that key legislation passed by the Iraqi parliament had not been implemented while other crucial laws had not been passed. The report also judged that key Iraqi ministries spent less of their allocated budgets last year than in previous years, and said that oil and electricity production had repeatedly not met U.S. targets.

Read more here

DNC After Dark

All work and no play make Obama delegates really grumpy.

If you're planning on going to the Democratic National Convention in August, check out DNC After Dark, a blog focused on "how to get your party on" during your stay in Denver.

Obama's Statement on Dangerous Drug Testing on Veterans

Below is a statement from Barack Obama on reports that "mentally distressed veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are being recruited for government tests on pharmaceutical drugs linked to suicide and other violent side effects."

"It is outrageous and unacceptable that our government would irresponsibly endanger veterans who have already sacrificed so much for our country. Our veterans - particularly those suffering from mental health injuries - should have the very best health care and support in the world, they should never be needlessly exposed to drugs without proper notification of the dangers involved or effective monitoring of the side effects. I will immediately be asking for a full and thorough investigation of how our government could yet again let down our veterans and their families who have given so much to their country, and who have paid so much for the failures of civilian leadership in Washington. It is time to demand accountability and to ensure that this kind of breach of trust never takes place again," said Barack Obama.

Watch the ABC News story about our "Disposable Heroes" here

Obama Talks Economics with Governors

From Washington Post:

Sen. Barack Obama brought 16 Democratic governors here for an economic roundtable today -- and got more than just an earful about the need for better manufacturing policies and greater investment in the national infrastructure.

Obama also got to project a strong image of himself surrounded by a popular, diverse group of Democrats -- some who backed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, others from vital swing states -- on an issue that could be determinative in several regions.

Read more here

Obama to Fight Telecom Immunity

From CBS News:

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., issued a statement in support of the House's update of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, but said he would try to strip a provision granting immunity to telecommunication companies when the bill comes to a vote in the Senate next week.

Read more here

On Obama Not Taking Public Finance Money

I'm glad Barack's not taking public finance money. Frankly, I want him to win. And I have no problem with the way Obama's financing his campaign by relying on voters such as myself. Because now Barack's flush with donations... and McCain isn't. (And folks said that Barack couldn't play hardball, ha! Barack ain't nobody's punk.)

So, please if you haven't already done so, donate today!

A campaign financed by the people and for the people... I love it!

McCain Flip Flops

The Flipflop Express is great site that chronicles all of John McCain's flipflops. Check it out.

John McCain: "I Didn't Love America"

I really think all this fake rah-rah patriotism is ridiculous.

WHO CARES about flag pins and whether someone says they're proud, REALLY proud, or always been proud?

I'm more concerned with global warming, getting out of Iraq, and building a new Green economy.

But unfortunately, this does seem to play in Peoria.

So for that reason, here is Dan Abrams exposing the hypocrisy of the right's criticism of Michelle Obama and her "proud" comment.

Sierra Club Endorses Obama

From Associated Press:

The Sierra Club said Thursday it will endorse Democrat Barack Obama for president, a decision it said was made easier by Republican John McCain's support this week of repealing a moratorium on offshore drilling and expanding nuclear power.

Read more here

Olbermann: "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq Oil War

The reason why we invaded Iraq has become clear. As Rachel Maddow states in the clip below, we need to set up an oil colony.

We've been hoodwinked. (But we already knew that, right?)

Obama's General Election Ad

Here's Barack's first ad for the general election.

It will be airing in Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Virginia.

Stay tuned for more in the following months.

Obama's Email List "Nuclear Weapon"

From The Politico:

Five months before the November election, Democrats are beginning to fantasize about how they could use Barack Obama’s massive e-mail list in the service of a Democratic administration.

By mere dint of its enormity, Obama’s collection of e-mail addresses — a million and a half from donors, many more from other supporters — holds game-changing potential.

Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan says the campaign doesn’t discuss the exact size of the candidate’s universe of e-supporters. However, he says, one can understand the “potency of the community” by considering the donor list as well as the near-million people who have signed up on Obama’s Facebook page and the 926,000 accounts registered (as of Tuesday afternoon) at my.barackobama.com.

Democratic technology strategist Andrew Rasiej, founder of the Personal Democracy Forum, said “the notion that Obama could harness his own special interest group in order to force legislative action is an entirely new paradigm on the American scene, driven by technology.”

He compared the use of Candidate Obama’s e-mail list in support of a President Obama’s agenda to a “nuclear weapon,” the power of which “just hasn’t been quantified.”

Read more here

Iraq War About Oil...Confirmed!

A New York Times article confirming what we already knew. American companies are getting no-bid contracts to jump-start the Iraqi oil industry, which gives them a foothold to the later, bigger prize... rebuilding the oil fields.

The American companies supposedly got an "in" because they've been volunteering their time as unpaid advisers to this country that we've invaded.

We had to tear down Iraq so that we could rebuild its oil fields.

This is why the seemingly most powerful country on earth can't develop viable forms of alternative energy, why with all our know-how and technology, we can't stop our dependence on oil.

I guess McCain was right. We will have to be there 100 years... because we're going to be guarding the oil fields!

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. What should we expect when we have oil men running our government?

I get it.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

UPDATE: Click here to watch Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow's take on our new oil colony.

From the New York Times:

Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.

Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP -- the original partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company -- along with Chevron and a number of smaller oil companies, are in talks with Iraq's Oil Ministry for no-bid contracts to service Iraq's largest fields, according to ministry officials, oil company officials and an American diplomat.

The no-bid contracts are unusual for the industry, and the offers prevailed over others by more than 40 companies, including companies in Russia, China and India. The contracts, which would run for one to two years and are relatively small by industry standards, would nonetheless give the companies an advantage in bidding on future contracts in a country that many experts consider to be the best hope for a large-scale increase in oil production.

There was suspicion among many in the Arab world and among parts of the American public that the United States had gone to war in Iraq precisely to secure the oil wealth these contracts seek to extract. The Bush administration has said that the war was necessary to combat terrorism. It is not clear what role the United States played in awarding the contracts; there are still American advisers to Iraq's Oil Ministry....

[T]he companies had been chosen because they had been advising the ministry without charge for two years before being awarded the contracts, and because these companies had the needed technology....

While small, the deals hold great promise for the companies.

"The bigger prize everybody is waiting for is development of the giant new fields," Leila Benali, an authority on Middle East oil at Cambridge Energy Research Associates, said in a telephone interview from the firm's Paris office. The current contracts, she said, are a "foothold" in Iraq for companies striving for these longer-term deals."

Michelle Obama on "The View"

Here's the entire episode.

Prominent Republican Women Not Voting for McCain

McCain's support among Republican women is showing signs of serious trouble. The women mentioned in this article are prominent Republican fundraisers and activists.

Part of McCain's problem is his wretched record on women's rights issues.

From San Francisco Chronicle:

The challenges facing Sen. Barack Obama as he tries to woo supporters of former rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton could pale in comparison with Sen. John McCain's troubles with female voters - if the voices of a growing number of prominent Republican women are any indication.

"I cannot see a more counterproductive candidate for women," said Jillian Manus-Salzman, a leading California Republican activist and generous GOP donor in the nation's most populous state, an ATM for president. "I cannot vote for McCain."

Susan Eisenhower - granddaughter of former GOP President Dwight Eisenhower and a Washington, D.C.-based expert on foreign policy and national security issues - said Wednesday she is backing Obama over McCain because the Democrat has shown more understanding of how the Iraq war, the economy and other key issues affect women's daily lives.

And Harriet Stinson, the 82-year-old founder of Bay Area-based Republicans for Choice, said that - after 60 years of Republican registration - she has finally reregistered as a Democrat.

"I couldn't take it anymore," she said, arguing that on issues like funding birth control and support of sex education, McCain "couldn't be worse."

Read more

John McCain Called His Wife a... NSFW

Naughty humor break.

This is No. 1 on Youtube right now.

I've posted the "clean" version.

But for those interested in "keepin' it real," click here for the uncensored version.

Understanding Michelle Obama

The New York Times today ran an in-depth profile on Barack's wife, Michelle. One of the choice quotes is about the so-called "Whitey" tape (an unproven internet rumor about a videotape of Michelle Obama speaking at the pulpit of Trinity United Church railing about white people saying (screaming?), "whitey" this and "whitey" that).

A blogger who supported Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton circulates unfounded claims that Mrs. Obama gave an accusatory speech in her church about the sins of “whitey.” Mrs. Obama shakes her head.

“You are amazed sometimes at how deep the lies can be,” she says in an interview. Referring to a character in a 1970s sitcom, she adds: “I mean, ‘whitey’? That’s something that George Jefferson would say. Anyone who says that doesn’t know me. They don’t know the life I’ve lived. They don’t know anything about me.”

Read more here

Now, I'm a black person, and I have NEVER heard a black person use the word whitey. This sounds to me like a white person projecting. And why on earth would Michelle, a woman with an Ivy League degree, use such a inarticulate term?

The Times piece refers to Michelle's white Princeton roommate, whose mother, upon learning that her daughter was to room with a black person, tried to get her room changed and almost pulled her out of the school.

Click here to read the original interview with the roommate.

Michelle Obama on The View

Michelle Obama is hosting The View today. Click here to find your local listing.

The Daily Show on Baracknophobia

I'm Voting Republican

I've seen the error of my ways...

Barack Obama on the Need for Responsible Fathers

I originally titled this post "Barack Obama on Black Fatherhood" because in this speech, Barack addresses the real need for black fathers to be part of their families.

Speaking as a black person, I think this is an area that Barack can do a lot of good in. He can certainly say things that a white leader couldn't say to the black community. Barack himself is a great role model for black children. He is happily married, educated, well-spoken. Too often the most public black figures are rap musicians and athletes. Neither profession reflects the value of education.

However, I realized after reading comments about the speech that his message has something for ALL fathers of ALL races. So I changed the post title to reflect this.

I hope that Barack continues the conversation... keep on going!

Postscript: Many conservative commentators are saying that this is the same message that Bill Cosby said, and that he got jumped all over for. I would argue that it is different for a number of reasons: first, Barack walks the talk. He is a seemingly loving husband and father. I don't know that Bill Cosby as a model husband would stand up to such scrutiny.

Also, the way Bill Cosby made his remarks were very disparaging and condescending toward black single mothers.

Click here to read Cosby's speech. He's ridiculing and name-calling. No one wants to be talked down to by some rich guy.

Barack says the message in a way that people are able to hear and be receptive.

From New York Times:

Addressing a packed congregation at one of the city’s largest black churches, Senator Barack Obama on Sunday invoked his own absent father to deliver a sharp message to African-American men, saying, “We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception.”

“Too many fathers are M.I.A, too many fathers are AWOL, missing from too many lives and too many homes,” Mr. Obama said, to a chorus of approving murmurs from the audience. “They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.”

The speech was striking for its setting, and in how Mr. Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, directly addressed one of the most sensitive topics in the African-American community: whether absent fathers bore responsibility for some of the intractable problems afflicting black Americans. Mr. Obama noted that “more than half of all black children live in single-parent households,” a number that he said had doubled since his own childhood.

Read more here

UPDATE: Here's the Youtube of the speech




This is not the first time Barack has taken on this subject. Here is his statement on fatherhood from last year's Father's Day.

Boycott Fox

If you're disgusted with the Fox News racist smears, "terrorist fist jab" and "baby mama" are only a few... sign up to Skin the Fox to take part in boycotts and writing letters of complaint.

Here is a list of Fox News sponsors. Please take the time to email or call as many of them as you can.

And if you are watching Fox News for whatever reason... STOP IT!

Fox News is not news, it's propaganda based on smears and lies.

Take action! Let's shut it DOWN!!!

Let's Support Michelle Obama

Who knew that the right's attempt to swiftboat Barack Obama would largely focus on his accomplished and beautiful wife, Michelle?

(You might have heard the latest, in which Fox News wrote a news caption describing Michelle as Barack's "baby mama")

If you'd like to know more about Michelle, and the way in which both her and her children have been attacked, check out this site Michelle Obama Watch.

Barack Squashes Internet Smears

You've heard of them... you might have gotten a few in your inbox. Barack is a Muslim, a Manchurian candidate, Michelle is on videotape giving a racially incendiary "Whitey" speech... none of these are true.

And Barack's fighting back with his new web page FIGHT THE SMEARS.

Check it out.

McCain Girls

Time for a little comedy break. It's the McCain Girls... again.

Howard Dean at Netroots Nation in Austin, TX

From Netroots Nation:

We are thrilled to announce that Gov. Howard Dean will kick off the 2008 Netroots Nation convention as Thursday's evening keynote speaker.

The chairman of the Democratic National Committee and governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 addressed the Netroots community at the 2006 and 2007 conventions. This year, we're especially proud to recognize his efforts to create an active, effective movement by organizing in every precinct and in every state.

Dean has been one of the most influential forces in the progressive movement. As chairman of the DNC, he has worked to make Democrats competitive in every race, district and state, while integrating national and state party operations and standing up for Democrats' core values.

His belief that every citizen matters, from California to Connecticut, from Alaska to Mississippi, echoes our belief that the voices of all Americans deserve to be heard.

Netroots Nation is July 17-20 in Austin, TX. So if you haven't registered, now's the time!

Register now: http://www.regonline.com/nn08

88-Yr.-Old White Supremacist Fires Shots and Kills at Holocaust Museum

James W. Von Brunn, an 88-year-old white supremacist, fired shots into the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. Security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns was killed.

A photo and more information about the heroic Mr. Johns.

Pasted below is a screenshot of an email Von Brunn purportedly sent that was posted on a white supremacist Yahoo group. In it, he typically blames the problems of the United States on the "Jews and Negroes," referring to the U.S. as the "Jewnited States of Israel." (Note: Talking Points Memo has more of his online hate rants.)

Here is the text of the email:

A Time To Fight
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/atimetofight/join

David Duke, PhD.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/davidduke/join

http://www.davidduke.com

--- On Thu, 11/6/08, James W. von Brunn wrote:
From: James W. von Brunn
Subject: RE: OBAMA SHINES
To: "JAMES VON BRUNN"
Date: Thursday, November 6, 2008, 4:38 PM


To get off this mailing list REPLY to sender and type DELETE in SUBJECT SLOT.

OBAMA SHINES

FOX NEWS briefly shows OBAMA at a conference table. Seated to his left is Rahem Emanuel, JEW-ISRAELI,Obama's newly appointed Chief of Staff; to Obama's right is Paul Volcker, JEW-ZIONIST - former FED chairman and the President Elect's financial advisor. George Soras, JEW, international billionaire, who "discovered" and financed Obama was absent. Others attending the conference were not identified.

Thus, OBAMA's true identity begins to take shape: he is an eloquent tool created by and for the ILLUMINATI.

One wonders if Obama comprehends that fact, not to do so could be fatal. He's playing ball with the guys who pulled off 9-11. Snuffing OBAMA would create a race war, placing American citizens under martial law. A helpless population would facilitate establishment of a North American Union, and then One World Zionist Government.

What Volcker, Kissinger, Baker, Kristol, et al, really want, however, is a smooth take-over with no danger to themselves. That means a Marxist Supreme Court to re-invent the Constitution, and a Marxist Congress to enact their wishes.

Bye bye, America/Iran/Russia, hello JEWNITED STATES OF ISRAEL.

One can visualize Biden flashing his pol teeth while marching America to Volcker's tune.


In retrospect, the "economic meltdown" was planned to assure a Democratic President/Congress. McCAIN, is a stupid, ignorant fool and a traitor, easily black-mailed and totally controlled by JEWS. He was maneuvered by the mass-media into the Republican slot in case something unforeseen went wrong with OBAMA. McCAIN had dozens of opportunities to broadside Obama, but McCain was told to lay-off. And he did.

Later, TV-NEWS showed Bush on the Black House-lawn, addressing his staff, and the public. He assured a smooth transition of government. He congratulated OBAMA, the Negro race, and praised our "Great Democracy" - having forgotten, or perhaps never knew, the USA is a Republic -- or was.

Whitey, kiss the blondes, redheads, and fair-skinned brunettes goodbye -- FOREVER !

James von Brunn-88
www.holywesternempire.org

UPDATE: Here are reactions to the shootings on white supremacist website Stormfront, which calls von Brunn a "white racialist treasure."

McCain Okay with Sending More Troops to Iraq

Obama to Launch "Change that Works for You" Tour

From the campaign blog:

The Obama campaign announced today that Senator Obama will launch a two-week economic swing—the "Change that Works for You" tour—on Monday, June 9. Obama will travel across the country, talking to Americans about how the economy affects their everyday lives. He'll hold events with voters where they work and where they live, discussing the challenges we face and his plans to turn the economy around.

The tour will kick off on Monday with an economic speech in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"The middle class has always been the engine of prosperity in this country—but for nearly eight years we've had an administration that tells working people 'you're on your own,'" Senator Obama said. "Not when I'm President. I'll reform our tax code to benefit the middle class instead of the big corporations. I'll make sure that quality health care is affordable and accessible for every American. And I'll provide real relief from the housing crisis by creating a foreclosure prevention fund, providing a tax break for homeowners, and cracking down on fraudulent lenders. Those are the kind of solutions that will make a difference for working Americans—and that's the kind of change we'll be discussing on this tour."

You can learn more about Obama's economic policies here.

$5 a Week to Elect a President!

We've come this far. Now it's time to seal the deal.

I know that times are tough, and we've all given a lot. But my new throwdown is the "$5 a Week Challenge."

Let's all commit to a $5 a week recurring donation from here until Obama is elected PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!!!

$5 is the cost of one Starbucks latte frappuccino. The cost of two, three(?) pounds of arugula!

This could be the best investment you've ever made. Imagine an Obama presidency...healthcare, a reverse of global warming, an end to bloated war spending.

Can we do it?

YES WE CAN!!

Click here to set up your recurring donation.

"Terrorist Fist Jab"

This is pathetic and hilarious at the same time.

Fox News anchor E.D. Hill questions whether Obama and Michelle's fist bump is a "terrorist fist jab."

This is surreal. Who watches these nutcases? They have absolutely no credibility!

It reads like one of those SNL skits where you have a really uptight white lady trying to analyze black body language and the fist bump... "Is this because we have more nonverbal communication these days?"

What the???

God forbid Obama gives a high five.

NEWS UPDATE: "FIST JAB" REPORTER E.D. HILL LOSES HER SHOW!




The Obamas have started a trend. Dianne Feinstein and Kay Bailey Hutchison share a terrorist fist jab during CNN's Late Edition.

Barack Obama's Pro-Choice Record

Women for Barack Obama has this to say:

Supports a Woman’s Right to Choose:
Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.

Preventing Unwanted Pregnancy:
Barack Obama is an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.

And of course there are many articles about Obama’s stance on abortion on his own Web site:

http://www.barackobama.com/2008/01/22/obama_statement_on_35th_annive.php

http://factcheck.barackobama.com/factcheck/2008/01/08/fact_check_obamas_strong_proch.php

http://factcheck.barackobama.com/factcheck/2008/04/02/washington_times_wrong_on_obam.php


And here’s a really fabulous speech he gave in June 2006 that touched on abortion:

http://www.barackobama.com/2006/06/28/call_to_renewal_keynote_address.php

Click here to read more about his women's rights legislation.

20 New Voters for Obama

I am starting a new internet challenge. It's called "20 New Voters for Obama."

The task is simple. Each one of us who reads this post commits to registering 20 new voters, and passing this task on to all your Obama supporting friends.

Just 20 new voters between now and November... can we do it?

YES WE CAN!!!

Sign up for Vote for Change to get involved!

Obama Speaks to HQ Staff and Volunteers

"You lifted me up and dragged me across the goal line."

Hillary Clinton Endorses Barack Obama

The Wife John McCain Left Behind

John McCain's first wife Carol, a beautiful swimsuit model when they married, dutifully waited five years for John to be released from the Vietnamese POW camp.

While John was imprisoned, Carol suffered a tragically disfiguring accident on Christmas Eve. She spent six months in the hospital, and had painful surgery that caused her to lose five inches in height. She had to teach herself how to walk again. During her ordeal, she didn't want to let John know what was happening to her because she thought he was suffering enough. (This story has so much pathos, it reads like a made-for-TV movie!)

John returns home a war hero, sees his wife is no longer the beauty he married, and then dumps her for Cindy, a rich rodeo queen.


I'm sorry, but I'm a married woman. And this just pisses me off. To me, this just tells me a whole lot about John McCain's character. That, and his abysmal record on women's rights issues.

Give me a Barack Obama, who treats his wife with respect any day.

From The Daily Mail:

When McCain returned to America in 1973 to a fanfare of publicity and a handshake from Richard Nixon, he discovered his wife had been disfigured in a terrible car crash three years earlier. Her car had skidded on icy roads into a telegraph pole on Christmas Eve, 1969. Her pelvis and one arm were shattered by the impact and she suffered massive internal injuries.

When Carol was discharged from hospital after six months of life-saving surgery, the prognosis was bleak. In order to save her legs, surgeons had been forced to cut away huge sections of shattered bone, taking with it her tall, willowy figure. She was confined to a wheelchair and was forced to use a catheter.

Through sheer hard work, Carol learned to walk again. But when John McCain came home from Vietnam, she had gained a lot of weight and bore little resemblance to her old self.

Today, she stands at just 5ft4in and still walks awkwardly, with a pronounced limp. Her body is held together by screws and metal plates and, at 70, her face is worn by wrinkles that speak of decades of silent suffering.

[Carol] says. ‘My accident is well recorded. I had 23 operations, I am five inches shorter than I used to be and I was in hospital for six months. It was just awful, but it wasn’t the reason for my divorce.

‘My marriage ended because John McCain didn’t want to be 40, he wanted to be 25. You know that happens...it just does.’

Some of McCain’s acquaintances are less forgiving, however. They portray the politician as a self-centred womaniser who effectively abandoned his crippled wife to ‘play the field’. They accuse him of finally settling on Cindy, a former rodeo beauty queen, for financial reasons.

Read more here

McCain Emerges as Master Economic Flip-Flopper

These Republicans have gutted our economy with their bloated war spending and corporate tax breaks. Gas will be FIVE DOLLARS A GALLON SOON!!! (nuff said?)

I don't understand the conservative adherents of the "low tax cult" who demand low taxes but are fine with borrowing billions of dollars to pay for this war, and paying exorbitant prices at the pump. It doesn't make sense. Just don't raise their taxes??!!

Looks like McCain wants to continue the same failed policies that have ruined our economy.

From Bloomberg:

McCain, who would like us to see him as holding a consistent and principled stance on tax cuts and fiscal discipline, is engaging in the mother of all economic policy flip-flops...

If McCain's opposition to Bush's tax cuts was based on the unseemliness of letting deficits balloon for the benefit of top earners in a time of war, then his opposition should have grown stronger. Instead, it grew weaker and then collapsed. Since McCain's votes, we have witnessed budget surpluses turn into projected $400 billion annual deficits....

And that is only the beginning. With the public debt expanding, corporate profits near records, and family incomes down since 2001, McCain has made his signature economic proposal a corporate tax-relief package that will cost $2 trillion to $3 trillion over 10 years.

Read more here

McCain Says Wiretapping Is OK by Him

John McCain endorses wiretapping without warrants.

From the International Herald Tribune:

A top adviser to Senator John McCain says McCain believes that President George W. Bush's program of wiretapping without warrants was lawful, a position that appears to bring him into closer alignment with the sweeping theories of executive authority pushed by the Bush administration legal team.

In a letter posted online by National Review this week, the adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, said McCain believed that the Constitution gave Bush the power to authorize the National Security Agency to monitor Americans' international phone calls and e-mail without warrants, despite a 1978 federal statute that required court oversight of surveillance.

McCain believes that "neither the administration nor the telecoms need apologize for actions that most people, except for the ACLU and trial lawyers, understand were constitutional and appropriate in the wake of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001," Holtz-Eakin wrote.

And if McCain is elected president, Holtz-Eakin added, he would do everything he could to prevent terrorist attacks, "including asking the telecoms for appropriate assistance to collect intelligence against foreign threats to the United States as authorized by Article II of the Constitution."

Although a spokesman for McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, denied that the senator's views on surveillance and executive power had shifted, legal specialists said the letter contrasted with statements McCain previously made about the limits of presidential power.

Read more here

John McCain's Record on Women's Issues

Websites like Hillaryis44.org are threatening to vote for John McCain rather than Barack Obama. I understand the anger and disappointment, but do they even know John McCain's voting record on the issues?

Here is a list of John McCain's voting record on women's issues from Women for Barack Obama.

Click here if you want a comprehensive listing of Barack Obama's legislation on women's rights.

(UPDATE: If you want to read about how John McCain treats the women in his life, i.e., his ex-wife, click here. If you're not interested in personal drama, just ignore.)

McCain has voted consistently against women's health, and he supports overturning the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Roe v. Wade. Following is a summary of his positions on women's issues.

McCain Opposed Equal Pay Bill for Women, Said They ‘Need Education and Training’ Instead. McCain skipped a vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that would ensure women have the opportunity to recover back pay for discrimination once they discover it. If he had been there to vote, he said he would have voted against it and that women “need education and training” rather than an equal pay bill. The bill addressed a recent Supreme Court decision that said Steelworker Lilly Ledbetter could not recover back pay for 19 years of discrimination at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. because she had not discovered the unequal pay until she retired. The bill would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to allow employees to file charges of pay discrimination within 180 days of the last received paycheck affected by the discrimination. [Source: aflcio.org; H.R. 2831, Vote 110, 4/23/08; Associated Press, 4/28/08]

McCain Voted to Gut the Family and Medical Leave Act. In 1993, before finally voting for the Family and Medical Leave Act, McCain voted to jeopardize leave for millions of workers by gutting the bill. He voted to suspend the Family and Medical Leave Act unless the federal government certified that compliance would not increase business expenses or provide financial assistance to businesses to cover any related costs. [Source: aflcio.org S.Amdt. 16, S. 5, Vote 7, 2/4/93; H.R. 1, Vote 11, 2/4/93]

Source for the following information: Planned Parenthood

McCain opposed spending $100 million to prevent unintended and teen pregnancies. In 2005, McCain voted NO to allocate $100 million to expand access to preventive health care services that reduce the numbers of unintended and teen pregnancies and reduce the number of abortions.

McCain opposed legislation requiring that abstinence-only programs be medically accurate and scientifically based.
McCain voted NO on legislation that would help reduce the number of teen pregnancies by providing funding for programs to teach comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education and other programs to prevent unintended teen pregnancies.

McCain opposed Title X, the nation's family planning program.
In 1990, McCain voted NO on legislation to extend the Title X federal family planning program, which provides low-income and uninsured women and families with health care services ranging from breast and cervical cancer screening to birth control.

McCain opposed requiring insurance coverage of prescription birth control.
In 2003, McCain voted NO on legislation to improve the availability of contraceptives for women and to require insurance coverage of prescription birth control.

McCain opposes comprehensive sex education.
In an interview aboard the "Straight Talk Express," McCain struggled to answer questions about comprehensive sex education and HIV prevention. He also stated that he supported "the president's policy" on sex education.

McCain unsure where he stands on government funding for contraception.
"Whether I support government funding for them or not, I don't know," McCain said about contraceptives.

McCain opposed repealing the "global gag rule."
In 2005, McCain voted NO on legislation to overturn the "global gag rule," which bars foreign nongovernmental organizations from receiving U.S. family planning assistance if the organization (using its own, non-U.S. funds) provides abortion services or information or advocates for pro-choice laws and policies in its own country.

McCain supports overturning Roe v. Wade.
In February 2007, the AP quoted McCain stating, "I do not support Roe v. Wade. It should be overturned." In May 2007, he reiterated his desire to overturn Roe v. Wade during an appearance on Meet the Press stating, "My position has been consistently in my voting record, pro-life, and I continue to maintain that position and voting record."

Thank You, Hillary Clinton!

From the Obama campaign website:

Senator Clinton made history over the past 16 months -- not just because she has broken barriers, but because she has inspired millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to causes like universal health care that make a difference in the lives of hardworking Americans.

Take a minute to thank her for her hard work and for supporting this campaign.

Click here to send your thanks to Hillary Clinton.

Clinton Supporters Wowed with Warm Reception at Obama Rally

From Minnpost.com:

The crowd kept pouring into the Xcel Energy Center. All ages. All races. All backgrounds. Young Somalis chanting "O-bama!" And older, white women, bedecked in sparkling red, white and blue and holding up a sign, "Women for Obama!''

But most noticeable was the arrival of such people as Buck Humphrey, who once had headed Hillary Rodham Clinton's Minnesota campaign. And Jackie Stevenson, a DFL activist, a feminist and a Clinton-supporting superdelegate, who at the last minute had changed her mind about attending the event. And St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, who was a Clinton supporter until sometime Monday. And Rick Stafford, another Clinton superdelegate.

Former Secretary of State Joan Growe was there. And Minneapolis City Council President Barbara Johnson. And a couple of dozen other people who had invested so much energy into Clinton's campaign.

Political healing process beginning
Their presence at the event where Barack Obama declared victory shows that, at least in Minnesota, the political healing process already is beginning.

No one is making that healing easier than Obama. Last night, after he had finished the sort of speech that leaves his followers exhilarated and exhausted, Obama did not just leave the arena. Nor did he head to the nearest television camera or the nearest fat cat.

Instead, he went to a room where the Clinton supporters had been gathered and one by one, shook the hands of the 25 people, stopping to chat with each of them.

"Chris (Coleman) walked around the room with him,'' said Stevenson, "and introduced each one of us.''

It was really pretty extraordinary.

"He shook my hand and said, 'Thank you for being here; I'm sure it's not easy,' '' said Stevenson of her meeting with Obama. "I thanked him and said that everyone involved in his campaign had been so gracious. I didn't know what to say, so I mentioned that my daughter works for a federal health clinic. And he knew right away which program I was talking about. He said, 'Oh that's wonderful.' ''

Stevenson, a feminist and Clinton supporter, had to admit this: "He's very impressive.''

Read more here

Barack's Statement on Climate Change Bill

Obama released the following statement on the Climate Change bill:

As this week’s debate on climate change has unfolded, the American people and those watching us around the world had every reason to hope that we would act. Every credible scientist and expert believes action is necessary. This is critical and long overdue legislation that represents a good first step in addressing one of the most serious problems facing our generation.

Like many of my Senate colleagues, I believe the legislation could have been made even better. Had there been a substantive Senate debate about some of the concerns with this bill, I believe the outcome could have generated broad support. It certainly would have received my support.

Unfortunately, the Republican leadership in the Senate has chosen to block progress, rather than work in a good faith manner to address this challenge. This is a failure of our politics and a failure of leadership – a President who for years denied the problem, and a Republican nominee, John McCain, who claims leadership on the issue but opposes this bipartisan bill.

We can’t afford more of the same timid politics when the future of our planet is at stake. We are already breaking records with the intensity of our storms, the number of forest fires, and the periods of drought. By 2050, famine could force more than 250 million from their homes. And if we do nothing, sea levels will rise high enough to swallow large portions of every coastal city and town.

This bipartisan legislation establishes an economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emissions. It helps states, cities, and towns invest in technologies to reduce energy bills for homeowners, increase energy efficiency, construct green buildings, and expand public transit. It invests in green technology to help our automakers to retool and our fossil-fuel industries to become clean. The bill provides real financial relief to working families. Importantly, the bill restores our great nation’s international leadership role, while including provisions to ensure that all major emitting nations also take serious action to solve this global problem.

Let me be clear, this bill is not perfect. Emissions reductions must reflect the scientific consensus, which are reductions of at least 80 percent 2050. We must ensure that more middle-class families reap more of the financial benefits created by this bill. And we must direct greater resources to the regions of the country that will bear the brunt of this critical transition to a clean energy economy.

I believe that the American people are ready to lead the world on this issue. The time for distractions, divisions, and excuses is over. The time for new coalitions, informed and civil debate, and a sense of shared purpose is long overdue. As president, I am committed to ensuring that our children and our children’s children can point to this generation as the time when American found its way again.

Click here to learn more about Obama's plans for a clean energy future.

Can't Stop Smiling at Obama

From Kathleen Parker of Real Clear Politics:

There seems no stopping Barack Obama, not solely because of his obvious appeal but because, who really wants to be the one who stands athwart history yelling "Stop!" when this particular history is so compelling?

And so charged.

It is compelling, no matter one's politics. Watching Obama give his celebration speech Tuesday night, I became aware that I was smiling. I slapped myself, of course, but the fool thing wouldn't go away.

It is hard not to smile when Obama is smiling, but it was more than the animal impulse to mimicry. It was simply satisfying to witness the birth of this new political offspring after centuries of labor. We were all midwives in that moment. Bravo.

It's too bad John McCain didn't say something along those lines instead of starting the general election off with a badly delivered attack on Obama. McCain's performance Tuesday provided a glimpse of the downer aspect of competing with this particular foe.

Suddenly, the Old Warrior was grumpy ol' granddad breaking up the keg party.

Read more here

Barack Obama on Jobs and the Economy

Obama's statement on this month’s jobs report...

Today’s jobs report is deeply troubling. Last month, our economy lost 49,000 jobs and the unemployment rate saw the greatest rise in more than twenty years. This is a reminder that working families continue to bear the brunt of the failed Bush economic policies that John McCain wants to continue for another four years. In the first five months of 2008, our economy has lost 324,000 jobs, and workers’ wages once again failed to keep pace with the skyrocketing cost of health care, and college tuition, and gas. That’s why we can’t afford John McCain’s plan to spend billions of dollars on tax breaks for big corporations and wealthy CEOs, and that’s why I’m offering change that will provide working families with a middle-class tax cut, affordable health care and college, and an energy plan that will create up to five million good-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced. That’s the change the American people are looking for, and that’s how we’ll build an economy of shared prosperity once more.

Click here to read Obama's plan to turn the page on Bush/McCain economic policy.

Spat upon in Trader Joes

We have a lot of work to do. There is hatred and racism out there. I believe that Barack can reach some of these people, but not all. Part of it is generational, and some of those people just have to die off for new racial attitudes to flourish.

From an email I received by an Obama supporter:

I'm an old (66) 1960s woman. I wear my hair shaggy and bushy, it is gray-streaked. I wear T-shirts & jeans, sneakers. I'm not fancy (although I live on Philly's Main Line). I'm an artist/potter.

Today I was dashing through my shopping. (It breaks up my day badly here when I have to leave the house and my home routine.)

So I bought produce at Whole Foods, where people young and old applauded my "OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT" T-shirt.

Everyone was delighted. Children were skipping happily.

I stopped at Trader Joes for bread and frozen tuna. And was leaving when a woman my age stood in front of me. She looked me up & down and said, "You're KIDDING!"

I said, "You're not a supporter?" (Rare for this neighborhood.)

She made a horrible hate-face! "I wouldn't vote for....THAT. You must be CRAZY."

"Me and millions of other people are...I'm not going to discuss this with you." Although my thought was "are you a racial bigot or a militant "feminist.?"

She hissed "You're crazy to vote for THAT "

Fortunately she was too dry to hit me with the spittle.

I moved away in a daze.

A historical candidate, here in USA...and that? (In a big Eastern city suburb??)

I am a Jew, so I have seen my share of bigotry.

But I have never experienced such vituperative hatred; and now I feel for everyone who canvassed in Appalachia and out-of-the-way places, and for people who are "different" who have to live amid such hatred. For these, I've been crying. For children who have experienced such hatred I'm crying. For our dear candidate and his family, I'm crying.They don't deserve that. We don't want that for them.
Who could imagine that?

John McCain's Dismal Speech Being Deleted From Internet

Evidently, the Republican powers that be are trying to scrub John McCain's trainwreck of a speech (aka "Lime Green Jello") from Youtube.

Here's a compilation of clips of the news pundits in the aftermath of McCain's speech. The most hilarious parts are when Fox News pundits stumble all over themselves trying to come to terms with the horror... it stunk!

Black Lawmakers Emotional over Historic Moment

From The Politico:

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) was about to enter his Capitol Hill office on Wednesday afternoon when a tourist from Miami rushed up to him.

“I was watching Barack last night, and I just kept thinking, ‘What would Dr. King think?’” the tourist, Larry Ellery, told Lewis expectantly.

As the only living person to have spoken at the lectern the day the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, Lewis was perhaps the best person to answer a question that occupied the minds of many Americans.

Lewis touched Ellery’s arm and paused.

“He would have been very, very pleased,” Lewis said. “He probably would have said, ‘Hallelujah!’”

On Capitol Hill, as across the country Wednesday, African-Americans reflected on Illinois Democratic Sen. Barack Obama’s historic rise as the first black presidential nominee to lead a major political party. They noted that only a few decades ago, African-Americans were fighting across large swaths of the South for basic human rights, hardly pondering the possibility that one of them might soon lead the country.

Many black lawmakers said they were elated at Obama’s victory.

Many said they never thought such a day would come.

Many cried.

Read more here

Obama Around the World

International reaction to Obama's victory from the New York Times:

Across the globe, pundits and politicians of all stripes competed for hyperbole on Wednesday to applaud Senator Barack Obama’s claim of victory in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, almost as if he had already been elected to the White House.

His triumph in the primaries, many said, signaled the defeat of racism, and if Senator Obama became president, his election would presage a departure from what outsiders have broadly depicted as the go-it-alone belligerence of the Bush era.

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Obama Tells DNC No More Money from Lobbyists

Obama is calling for more transparency in government. First action, calling for an end to federal lobbyist contributions to the DNC.

This is going to really hurt the Republican Party, because they're swimming in lobbyists, and if they want to follow Barack's lead, it's going to hurt them financially. One of the Democratic campaign strategies will be to run the Republicans into the ground with Barack's legendary fundraising machine.

With his pledge to not accept lobbyist money, Barack is yet again setting the tone for the other guy to follow. That's what I call leadership.

From The Politico:

His likely opponent, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), closes his fundraisers to the press. Beginning last night, Obama will open all of his fundraisers to at least a pool reporter, who will share the information with the rest of the press corps.

Beginning Thursday, the DNC will no longer accept checks from federal lobbyists or political action committees, mirroring the strict standard Obama adopted for his presidential campaign.

“This is an important step that shows Sen. Obama is willing to take tough steps to change the way Washington works,” said Dan Pfeiffer, the campaign’s deputy communications director.

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