The USC extension campus in Irvine is back to normal now. All the Priuses with the gnarly bumper stickers left the parking lot long ago. Life in Orange County has returned to normal, now that DFA Training Academy has moved on to the next location…
Or has it? Now, we have some 110 people who have gone through this training, and know how to make a difference. We have four Congressional candidates who have endured the training, and are ready to rumble (and take down some sleazy Republican incumbents). Ron Shepston in the 42nd District, Bill Hedrick in the 44th District, Hoyt Hilsman in the 26th District, and Michael Wray in the 50th District have now gone through the training, and so have their future teams of activists in their respective areas. Local grassroots groups for Barack Obama, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, and Bill Richardson (OK, and some Nevada staffers for Richardson also trekked down for this!) now know what they need to do to grow and put their grassroots energy to use. And now, local advovacy groups know how to get their message out more effectively.
Follow me after the flip for more on all the great things we learned, and how we all intend to put them into practice…
So where do we go from here? We can begin putting our plans into action. OK, so some of us may still be working on our plans. One thing that I’ve learned over the weekend is that we’ll never get anywhere if we don’t begin with a well-thought-out plan. We need to work on attainable goals, and on a good plan to move us to our goals.
OK, so our goals are in place and our plan is set. Where do we go next? Well, I used to be so afraid of recruiting volunteers. Now I can see how to do it. Fundraising used to scare me. Now I see how this can be done. I just shouldn’t be afraid to ask. And I should be more shameless.
OK, I think I need some practice. May I start with you? OK, then. Would you please check out DFA Night School? The night school covers many of the same topics that were covered during last weekend’s training. Go over and view the archives if you missed the training, and sign up for the Fall Semester!
And now, here’s my next request for you. Can you help our local campaigns and grassroots groups? If you’re supporting a candidate and/or cause, the best way to see it happen is to actually get out and make it happen! If you’re anywhere near the 42nd District, sign up to help Ron Shepston. If you’re anywhere near the 44th District, sign up to help Bill Hedrick. If you’re supporting Barack Obama for President in Orange County, join us at Obama OC. If you’re supporting John Edwards in San Diego, join San Diego for Edwards. If you’re supporting Hillary Clinton in LA, join Angelenos for Hillary. Just get involved in your neighborhood, no matter what specific campaign you’re joining. After all, what good is all this information that we just learned if we never use it?
So are you with me here? Can I count on YOU to get active, and practive what you learn? Let’s start making our hopes and dreams come true by making a plan of action, and then executing it. : )
In this video, you’ll see Speaker Nunez talking about the budget being “fiscally responsible”. The problem? Well, “fiscally responsible” is a complete misnomer and straight out of GOP talking points. Here’s the thing, would it have been fiscally irresponsible to:
Provide for LA’s transportation plans? Nope, that would have been truly “responsible” and allow for people to cut their emissions by riding more public transit options.
Would it have been fiscally irresponsible to ensure that BART’s Transbay tube gets the seismic retrofits it needs to ensure safety? That one rings of how the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bush Administration was “responsible” by not reinforcing the levees. By cutting transportation funds, we are hardly being “responsible”, we are putting our collective head in the sand and hoping with all our might that we don’t get a major earthquake that could devastate our precarious transportation corridors. Now, tell me how that’s responsible again?
Was it fiscally responsible to cut tax credits for teachers while providing for an expirement in trickle-down economics? Cities with high costs of living already have problems retaining teachers because they can’t afford to live nearby, so we’re going to make it harder to be a teacher in LA, SF, and San Diego? Sure sounds like a seven year old getting back at their teachers for giving them a timeout. And that’s pretty much how the Senate Dems are acting right now.
“Responsible” is GOP code for “we’re adults and you’re not”. The funny thing is, this is pretty much the same thing my 3-year old niece says when she’s not getting her way. “I’m the adult, not mama”. Well, we are letting Republicans convince the public, through their temper tantrum, that they are the adults. When you repeat these talking points, you end up reinforcing the view that Republicans are the adults and Democrats can’t be trusted with money, because, like children, they’ll go off and spend it at first opportunity. Responsible would be pushing for the removal of the 2/3 requirement so that the majority of this state could actually govern instead of using the budget as a political chit and putting children and the most vulnerable in the crossfire.
I’m not saying this budget is bad given the 2/3 restriction, but we must start informing voters on how they are being disenfranchised by this requirement, how they are being put in jeopardy by this requirement, and how the Republicans are choosing short-term poltical points over our long-term infrastructural and educational needs. It is time to seriously start working this point, and hopefully we can get rid of it during the next governor’s administration.
I’ve spiffed-up the RSS feed by adding Recommended Diaries. Also, when the software gets upgraded, the Quick Hits will also appear in the RSS feed. If you read Calitics via the FeedBlitz email service, you will also get a more thorough Calitics experience.
If you aren’t too sure what I’m talking about, the wikipedia definition of RSS is over the flip.
RSS (which, in its latest format, stands for “Really Simple Syndication”) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS document, which is called a “feed”, “web feed”, or “channel”, contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that’s easier than checking them manually.
RSS content can be read using software called a “feed reader” or an “aggregator.” The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed’s link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The reader checks the user’s subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates that it finds.
I must admit, I’m hardly the expert agriculturist, but I do know that the farm bill currently pending in the United States House could go a long way towards determining what our farms and food supply looks like for the next ten years. The Bill emerged from the Agriculture Committee as some sort of Frankenstein-type thing with grafts of “reform” stuck to it. You know, like a nose of “income limits” and a kneecap of “loophole closures” except the underlying fact remains that this bill must undergo a lot more work before we can truly declare, “It’s Alive”
“The Farm Bill represents a critical first step toward reform by eliminating payments to millionaires, closing loopholes that permit evasion of payment limits, and promoting our nation’s family farmers.
“This bipartisan bill provides a safety net for America’s farmers, promotes homegrown energy and conservation initiatives that will help us achieve energy independence, and invests in nutrition and healthy eating. I look forward to supporting farm country by passing the Farm Bill on a bipartisan basis.”
See, while there are reforms in this bill, it still leaves much to be desired, more over the flip.
With any farm bill, we need to pursue a number of goals. OF course, the entrenched ag interests would like to see status quo, but that could be said of most issues. Here, there are a number of big players. One is the corporate farm, which pull massive subsidies. It’s not enough for ADM to pull billions of subsidies for ethanol, they want more. The Ag Committee added gross income thresholds, but apparently the loopholes are wide enough to drive a tractor through.
Furthermore, we need to stop subsidizing foods which are bad for you to the detriment of foods which are, um, good for you. Namely, the farm bill heavily subsidizes corn. So, other fruits and vegetables are costly in comparison. Have you ever noticed how cheap corn is when it’s in season? Like 8 ears for a dollar or somesuch? Doesn’t that strike you as a bit too cheap? Why is it so cheap? Well, that’s your government dollar choosing corn over, say, asparagus or tomatoes or yada, yada. The favoritism of corn is part legacy of older bills, and partly because manufacturers have gotten so used to cheap corn. They’ve learned to make corn into other products. SO they use corn syrup instead of sugar, etc.
If we are going to choose winners in what’s being grown, shouldn’t we at least choose a balanced diet? It’s not like our nation’s populace is getting any skinnier. That’s where Speaker Pelosi comes in. She needs to fight for amendments which tighten up the loopholes and work to get more fresh fruits and vegetables to American dinner tables.
California Progress Report: Dramatic Moment in California
State Budget Impasse: Perata Tells Republican Senators to Write Budget
Democrats Can Support, Saying “We Have No Freaking Idea Where You Want
to Go” http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2007/07/post_42.html
July 23, 2007 – The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina (CNN/YouTube) 7P EST/6P CST Link
August 7, 2007 – AFL-CIO Debate, Chicago, IL (MSNBC) 6-7:30 PM CST Link
August 9, 2007 – Los Angeles, California (LOGO TV/LOGOonline.com Live Streaming) 9PM EST Link
August 19, 2007 – Des Moines, Iowa
September 26, 2007 – Hanover, New Hampshire
October 30, 2007 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
November 15, 2007 – Las Vegas, Nevada
December 10, 2007 – Los Angeles, California
January 6, 2008 – Johnson County, Iowa
January 15, 2008 – Las Vegas, Nevada
January 31, 2008 – California
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly….
he’s only human, guys….let’s go….
July 16, 2007
More Quarter 2 analysis. Also, a great tool for campaign Q2 analysis, donor lookups, etc., at NYT website, also FEC, try this link, don’t forget opensecrets, and Chicago Tribune has one for Barack Obama, pretty easy to navigate.
Videoof C-Span Washington Journal, 7/15, with Linda Douglass, National Journal(real player required)
Obama Small Donors Give Him the Boost
As he amassed $58 million and seized the lead in the presidential money race, Sen. Barack Obama relied on donors large and small, far outpacing his rivals by winning over people who give less than $200, his campaign finance report filed Sunday shows.
Obama disclosed that $9.7 million of the $33 million he raised in the second quarter of 2007 came in such small increments — a number that is unusually high and a surprise to campaign finance experts.
“This is a very powerful start,” said Michael J. Malbin, executive director of the Campaign Finance Institute, a Washington group that has been particularIt didn’t matter whether they raised more money or not, most presidential candidates certainly boosted their spending in the second quarter of the year. more…
Obama “Takin’ It to the Bank”
It didn’t matter whether they raised more money or not, most presidential candidates certainly boosted their spending in the second quarter of the year.
More on staff. More on travel. More on consultants.
Democrats outraised Republicans about $80 million to $50 million from April through June. But Republicans kept pace with Democrats on spending nearly $50 million spent on both sides.
The Democrats’ money advantage was helped in large part by the extraordinary fundraising of Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. He raised $32 million for the primary; she raised $21.5 million. more.. Chicago Tribune, Politico, AP, ABC
A Foundation Built on Small Blocks
A few weeks ago, Linnie Frank Bailey, a 51-year-old self-described “older soccer mom” in Corona, Calif., and Isaac Burbank, a 20-year-old mechanical engineering student at Colorado State University, both did something for the first time.
They gave money to a political campaign — $10 each to Sen. Barack Obama — and they gave it over the Internet.
The Illinois Democrat’s second-quarter fundraising haul of $32.8 million far outpaced the rest of the presidential field, including his chief Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. About a third of it — $10.3 million — came over the Internet, according to the Obama campaign, and 90 percent of the online donations were under $100. Half were $25 or less.
The number of small donors gives Obama an unusually large fundraising base. The 258,000 donors who have given to his campaign this year are more than the combined total who have given to three of the leading Republican candidates: former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). Clinton, who raised $27 million in the second quarter and leads most Democratic polls, has yet to release her number of donors. more..
Here are a few more interesting numbers regarding the Dem candidates:
– Barack Obama famously out raised Hillary Clinton, but he would have more cash on hand as well had Clinton not carried over about $10 million from her 2006 senate bid.
– Obama has been spending considerably more than Hillary in addition to raising more. He has spent 27 percent more for the first half of the year.
– Mike Gravel has $31,000 cash on hand but $65,000 in debt, making him the only Democrat with a net negative bank account.
– Four Democrats saw increases in contributions from first quarter to second (Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel) while four saw decreases (Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden). more…
Obama’s Burn Rate
The most interesting figure available to us today, as we pour over the 2nd quarter financial disbursements, is the average burn rate, which is calculated by adding the money spent plus ddebt, and dividing that by the amount of money raised for the primary elections.
In Obama’s case, that’s $16M spent + 0.92M debt divided by $32M raised — or 53%.
Even though Obama spent more than Clinton — either a little if you count debt or a lot — he managed to keep half of what we took in. His fundraising will simmer down a bit in the third quarter, but it’s fairly easy to imagine that he’ll gave $25M or so in the bank come January, which will give him more than enough money to blanket the early (and later) primary states with those biographical ads that Obama’s team loves to make. more.. marc ambinder
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama took a couple laps on the picket line outside Chicago’s Congress Plaza Hotel this afternoon, showing his solidarity with workers associated with a key union that has many members in the early voting state of Nevada.
The Illinois Democrat, in a white dress shirt with sleeves rolled up, received cheers from about 100 strikers after he jumped out of a black SUV with his Secret Service agents in front of the South Michigan Avenue property.
“I can only imagine how difficult it has been,” he told the workers through a bullhorn, a translator then offering his words in Spanish. “You have been out here in the cold. You have been out here in the hot.” more…
I know much has been written on the boards, blogs about how Obama has gotten his donor base. And yes, when you go to a political event, it is about gathering information, CONTACT INFORMATION, and the hope, that if you liked what you heard or on the same page as the candidate, you will continue to support. Simple as that. Obama is one of the many candidates, to go directly to the people, plead his case and hope you support him. And yes, many have decided to do such a thing, while others have moved on. Politics. So, to be upset that this “upstart” is ingenious to charge for kickoffs, and look at people who purchased merchandise as donors, well guess what, they are!! And even more, the Obama Campaign, PURCHASED their merchandise and decided to sell it DIRECTLY, (the other campaigns contract merchandise out, have nothing to do with the merchandise, monies totally to the vendor) and told the customers/supporters of all merchandise and events that this is a “campaign contribution”. Brilliant. More importantly, the FEC, stepped in and made the statement that these events/selling of the merchandise MUST be counted as a “campaign contribution”. THE LAW. So, anyone or any campaign “complaining” is doing so as “sour grapes” and “should” be yelling at their candidate/staff for not thinking “this one up”! And to think these other candidates, in the future, will not do the same? Think, again. For the full rundown of the Obama Merchandise, read psericks and here.
Senator Barack Obama was the guest of honor at a dinner at the luxurious Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco this spring with a few hundred lawyers, executives and investors. The guests drank a boutique beer with Mr. Obama’s face on the label and contributed more than $1 million in $2,300 checks to support his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Just moments before he arrived, Mr. Obama had said goodbye to a less exclusive crowd of 10,000 that had gathered to hear him speak across the bay in Oakland. They paid nothing to hear him, but spent $40,000 on Obama T-shirts, baseball caps, buttons and other knickknacks. And the Obama campaign registered each of the purchasers as one of the record 258,000 contributors it signed up in the first six months of the year.
Since he got into the race, Mr. Obama has hopscotched from big-ticket to big-crowd events across the country, trying to turn the early excitement about his candidacy into campaign cash and a national political organization. more..
Moving past Dean
He raises tens of millions of dollars over a few months. His supporters are passionate, almost fanatical. And his grass-roots movement threatens a more established rival.
A description of Howard Dean in 2003 or Sen. Barack Obama today?
Obama campaign advisers — many of them campaign veterans who watched Dean’s slow rise and rapid descent at close range — reject the comparison, arguing that their candidate and organization won’t repeat the mistakes of the former Vermont governor.
But as Obama has shattered fundraising records over the past few months while continuing to trail Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) by double digits in polls, the challenge for the senator from Illinois has become clear: He must turn the intense devotion of his backers into a force that can win primaries, expanding his base of support beyond the narrow band of Democratic elites who backed Dean.
“It looks like a movement candidacy, and it’s generating an enormous amount of enthusiasm, excitement and money,” said Steve McMahon, a Democratic strategist who was a top adviser to Dean. “The question now — as in all movements like this — is whether or not the voters and the votes will follow.” more…
Open Letter to Indian Country, by Former Congressman Brad Carson
The Presidential election is more than a year from now and usually I would wait to endorse a candidate. But, this is no ordinary election and Barack Obama is more than an exceptional candidate – he is the voice of a new era in American politics.
I support Obama for many reasons. As President he will end the current failed foreign policy that is killing thousands and ruining America’s good name abroad. Obama believes, as do I, that we should be guided by our faith in God and shared values to make the right decisions in government. I also support Obama because I know he will do right by the First Americans. more…
Oprah to Host Obama Fundraiser
MEMO to political Hollywood: Better fuel up the private jet and cancel the chauffeur’s night off.
In what may be the most anticipated event of this election cycle, superstar talk-show host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey is opening her famed Santa Barbara-area estate to host a four-star fundraiser for fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama on Sept. 8, according to e-mail invites sent out to industry glitterati early Tuesday morning.
The high-powered event revives the Illinois Democrat’s campaign in the entertainment industry, which has been forking over tons of money in recent months to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). It shows the fight is far from over: The Obama-Winfrey headliner is like a glitzy re-release of a film in anticipation of Oscar season.
“It’s a trifecta for Obama,” said Hollywood politico and Huffington Post blogger Rick Jacobs, one of the recipients of Tuesday’s fundraiser e-mail. “New donors, a rarefied ball with the queen of celebrities and a chance to glimpse the woman everyone seems to want at least for vice president. This one’s hard to top.”
Details about the event were not being disclosed, but in true Hollywood fashion it was being touted in the e-mail as “the most exciting Barack Obama event of the year anywhere.”
A ticket in the door starts at $2,300, the most allowable under federal campaign laws. If you want to stick around for a VIP reception — mingling with a list of yet-to-be announced celebs — better be prepared to raise at least $25,000 from friends, family and a few high-class strangers. For $50,000, you can stay for dinner (and wander through the house while searching for a bathroom). more..
Presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s bulging bankroll is getting a little help from supporters in Aspen.
Zip codes 81611 and 81612 have accounted for $26,810 of the $34 million the freshman Illinois senator raised in the first six months of the year in his bid for the Oval Office, according to data released Monday by the Web site opensecrets.org.
Obama’s campaign fundraising efforts outpaced other presidential candidates in the local fundraising contest. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., came second with $14,920, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was third with $12,500. more…
White House, Long Shot for Clinton, Obama
I bumped into my pastor after church services Sunday, and after a few pleasantries, he asked a simple but loaded question: What do you think about Obama?
I said, “If you mean will he win the presidency, then my answer is the same as I gave last year about Hillary Clinton: America isn’t ready to elect a black man or a woman of any race as president.”
We bantered back and forth, until he finally surmised that a Clinton-Obama ticket would be the dream team.
A dream for sure, but more in the sense of a nightmare for the Democratic Party.
After eight years of Bush, it would seem that anybody would be better and anything is possible. But it surely won’t be Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, individually or as a team, in 2008. more…
AMEN, on this one Obama
Senator Barack Obama is glad to see Jim Nicholson out as Veterans Affairs Secretary. Nicholson announced his resignation today. Obama says it’s clear that Nicholson is leaving the VA worse off than he found it. Obama said quote “Nicholson oversaw one of the most tumultuous periods in recent VA history, including billion-dollar budget shortfalls, ongoing cuts in services to certain groups of veterans and the continuation of a dysfunctional bureaucracy that keeps many veterans from getting the disability benefits they deserve.”
Nicholson has had to respond to revelations of shoddy patient care at Walter Reed — and the theft of agency computer files containing personal data on millions of veterans.
Everyone should pay less attention to national polls and focus instead on grass-roots enthusiasm, numbers of campaign contributors, and the early nominating states of Iowa and New Hampshire, say Barack Obama’s senior strategists.
In interviews with U.S. News at Obama’s national campaign headquarters in Chicago, the strategists argued Monday that Hillary Clinton’s lead among Democrats in national polls is ephemeral and based largely on her superior name recognition. They said Obama will win the Democratic nomination with a “sequential state” strategy in which he gradually becomes better known, turns in solid performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, and goes on to do well in the South Carolina and Florida primaries—all in January 2008, according to the current schedule. The Obama team predicts that he will enter the February 5 round of a dozen or more megaprimaries with a huge advantage that will put him on a clear path to victory.
“Momentum drives the process,” says Obama communications director Robert Gibbs. The goal isn’t to dominate the opinion surveys now, but to win votes starting in January, adds David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist. more…
Although he already has more than 33,000 square feet, occupying the entire 11th floor at 233 N. Michigan Ave., Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama will soon be opening a second office in downtown Chicago.
The new office, on the 10th floor of 300 W. Adams, will be used as a home for volunteers and Illinois field operations, freeing up space in the main headquarters.
Michelle Obama, the candidate’s wife, is expected to attend an opening reception for the office on Friday afternoon. more…
Obama at Planned Parenthood Conference
Speaking at the Planned Parenthood conference in DC this afternoon, Barack Obama leveled harsh words at conservative Supreme Court justices, and he offered his own intention to appoint justices with “empathy.” Obama hinted that the court’s recent decision in Gonzales v. Carhart — which upheld a ban on partial-birth abortion — was part of “a concerted effort to steadily roll back” access to abortions. And he ridiculed Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote that case’s majority opinion. “Justice Kennedy knows many things,” he declared, “but my understanding is that he does not know how to be a doctor.” more… NY Times
CNN New Hampshire Poll
Interesting Poll here. First off, Obama is up slightly and Clinton is down a bit. Clinton is now leading by 9 pts. Richardson has MOVED AHEAD of Edwards. But you must read the information, on question 29, over 60% have not DECIDED who to vote for. This race is just starting folks, no one has it in the bag, nor is anyone “inevitable”, as some campaigns would like the public to BELIEVE.
The most recent CNN/WMUR presidential primary poll shows former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is holding the lead in the Republican race. U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton is again the front-runner on the Democratic side, with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, not far behind. However, when it comes to the other candidates, there have been some shifts.
Those who have been following the primary closely emphasized that, when looking at these numbers, people must remember it is still early and the race is far from being locked up. A closer look at the poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, shows that the majority of New Hampshire voters have yet to make up their minds when it comes to who they will ultimately choose. Of the 307 likely Republican primary voters polled, 17 percent said they have not definitively chosen a candidate and of the 333 likely Democratic primary voters polled, 64 percent said the same. more… Nashua Telegraph Full Data
…Obama doesn’t look like them, or like most voters in the first primary state, New Hampshire. In fact, here in Elkader, population 1,465, the U.S. Census counts three African-American residents. But Obama says race will be less important ultimately than whether voters think he can deliver universal health care, energy independence, an end to the Iraq war — and victory in November 2008.
The fact that he doesn’t look like the first 43 U.S. presidents could be an advantage, he adds: “There’s no doubt that the day I’m inaugurated, the world looks at America differently. That provides us some important political capital.”
Back in reality, six months before the Iowa caucuses, the first-term senator is trailing New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in national polls and some state polls. But he has left her in the dust on donors and fundraising for the primaries. more…
The Illinois senator drew about 1,000 supporters to a $50-a-person rally at the Westin Hotel. Earlier, he posed for pictures at a private reception for backers who paid between $1,000 and $2,300.
“Everywhere we go, we have been seeing these extraordinary crowds,” Obama said at the rally.
Although event organizers did not release last night’s take, Obama this year has raised money at a remarkable pace, eclipsing even Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who continues to lead Obama and Edwards by double-digits in most national polls. more.. Cincinnati Enquirer WCPO Kentucky Post
Obama Statement on President Bush’s Proposed Middle Eastern Conference
President Bush said many of the right things in his speech today, BUT IT IS NOW PAST TIME to deliver. In the past, his announcements of a renewed diplomatic push toward reviving peace efforts have been followed by sporadic and ineffective visits by the Secretary of State with little or no follow through. The conference he has called for this fall can be an important step — but only if it is more than a photo-op.
If the United States is going to help Israelis and Palestinians turn the page, it is going to require a sustained diplomatic effort with presidential leadership. Working with the Israelis, we must strengthen President Abbas, Prime Minister Fayyad and other Palestinian moderates. As we do — by improving security cooperation, easing daily life for Palestinians, expanding economic assistance — we can show Palestinians that the path of peaceful negotiations, not the violence and rejectionism of Hamas, can help them achieve their legitimate aspirations and the goal of two states living side-by-side in peace and security. And if they make this choice of nonviolence, they will find a willing partner in Israel, which has already made positive gestures toward responsible Palestinian leaders, and strong supporters in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. more…
Unwilling to cede the issue to Edwards, Obama spoke at a recreation center in the nation’s capital, and in a jab at his rival, argued that combatting poverty was hardly new for him, a one-time community organizer in Chicago.
“This kind of poverty is not an issue I just discovered for the purposes of a campaign, it is the cause that led me to a life of public service almost twenty-five years ago,” the Illinois senator said in prepared remarks.
Obama struck a populist tone.
“The streets here are close to our capital, but far from the people it represents. These Americans cannot hire lobbyists to roam the halls of Congress on their behalf, and they cannot write thousand-dollar campaign checks to make their voices heard,” he said. “They suffer most from a politics that has been tipped in favor of those with the most money, and influence, and power.” more… Text of Speech
When I left the country for a few weeks of summer travel overseas, the conventional wisdom was that the phenomenon of 2007, Barack Obama, had plateaued and was on his way to becoming a fascinating footnote in Hillary Clinton’s methodical march to the Democratic nomination for president.
In fact, I more or less thought that myself. The senator from New York was collecting money like a big church in Texas. She was supported by most of the party’s weary mandarins. She was the kind of programmed and practiced candidate, to the point of boredom, who was unlikely to make many mistakes — and it is usually blunders that decide elections. Obama, charming and likable, seemed more likely to be Gary Hart than John F. Kennedy.
Wrong!
I came back, and there was Obama on the cover of most every serious magazine in the country. Newsweek placed him over the headline, “How Barack Obama Is Shaking Up the Campaign.” More interesting, he was the cover of the conservative American Spectator over the line, silver-plated, “An Age of Obama?” more…
For the man who has almost everything, what to give the junior senator from Illinois?
A growing group of supporters nationwide thinks it has the answer: 46 bucks.
As Sen. Barack Obama prepares to celebrate his 46th birthday on Aug. 4, small donors across the nation are getting their credit cards ready to donate that much to his Democratic presidential bid, which is already raising record sums. more…
…”Too many Americans today are segregated in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty — many more than in 1968,” he said yesterday in Prestonsburg. “These families are cut off from opportunity — far from good jobs and schools, far from many examples of success, far from the bright light of America.”
Although Obama offered some of the same proposals as Edwards, such as a transitional jobs program and an expanded earned-income tax credit, he presented a sharply different overall objective: fixing inner-city areas so they become places where families have a shot at prospering, without having to move.
As an example, he cited the Harlem Children’s Zone, an initiative that seeks to improve one section of that New York neighborhood with an array of services, including prenatal counseling, early childhood education and free medical services. Obama urged replicating the program in 20 cities, which he estimated would cost a few billion dollars a year. “If poverty is a disease that infects the entire community in the form of unemployment and violence, failing schools and broken homes, then we can’t just treat those symptoms in isolation,” he said. “We have to heal that entire community.” more… Video
She Knows Obama
I had the privilege of attending a recent reception in Manchester for Martha Minow, a Harvard Law School professor who taught Barack Obama and is now a devoted supporter of his presidential campaign.
Professor Minow is a beautifully modest person but an impassioned speaker. The following list of what I believe were her key points may interest your readers:
Obama was a marvelous student at Harvard and has a remarkable mind. He is capable of absorbing a great deal of difficult material with amazing speed.
Obama is a strong advocate that governmental policies must be based on the best available science. For example, his actions in the field of nuclear nonproliferation are based on a careful study of the relevant scientific facts.
Obama has a gift for going behind labels and looking at difficult problems in new ways. In Professor Minow’s opinion, Obama is likely to be substantially more successful than Hillary Clinton in finding a middle ground among liberals and conservatives in developing federal legislation. more…
Prince George’s County for Obama
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton has Gov. Martin O’Malley in her corner in her quest for the White House, but so far Sen. Barack Obama has cultivated an unwavering following in Prince George’s County, the state’s Democratic stronghold.
A network of Obama supporters has been steadily blooming in the county ever since Obama (D-Ill.) announced his candidacy in February. And supporters say the backing of what is considered one of the wealthiest, most educated black jurisdictions in the country could be symbolic and key for the candidate who hopes to be the first African American elected president. Prince George’s, the most heavily Democratic district in the state, has more than 329,000 registered Democrats, and leads Montgomery by about 50,000 voters. more…
“Well, look, if that’s the criteria by which we are making decisions on the deployment of U.S. forces, then by that argument you would have 300,000 troops in the Congo right now — where millions have been slaughtered as a consequence of ethnic strife — which we haven’t done,” Obama said in an interview with The Associated Press.
“We would be deploying unilaterally and occupying the Sudan, which we haven’t done. Those of us who care about Darfur don’t think it would be a good idea,” he said.
Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, said it’s likely there would be increased bloodshed if U.S. forces left Iraq. more… Boston Globe Concord Monitor
..”It’s very important that he visits Hampton because he hasn’t had much exposure on the Seacoast,” said Gary Patton, chairman of the Hampton Town Democratic Committee. “I think he is a very bright person, and that he is very ethical and decent person, and he offers something different than all the partisan bickering that has been going on in Washington.”
Patton said he feels Obama has the capacity to inspire and lead people in the same way as John F. Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt.
Hampton Selectman Rick Griffin said “It’s great for Hampton to see a presidential candidate come into town.”
Democrat Sue Kepner, who is in her first term as a state representative, said she planned to be at this morning’s event even though she is leaning toward former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
“I think it’s great to have any candidate come to Hampton because it gives people an opportunity to see candidates up close, and it helps them make a good choice,” Kepner said. “I have been following his campaign and I heard him speak once before at UNH and I think he is a pretty good speaker.”
In downtown Hampton, people were for the most part excited to hear of Obama’s visit.
“I have been following the campaign, and I know that he has more cash than Hillary,” said Pat Davis of Hampton. “I would love to see him talk about issues and talk about bringing our troops home. He brings enthusiasm and looks fresher and younger than most of the other candidates.” more…
…This time around, the only credible insurgent is Barack Obama. He’s handsome, young and eloquent, and promises to transcend “divisive ideological politics” and to “develop innovative approaches to challenge the status quo.” His remarkable biography is just as much a challenge to Hillary Clinton’s as are those headlines on his website. If Americans truly want to avoid a quarter-century of presidents belonging to two white Protestant families, they could not find a better standard-bearer than a former community organizer whose father was African, stepfather was Indonesian, and mother identified strongly with the civil rights movement.
But is Obama an insurgent who can win? History isn’t on his side. Since 1964, no dissenter against either party’s establishment has been nominated. George S. McGovern can be considered only a half-insurgent, since there was no establishment candidate in 1972. Humphrey, Muskie, and Jackson split the old Cold War constituency within the party — and Wallace, until he was shot, took away what was left of the white South.
The last true insurgent Democrat to get his party’s nod was William Jennings Bryan, back in 1896. Bryan railed tirelessly and eloquently against both the incumbent president of his own party and against Republican nominee William McKinley. But his strength among small farmers and white workers in the West and South could not overcome the GOP’s money and appeal in the industrial heartland.
Of course, Obama’s base of support is quite different from that of the Great Commoner. In opinion polls, which Hillary Clinton has consistently led, he draws more support from professionals and college graduates than from working and lower-middle class people, who are the majority of voters. Obama’s aversion to memorable sound-bites and his talk of compromise with Republicans can remind one more of the wonkish Tsongas or Bradley than of a visionary figure like RFK or a combative one like Dean, much less a populist like Bryan. “Obama girl” videos aside, it’s not clear if he can win the love of most Democrats — or will be able to carry that support into the general election campaign. more..
Obama says Bush Does Not Understand Role as US Commander in Chief
U.S. President George W. Bush grossly misunderstands his role as commander in chief, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Friday.
Addressing a New Hampshire audience, the senator commented on the president’s repeated statements that he would rather listen to military leaders than politicians in Washington on U.S. strategy in Iraq.
“When President Bush says, ‘I just want to give the commanders what they want, listen to the generals,’ he doesn’t understand how we work here in America. Civilians control the military and we are supposed to set the mission for the generals and then the generals should carry out the mission,” Obama said.
“The military has done all we asked. We just asked the wrong things of them. That’s not their fault. That’s the president’s fault. And we’ve got to stop enabling him to do it.” more… Washington Post
Iraq Has Distracted Us
Senator Barack Obama, campaigning in New Hampshire Thursday and Friday, latched onto the recently released National Intelligence Estimate as proof that Afghanistan and Pakistan, rather than Iraq, should be the priority for U.S. forces abroad.
“Al-Qaeda has regrouped, we are less safe than we were before,” Obama told 600 people who came to a “Meet the Candidate” event at an elementary school in Hampton. “As President I will spend all my time trying to figure out how to keep you safe… And I would fight on the right fronts.” more…
The website has the look and feel of Barack Obama’s official page, and the headline says it all: “Bank it for Barack.” The site asks for contributions of up to $5,000 per person to help the Illinois Democrat win the crucial state of California.
The effort employs a tactic that could transform the way campaign-related money is collected and spent in presidential campaigns.
The group sponsoring the Web page is not Obama’s campaign, but an independent political action committee called Vote Hope 2008, which says that its goal is to help Obama become president and that it will spend $2 million to get out the vote for him.
Federal law prohibits political action committees, or PACs, from spending more than $5,000 in support of a candidate.
But Vote Hope’s founders argue that this restriction does not apply to their group because they do not plan to coordinate their spending with Obama’s campaign. Thus, there’s no limit to what they can spend promoting him, they said.
What’s more, the group said contributors who have given the maximum $2,300 individual do nation to Obama’s campaign can give $5,000 to Vote Hope 2008, the maximum individual donation to a PAC. more…
…Hillary Clinton, of course, is like Microsoft. Her campaign is a disciplined corporate behemoth that is based almost entirely around a rational offer (in this case, experience) but has very limited emotional appeal. That’s not to say Democrats don’t view her favorably — they do — but she does not excite the kind of emotions in voters that make her a compelling choice.
Even Clinton’s strategy is based on a model similar to the one that fueled Microsoft’s rise: Gobble up enough money, talent and endorsements (i.e., market share) to squeeze out smaller competitors and become the ”inevitable” choice.
Microsoft achieved dominance not necessarily because people felt any joy in buying its products but because at the end of the day, thanks to ruthless tactics and execution, it became impractical for most people to choose anything else. Clinton hopes to achieve the same.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, is like Apple. His brand is driven primarily by its emotional appeal: He is exciting and fresh to some, hip and cool to others. Most important, his brand inspires hope and optimism, two exceedingly powerful emotions that allow people to make a statement about themselves by casting a vote for him.
Apple achieved a great deal of success — though not parity with Microsoft — in much the same way by cultivating its image as hip, cool, and anti-authoritarian. For many people, buying a Mac has been as much about making a statement about who they are as it has been about buying a piece of electronics. more…
Democrat Barack Obama is telling union activists he would walk a picket line as president if organized labor helps elect him in 2008.
The Illinois senator also criticized President Bush’s policies toward working people.
We are facing a Washington that has thrown open its doors to the most anti-union, anti-worker forces we’ve seen in generations,” Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery Saturday night. “What we need to make real today is the idea that in this country we value the labor of every American.”
Obama was scheduled to speak to Iowa’s largest union representing more than 20,000 state workers.
Four other Democratic presidential candidates have courted activists at the annual convention of Council 61 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Like his rivals, the Illinois senator challenged Bush’s labor policies and said he was committed to union causes. more…
…”We are facing a Washington that has thrown open its doors to the most anti-union, anti-worker forces we’ve seen in generations,” Obama told a convention of Iowa’s largest union of state workers. “What we need to make real today is the idea that in this country we value the labor of every American.”
Four other Democratic presidential candidates have courted activists at the annual convention of Council 61 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents more than 20,000 Iowa state workers.
Shoutouts: brutally honest assessment about poor Katina victims; white house f****d up the war, i thought you knew; bill kristol is a p.o.s. and it does not stand for “point of sale”; bush don’t care about the health of poor children; FEMA ain’t s**t!!!; Iraq Casualty Count; our best of the best @ YKos; psericks dead on about Obama’s Massive Organization; great analysis on Q2, small donors and max donors; brklyngrl’s great diary about campaign donations by region; obama our fdr?; geekesque, got it again; my partner, in crime, lovingj, has a great diary on Obama; obama girl is takin’ on the giuliani girl, here; campaign calendar; aw, snaps, for the al franken ad; california voters, votehope, for real; here comes, Colorado; do democrats really hate FOX?; howardpark’s DC meetups; missed last week’s roundup, here; and donate to Senator Obama’s Campaign. (yeah, i am cyber fundraisin’)
Finally, the Obama Campaign is undergoing a massive ground, grassroots organization across this country. Read the diary above by psericks in the shoutout section, which outlines it all. Many who have been watching this transformation, knew this was coming. It is now evident, and here.
David Plouffe, Campaign Manager, sent out an email for donors to become monthly donors to Obama’s Campaign. Why? This is one of the reasons why:
First and foremost, we have to be prepared.
Those invested in the status quo are going to try to drag this campaign down. It’s still early, so we’ve only seen glimpses of the pettiness our current politics can produce. But in the coming weeks and months, things are going to get rough, and we need to be prepared to respond quickly and decisively.
Those of us who support Barack cannot allow shady, anonymous groups to launch smear campaigns unanswered. But we know they’re coming, and it’s going to take a commitment from all of us to make sure we have the resources to fight back.
So it’s up to you to make that commitment and sustain our movement with a regular, monthly donation:
This has already started on many blogs, sites, the notorious smear. Yes, stating anything that is not fact, even by a hair, and trying to make it fact. Many did not think much of Obama’s campaign, another campaign even stated he was “nothing, insignificant”. Yes. But when you haul in almost 60M in six months, remove a lead of the status quo candidate in funds raised, and throw away the age old “250K rolodex”, to come up with “your own rolodex of 260K in six months”, what does that tell you? It means BUSINESS.
Change is something. It is something that many fear. Fear, a tactic, if used well, to keep one in line. It is time to make that change and toss that fear to the wind. Sign up and on the regular. It can be as little as, 10 or 15 bucks, a month. Won’t you? Monthly Donation.
“I saved the best, for last” remember to focus on Obama, and not the Drama…
email me for any questions, and read ya, next week…. note: weekly roundups are from Sunday to Saturday, and will be posted on Sunday Mornings, FYI
I must admit, I’m hardly the expert agriculturist, but I do know that the farm bill currently pending in the United States House could go a long way towards determining what our farms and food supply looks like for the next ten years. The Bill emerged from the Agriculture Committee as some sort of Frankenstein-type thing with grafts of “reform” stuck to it. You know, like a nose of “income limits” and a kneecap of “loophole closures” except the underlying fact remains that this bill must undergo a lot more work before we can truly declare, “It’s Alive”
