cross posted @ One Million Strong

             

Iowa Caucus Center

Nevada Caucus Center

Obama Iowa Mailer

                 

                                   obama at storm lake, ia, december 17th

Obama Apperances and Campaign Events

December 26, 2007 – Town Hall Meeting with Barack, Mason City, IA

December 26, 2007 – Meet the Candidate with Barack Obama, Webster City, IA

December 26, 2007 – Rally with Barack, Fort Dodge, IA

December 26, 2007 – Rally with Barack, Carroll, IA

December 27, 2007 – Meet the Candidate with Barack Obama, Nevada, IA

December 27, 2007 – Meet the Candidate with Barack Obama, Marshalltown, IA

December 27, 2007 – Meet the Candidate with Barack Obama, Toledo, IA

December 27, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Vinton, IA

December 28, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Willamsburg, IA

December 28, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Coralville, IA

December 28, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Clinton, IA

December 28, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Davenport, IA

December 28, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Muscatine, IA

December 29, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Burlington, IA

December 29, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Fort Madison, IA

December 29, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Keokuk, IA

December 29, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Mount Pleasant, IA

December 29, 2007 – Rally with Barack, Ottumwa, IA

December 30, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Knoxville, IA

December 30, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Newton, IA

December 30, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Indianola, IA

December 30, 2007 – Barack’s ‘Stand for Change Tour’, Des Moines, IA

December 31, 2007 – New Year’s Eve with Barack, Perry, IA

December 31, 2007 – New Year’s Eve with Barack, Jefferson, IA

December 31, 2007 – Meet and Greet with Michelle Obama, Grinnell, IA

December 31, 2007 – New Year’s Eve with Barack, Boone, IA

December 31, 2007 – New Year’s Eve with Barack, Iowa Falls, IA

December 31, 2007 – New Year’s Eve with Barack, Ames, IA

                         

                                                               obama on 527s

Obama Hitting His Stride in Iowa

Obama Says He’s Ready for White House

Obama Describes Faith Amid False Rumors

Selling Obama Door to Door

::

Obama Says Clintons’ Attacks Will Backfire

Guess what?  I believe that too.  We have witnessed the undoing of an inevitable campaign, due to the sheer fact that Team Clinton truly believed the poll numbers, and that Team Clinton underestimated Barack Obama.

Barack Obama, stung by a fresh Bill Clinton attack on him, predicted that the Clinton campaign’s increasingly negative tone will backfire by reminding voters of the bad, old “blood sport” days of the 1990s.

Speaking to reporters in this frozen central Iowa city yesterday, Obama said he was less than impressed by Hillary Rodham Clinton’s apology for an aide’s suggestion that he once dealt drugs. Asked if Clinton’s mea culpa was sincere, a stone-faced Obama replied, “I’m not going to characterize it.”

Many have watched in amusement, disbelief, sadness as Bill Clinton, on  Charlie Rose’s Show stated that Barack was not ready for this presidency.  That he was a “roll of the dice”.  Well, wasn’t Bill Clinton that in 1992?  No one knew him from Adam’s Hatrack.  A govenor from a tiny state, that was last in virtually everything, all of a sudden on that national scene.  Much was written about Bill Clinton’s age, inexperience, etc.  But somehow, the country believed it was time for someone new, fresh, not entrenched in Washington, D.C.

Now the quiet, rumblings, anger in the African-American Community is being talked about daily, and it is about the antics of The Clintons.  Whoever is advising Hillary Clinton should be fired.  Her misleading and mishandling of her staff is atrocious.  The outwardly racial baiting from her hench men Joesph Wilson, Bob Kerrey and Bill Shaheen has not bid her well to the African-American Community.

From Bob Johnson’s Diary:

A piece in Sunday’s Washington Post confirms what many people here have been discussing over the last month as Obama has crept up in the polls:

Racial Undercurrent Is Seen in Clinton Campaign

It has unfolded mostly under the radar. But an important development in the 2008 Democratic battle may be the building backlash among African Americans over comments from associates of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton that could be construed as jabs at Sen. Barack Obama’s race.

These officials, including Clinton aides and prominent surrogates, have raised questions or dropped references about Obama’s position on sentencing guidelines for crack vs. powder cocaine offenses; on his handgun control record; and on his admitted use of drugs as a youth. The context was always Obama’s “electability.” But the Illinois senator’s campaign advisers said some African American leaders detect a pattern, and they believe it could erode Clinton’s strong base of black support.

This article is accurate and precise.  Many don’t understand the Black Community and the radio.  teacherken was one of the first to shout out, “hey something is going on here.  The Black Community is livid about The Clintons insinuation of Barack Obama selling drugs and her campaign using racial tactics.” (paraphrasing)  And this was his synopsis by listening to Black Radio.

The Clintons missed a mark here.  The Black Community is angry.  Period.  Many don’t care if Clinton attack Obama on the issues, it is politics, it is hardball.  But to slither to the depths of slimy snakes and use his ethnicity, race, family against him?  Sorry, Hillary, you now have Black Voters who were firmly in your corner, moving to Barack Obama.  And whose fault is that?

If it don’t smell right, it ain’t right.

Video/Audio

New Iowa Ad, Enough; Iowa Ad, Candor; Nashua Telegraph Editorial Board Video; Michelle Obama Video; Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr and Govenor Tim Kaine in Columbia, SC; Barack in Indianola, IA

Obama Fires Up Crowd in Iowa

Obama Touts Rural Plans in Iowa

Second Choices In Iowa

                             

                                                      portsmouth, nh, dec 20

Polls

Yes, coming daily, sometime two and three.  Expect this through January.

Boston Globe NH Poll; Reuters Poll On Clinton’s Negativity; USA/Gallup National Poll; Survey/USA Iowa and General Poll; Zogby National Poll; Washington Post/ABC Iowa and Internals; Insiders Advantage Georgia Poll; Insiders Advantage Iowa Poll; CBS South Carolina Poll; Wall Street Journal Poll; Survey/USA California Poll; Rasmussen South Carolina Poll; Hotline National Poll

Obama for America by Femlaw

Endorsing Barack Obama for President 2008 by GirlZero

Obama Campaigns Comes to Nashville by GoldnI

Populista’s Obama Rising Roundup: Iowa Edition December 6-13

shoutouts:  clinton loses luster; bill clinton downplays wife’s chances in iowa; say goodbye to the fec by adamb; black kos; food pantries turning people away as demand doubles by bink; nyceve; online forum on foreclosure and bankruptcy relief by rep. brad miller; huckabee, my way; john edwards, will you stand up? by adamb

JustAngry has put out a great series broken down into six pieces, focusing on all the aspects you need to know about Barack Obama.  Simply titled, The Only Thing You Need To Know.  This is well worth a read for anyone who is searching more specific information about Senator Barack Obama.

::

Obama: I’ve Fought Harder Against Special Interests

Obama Makes Big Gains in California by Femlaw

Appealing to Indy Voters

Obama Finds His Address

                           

                                                    happy holidays from the obamas

Big Battle For South Carolina

In barely more than a month, the political attention now focused on the early voting in Iowa and New Hampshire will turn southward, to a Georgia neighbor with a proven record of helping decide presidential nominations.

South Carolina’s first-in-the-South primaries are set for Jan. 19, and tracking is already well under way. CNN released an Opinion Research poll Friday that showed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee claiming support from 24 percent of the state’s Republican voters, surging eight percentage points ahead of one-time front-runner, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), former Sen. John Edwards (center) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are locked in a close race in South Carolina.

Aong Democrats, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York was holding on at 42 percent against the rising Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who had moved up seven percentage points since a July poll to 34 percent.

CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider predicted an “all-out fight” among candidates well aware of South Carolina’s potentially pivotal role. On the Republican side, South Carolina has picked the eventual party nominee in every primary contest since 1980. In 1992, Bill Clinton used a South Carolina win to solidify his claim on the Democratic nomination after being upset by rival Paul Tsongas in New Hampshire.  AJC

Winning Friends Among Former Rivals

Clinton Trying to Wrestle the Change Mantle from Obama

Change We Can Believe In

Obama’s Hoop Buddy

                         

                                               obama in exeter, nh, dec 20th

Endorsements & Announcements

Nashua Telegraph Endorses Obama; Portsmouth Hearld Endorsement for Obama; Dallas Morning News Endorsement; Sioux City Journal Endorsement; Iowa City Press Citizen Endorses Obama; Reka Basu for Obama; State Representative Wayne Ford for Obama; Daily Iowan Endorses Obama; Woodbine Twiner for Obama; Illinois Black Legislators for Obama; Idaho Democratic Lawmakers for Obama; U.S. Congressman Dave Loebsack, D-IA, Backs Obama; U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah Endorses Obama; U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott Endorses Obama; Former Rep. Bedell Backs Obama; Blue New Hampshire Bloggers Endorse Obama; Documentary Filmmaker Ken Burns, Endorses Obama; Ministers Endorse Obama; Obama Opens Nashville Office; Obama Files to Caucus in Kansas; Obama Enters New Mexico Caucus; Texas Primary

February 5th Could Decide Between Clinton and Obama

The Obama-Clinton Issue

Law Student Gave Obama Big Thumbs Up

Did Clinton Worker Blow it with Obama Drug Comment?

Obama Talks Foreign Policy

Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday the nation’s foreign policy challenges call for a new leader who will worry more about doing the right thing than how it will look.

“There are moments in history when it is not enough to fall back on conventional ways of doing things, because the threats we face are unconventional,” Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery. “There are moments when new challenges demand new American leadership.”

He said that for too long the conventional way of thinking about foreign policy has valued “time spent in Washington over timely judgments, posturing over pragmatism and fear of looking weak over the conviction to get things right.”

He said he hasn’t been afraid to buck Washington thinking when it comes to foreign policy, including his opposition of going to war with Iraq while he was a state senator in Illinois. He said he’s the only Democratic nominee his Republican opponent won’t be able to challenge on that point.  AP

I Can’t Stop Wondering About Obama’s Mother

Job Loss A Plea for Help

Obama Proposes U.S. Ban on China Toys

60 Foreign Policy Experts Endorse Obama

::

icebergslim’s last word:  closing

Right now all the candidates are running around and doing the closing line.

Good, they should finalize their position with the voter and hope for the best.

But my closing is this, take a look at this map.

It is interactive.  See all the dark blue patches?  Those are the states with offices or upcoming offices to open for Obama, prior to February 5th.

How important is this?  Very important.

While all the candidates are pitching their closing argument, the real argument is who will win on February 5, 2008.  That is the question.  Meaning, who has the staffing, money, organization, etc., to win decisively on February 5th.

We know Hillary is running a chit driven campaign.  She has called the chits in and expects them to perform.  Edwards has no presence in these states, at all.

So, what should Iowans look for?  Electability?  Yes, all candidates are electable.  They all have issues but they can be elected.  The key word is viability.  Which candidates are viable?  Which candidates have the strength now and can move people through this process?  Which candidate can fund the massive February 5th primary/caucuses and win?

That is the question.  And the candidates better have answers for these caucus goers.  Because right now, I only see two candidates positioned for this task.

Finally, the two best article read of the week, “Why Did Clinton Overlook Obama?”  Good question.  Why did she?  And Michelle Obama, The Closer in the Family.

Blogs and Websites

One Million Strong; This Week With Barack Obama; The Populista Report; Relentless Liberal; Washington State; Obama Dallas; NYC4OBAMA; NewYork4Obama; Texans for Obama; Republicans for Obama; Vermont for Obama; Independents for Obama; Seattle for Obama; Idaho for Obama; Asians for Obama; Bay Area for Obama; Sacramento for Obama; Families for Obama; Irish Americans for Obama; D.C. for Obama; Obama NH; Obama News Vine; Black Women for Obama; Obama Santa Cruz; Think on These Things; Iowa Republicans for Obama; Another Democratic Woman for Obama; RENObama!; Go Barack Obama; Netroots for Obama;  Economists for Obama

If you appreciate the weekly Obama Roundup, then Tip My Obama Jar!!  Minimum five dollars.  This contribution goes directly to the Obama Campaign.  We are in the last stretch of fundraising, Quarter 4, it ends December 31st.  Remember to make your contribution.

                             

well, it is cold out there.  here at my home in the chicagoland area, the wind or “hawk” is whipping through here, as I finalize my last Christmas gifts.  as, i look forward to chatting with my family the next few days, i hope that you are spending the time with your loved ones.  and while you are at it, remember the biggest fight is coming soon, january 3rd.  many of us will be in iowa, many of us will be mounting to new hampshire for the january 8th showdown.  the blogs can be brutal now, just remember to stay focus on obama and not the drama.  i am in iowa on the 27th through the caucus.  i will post a short version of ‘this week’ next sunday, and try to post updates.  keep your head up and let’s win this thing.

::

contact me @ [email protected]

This Week With Barack Obama

California is dragging down the rest of the country with its job performance statistics:

California gained just 900 payroll jobs last month, the state said Friday, a lackluster showing that reflects a national slowdown attributed in part to the housing slump.

The slight gain followed a revised loss of 13,500 jobs in October, the Employment Development Department said.

The slowing job market combined with declines in taxable sales and falling home prices “paint a picture of an economy that is slowing sharply,” said Stephen Levy, senior economist at the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy

In California, a little more than 1 million people were looking for work last month, an increase of 16,000 from October and up 186,000 compared to the year-ago period.

The state’s unemployment rate was unchanged from October at 5.6 percent. It was 4.7 percent in November 2006.

Significantly, it’s the rising cost of living that is playing a part in sinking the state.  With people unable to fall back on their home equity for cash, they slash spending, and nobody’s buying any homes, which leads to declines in the construction industry.

So don’t expect payroll taxes to somehow save us from our budget woes.  And don’t expect the magic 10% across-the-board cut fix to work, either.  First of all, it’s unconstitutional.  And that’s just part of the problem.

“Can he get across-the-board cuts comprehensively? No,” said Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project, a nonpartisan group that advocates for poor and middle-class families. Not only does the state have to comply with various laws and court orders, it has debts to pay, paychecks to deliver, and everything from schools to prisons to maintain.

“I could go on and on and on,” Ross added.

And this is where the recession meets up with the proposed health care reform.  Before such a program would kick in, you’re looking at a governor who may attempt to throw the health care system into more chaos than it’s in now, because it’s one of the only areas where he isn’t legally constrained against cutting:

“I think some people think that 10 percent may sound fair and it’s not that much, until you recognize what that means on a human level,” said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access, a statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition.

Wright said a 10 percent cut in the state’s health insurance program for the poor means 680,000 of 6.8 million recipients could be left without coverage.

If people aren’t denied coverage, Wright said the governor could slash benefits dramatically so that patients can’t get wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs or asthma inhalers.

Whether ABx 1 1 would restore all this public money or not (and the price tag is low if they think it will), the amplification of costs from two years of a lack of even the most basic care for the poor would be enormous.  Yet the Governor will claim on one day that our health care problems are solved, while on the next day slashing budgets so that they end up even worse.  This is his modus operandi, and you can’t trust someone with this track record.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger won re-election in 2006 by selling himself as a problem solver who boosted California’s economy and resolved the state’s budget problems, all without new taxes.

The Republican governor declared in January that “through discipline and through new revenues that come from economic growth, we reduced the deficit over time and got our fiscal house in order.”

But less than a year into his second term, the narrative has run dry […]

“I think the problems were deeper and more structural than the governor realized when he was first elected,” said Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project, which advocates for poor and middle-class families.

“There is a fundamental imbalance between revenues and expenditures,” Ross added. “Many budgets that were signed into law, including those signed by the current governor, made the problems worse, not better.”

Remember the 2004 “Performance Review,” which we were told was all that was needed to fix the budget problems (“Open up the books!  Then we’ll see the numbers!”)  Practically nothing that came out of that review was put into law.  Everything this Governor has ever said has been hype, as he plowed ahead with the same wrongheaded conservative solutions of passing off crises to future generations.

That’s why, given the fact of watching this guy operate over 4 years, it’s nearly impossible to give him the benefit of the doubt on anything.

DavidNYC on the Swing State Project found a listing of the 40 Repugnant-held Congressional seats targeted thus far by the DCCC.  The seats include those for John Doolittle-to-Nothing, CA-04, David Dreier, gay in Palm Springs gay resorts and straight in the CA-26, and Brian Bilbray, CA-50.

Missing is the CA-45 where Mary Bono has been absentee-Congresswoman since dating Connie Mack, R-FL.  Bono Mack is now thought to be leaning towards moving to FL and eventually running for Mack’s seat when he runs against for Bill Nelson’s, D-FL, U.S. Senate seat.     This would allow the termed-out Bonnie Garcia, R-CA, Assemblywoman from the CA 80th Assembly District to run for U.S. Congress.

Here is DavidNYC’s find:  

Mon Dec 24, 2007 at 12:12 AM EST

The subscription-only Roll Call bagged an interview with DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen last week. Van Hollen explained that the D-Trip has plans (at least, as of now) to target forty Republican-held seats. Frustratingly, Roll Call didn’t reproduce the list online, but did include it in their print edition. Fortunately, were able to snag it from p. 15 of the PDF version on their website (note: this link will probably not point to the proper issue as of Jan. 7th, 2008):

More below the flip…

Dist  Incumbent              Leading Dem Candidate 2006 D %age 2004 Bush %age

CA-04 John Doolittle     Charlie Brown*                       46                   61

CA-26 David Dreier        Russ Warner                          38                   55

CA-50 Brian Bilbray       Nick Leibham                          44                   55

* Denotes repeat candidate