Our Country also needs Competence in SO many Government Positions of power … NO more ‘Heck of Job — Brownies’ PLEASE!
But the one thing America needs even more than Hope and Competence — it’s Real Leadership!
What is Real Leadership made up of?
More Compromise and Committee meetings? (I hope not)
Media Fanfare and soaring rhetoric? (nice, but …)
How about Honesty, How about taking a real Stand?
How about talking straight with the American People, and detailing all the ‘Hard Work’ and ‘Sacrifice’ that Real Change will ultimately require?
That’s what Real Leaders do.
They tell you the Truth, and speaking the Truth eventually leads to widespread Action, and the Changes we need.
Once again John Edwards, has NOT failed to Lead on the Issues, so important to everyday Americans …
Edwards HAS been taking Stands, all along. And he continues to do so:
(1) Edwards Statement On Destruction Of Tapes By CIA
(2) African-American Leaders Discuss Edwards’ “Plan For Opportunity For All Americans”
(3) Edwards talks about 14th Anniversary Of NAFTA in New Hampshire
(4) Southwest Iowa Newspaper endorses Edwards
(5) Senator Bill Bradley Interviews Presidential Candidate John Edwards
(6) Edwards confident about South Carolina
(7) Edwards: Real Leaders take Stands — on Social Security
(8) Edwards confidence about his new Administration
(1) Edwards Statement On Destruction Of Tapes By CIA
Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Today, Senator John Edwards released the following statement on the CIA’s destruction of interrogation tapes:
“I was disturbed to learn that the CIA deliberately destroyed video recordings of interrogations it conducted using extreme techniques. These tapes were destroyed during the ongoing 9-11 Commission investigation, raising deeply troubling questions about whether their destruction was intended to prevent the American people from learning the truth about the harsh interrogation techniques sanctioned by the Bush-Cheney Administration. Particularly with an issue so critical to our moral authority in the world, the American people deserve the truth, not suspicious excuses and evasions.
“Torture is morally wrong, it is illegal, it is ineffective, it endangers our own troops and citizens, and it plays into the hands of our enemies. My administration will uphold and protect the law rather than trampling over it.”
If you’re wondering what kind of Commander and Chief Edwards would be on the global stage of Foreign Affairs (short answer — a good one!), here’s some recommended reading:
Edwards on Bush Today; John Edwards: No Rush to War with Iran
On the Domestic Front, Edwards continues to show Leadership on how to heal another kind of ‘divide’ in our Country:
(2) African-American Leaders Discuss Edwards’ “Plan For Opportunity For All Americans”
Columbia, South Carolina – Key African-American supporters held a conference call today to discuss Senator Edwards’ “Plan for Opportunity for All Americans,” which includes proposals for creating good jobs, guaranteeing universal health care and reforming the criminal justice system.
…
“Too many Americans are separated from the opportunities of our country,” said Texas State Representative Garnet Coleman. “Senator Edwards has dedicated his life to building One America, where every person has the same opportunities to work hard and get ahead.”
“Senator Edwards has laid out detailed plans to strengthen African-American communities and all communities by expanding the middle class and ending poverty in America,” said Tyrone Freeman, president of SEIU United Long Term Care Workers West. “If we work together, I have faith we’ll be able to lift up families and make a real difference in people’s lives.”
…
Building One America: A Plan for Opportunity for All Americans
There are still Two Americas — one favored and the other forgotten. While they are not defined by race, the Two Americas have a disproportionate impact on people of color and in many ways reflect the tragic history of race in this country.
…
As someone who grew up in the segregated South, Senator Edwards feels a special responsibility on the issue of race in America and has made equality of opportunity the central tenet of his campaign. To build One America and make sure everyone has the same chances that America has given to him, he supports:
– Guaranteeing Health Care for Every American
– Strengthening Schools So Every Child Can Succeed
– Ending the Disgrace of Two Criminal Justice Systems
(3) Edwards talks about 14th Anniversary Of NAFTA in New Hampshire
AP is finally following Edwards on the Trail, today they report that:
Edwards Condemns NAFTA
By HOLLY RAMER
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards says he wants to replace the empty promise that NAFTA would create millions of jobs with his own promise to be a tough negotiator on trade deals.
On the 14th anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Edwards planned to condemn the deal that lowered trade barriers between the United States and Canada and Mexico, arguing that it has paved the way for a series of deals that put the interests of multninational corporations ahead of working families.
“NAFTA was sold to the American people with promises that it would grow the economy and create millions of new jobs.But today, we know those promises were empty,” he said in remarks prepared for delivery at a town hall forum in Derry. “In all three countries, it has hurt workers and families while helping corporate insiders.”
The former North Carolina senator said more than 5 million American jobs have gone overseas since President Bush took office, and that up to 30 million more could follow in the next decade.
“The folks in Washington say that trade is good for the economy, even if it hurts a few ‘losers,'” he said. “That’s the word they use, losers, and it tells you something about how they see regular American workers and families who are struggling to compete.”
The former North Carolina senator said the effects of NAFTA and other trade deals is evident in New Hampshire’s north country, where several paper mills have closed in recent years. As president, he said he would pursue trade deals that leave most families better off and that include strong labor and environmental standards.
Edwards also has said he would make enforcing trade laws a greater priority and eliminate tax incentives that encourage U.S. companies to move overseas.
Be a Tough Negotiator, Unafraid to Reject Bad Deals:
The American position in trade negotiations has been formulated behind closed doors with help from corporate lobbyists. Under the “fast track” procedure, Congress could not amend the resulting deals. Not surprisingly, trade agreements include special privileges for corporations, such as strong remedies for commercial rights and unprecedented rights to challenge environmental and health laws, but failed to protect workers.
As president, Edwards will pursue trade deals that:
– Make most families better off, considering its impact on jobs, wages, and prices.
– Enforce labor rights — including the right to organize and bargain collectively and prohibitions against forced labor, child labor, and discrimination – to prevent a global race to the bottom and help build a global middle class.
– Protect the environment, preventing the exploitation of weak or poorly enforced laws and greenhouse gas commitments if necessary.
– Clearly prohibit currency manipulation that puts American businesses at a disadvantage.
Demand a Level Playing Field for Trade: …
Edwards will assign top prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice to the job of enforcing trade laws, including the stronger labor and environment standards he will negotiate. …
Eliminate Tax Incentives to Move Offshore: …
Edwards will eliminate the benefit of deferral in low-tax countries, ensuring that American companies’ profits are taxed when earned …
Revamp Trade Assistance and the Safety Net to Help Dislocated Workers and Communities: …
Edwards will fight for these workers and their communities, by modernizing unemployment insurance to cover 500,000 more workers a year and creating a new “Training Works” initiative tied to high-wage jobs.
He will help communities recover quickly from mass layoffs with better advance warning and more resources to shore up the local tax base, plans for attracting family-sustaining jobs, and help for local businesses.
Ensure the Safety of Imported Food, Drugs and Toys:
Food imports more than doubled in the last decade and Americans eat 260 pounds of imported foods a year. Nearly 80 percent of children’s toys are made in China …
– Enforce mandatory country-of-origin labeling on all food, increase inspections of imported food, and require the Food and Drug Administration to assess foreign nation’s food safety systems.
– Raise penalties for toy safety violations, require independent testing, authorize border detention and inspection of toys in high-risk categories and ensure the independence of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
– Mandate the pharmaceutical industry to quickly implement non-forgeable electronic “track-and-trace pedigrees” to ensure that drugs stay safe at every step in the supply chain — from factory to store and require sellers to prove that their drugs came from an authorized distributor.
And in Iowa, where the People know the the meaning of ‘Hard Work’, those important Endorsements keep going to John Edwards:
Southwest Iowa Newspaper: Edwards“Represents The Best Of What This Country Has To Offer”
Des Moines, Iowa – Senator John Edwards today received the endorsement of Valley News Today, a daily newspaper in Shenandoah, Iowa. The paper, which covers a rural southwestern Iowa community, does not typically endorse presidential candidates and has not done so in recent presidential primaries. The paper’s endorsement reflects Edwards’ appeal to rural America and his commitment to making sure Iowans in every part of the state know where he stands on the important issues facing our country. Edwards is the only candidate to visit and take questions from Iowans in all 99 counties twice, and has announced the public support of more than 1,000 rural Iowans.
“As the only Democratic candidate with rural roots, Edwards knows first hand about the daily trials and tribulations of the working poor,” reads the endorsement. “As a result of his upbringing, he has by far the most specific, most progressive and most far-reaching ideas to improve our nation.“
(5) Senator Bill Bradley Interviews Presidential Candidate John Edwards
Talk about REAL Progressives taking notice of What Edwards is saying — check this out:
Reuters
Senator Bill Bradley Interviews Presidential Candidate John Edwards — Exclusively On SIRIUS Satellite Radio
Two visionaries speak with candor on the state of politics, the importance of this election, and what the future holds
Bradley and Edwards share an optimistic view of the potential of what this country can accomplish if united under strong and compassionate leadership. Both believe in the power of the voice of the individual, and in this thought-provoking and candid conversation, Edwards shares his goals, concerns and plans if elected.
“We are by nature optimistic, strong, and courageous. What we need is a president and a leader who actually believes in the American people, and believes in the extraordinary human capital and potential of the American people,” said John Edwards.
“I want to be surrounded by really smart, talented people who say to me, ‘You’re wrong. Mr. President, you’re just dead wrong about that.’ …If we’re going to make hard decisions, the last thing I need is a bunch of people around me just telling me how smart I am and how great I am. …We’ve seen what the result is when that’s your approach.”
Senator Bradley’s interview with John Edwards will air December 10th at 5:00 am, 7:00 am, 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm, and 11:00 pm, all times ET.
(7) Edwards: Real Leaders take Stands — on Social Security
This IS What Leadership is ALL About — and John Edwards has been telling you where he Stands, all year!
UnionLeader.com
Edwards: Real leaders take stands
By PHILIP ELLIOTT — The Associated Press
MANCHESTER – Democrat John Edwards yesterday criticized rival Hillary Rodham Clinton, saying candidates who seek the White House should take strong, clear stands on difficult issues like Social Security.
Clinton has said she doesn’t want to put forward a specific plan now to shore up Social Security, but would wait for recommendations from a bipartisan commission because any plan will need the support of Democrats and Republicans to be enacted.
Asked about her stance at an AARP-Divided We Fail lunch on health and financial security, Edwards told seniors:“If you want to be President of the United States, you should lead.Leadership means taking clear, strong positions for the American people. … I’ve said very clearly what I would do, not said I’m going to wait and figure this out later.”
Was [Edwards] suggesting that Clinton was not showing leadership? he was asked. “I’m saying I am,” he answered.
Social Security has emerged as a flash point in the Democratic debate. Edwards has proposedraising the cap on income that is taxed for Social Security, which now stands at $97,500, possibly allowing for a “doughnut hole” of income over $97,500 that is not taxed but then taxing income over $200,000. Barack Obama has also said he would favor raising the cap, on some occasions endorsing a doughnut hole approach and on some occasions referring simply to lifting the cap.
Clinton has declined to lay out specific options for shoring up the Social Security system, saying that she would start by restoring fiscal discipline and then convene a bipartisan commission to study a long-term fix.
(8) Edwards confidence about his new Administration
Real Leaders — Lead!
And Real Leaders start being the Change, they would want to see …
Some may think this presumptuous, to me it says Edwards has the confidence it takes to lead the greatest nation in the world:
Despite poll numbers, Edwards said he already has made a list of candidates for his running mate and his Cabinet.
The Democrats’ 2004 vice presidential nominee said he would seek out “the most qualified, most competent, most independent, strong-minded people that I can find” for a Cabinet.
“I want people who will say, ‘You’re wrong about this. You’re not right. You’re going to do harm if you do this,'” Edwards said. “The goal is not to make me feel good about myself.”
He said he would consider Republicans for his Cabinet, but not his vice president.
“If I’m elected president, what that means is America is readyfor my version of the future of our country,” Edwards said.
“If something happens and I couldn’t complete my term, I would want to ensure that that vice president would push forward with this same vision, because that’s what America is voting for.”
Who’s ready to Lead America on Day One — No On the Job Training required?
Sounds like John Edwards to me and to an ever growing number of forward-thinking Americans too!
Who’s ready to look you in eye, and tell you what they will do, to restore America’s Moral Authority — both at home, and aboard?
And who’s ready to form another Committee to study the matter, and get back with you, someday?
Edwards is fighting for Equal Opportunity for All Americans — and Edwards IS doing the ‘Hard Work’ already, by spelling out detailed steps of what needs to be done, by spelling out the differences between himself and the other ‘would-be’ Leaders:
Others may have the Media Spotlight, but Why is it that they frequently are playing “catch up” with the many detailed Progressive Policies, that Edwards was almost always the first to boldly declare?
Who is not afraid to Stand up for the Progressive Issues that matter to working Americans — John Edwards, that’s who!
How that old saying go …
Either Lead, Follow, or get out of the Way!
(I’ll give you one guess, which one of those Options, Edwards has been working overtime on, already!)
turneresqon Clinton Blasting Obama for Character Problems
Whose Afraid of Barack Obama? byFrank Rich, a must read
Hillary Clinton is having a rough time, lately. Now she is attacking Obama for not only asking students for their votes, but to ask them to come back from out of state to vote for him. The thing is this, it is legal. The Secretary of State in Iowa said it is within the law. Now she is whining that Iowa is for Iowans. Ummmm. Disenfranchising students? What is next? psericks, runs it down here.
NPR on Polls, Iowa; DNC Fall Meeting, Speech by Obama(real player required); Michelle Obama in Indianola, IA (real player required); Brown & Black Recap; Video of Obama Supporters @ Black & Brown Forum
Office Opening in Tuscaloosa, AL; AFSCME Illinois Backs Obama; Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie Backs Obama; Salt Lake Office Opens; Linda Nelson, President of Iowa State Eduacation Association, Endorses Obama; Obama Opens San Diego Office; Iowa State Representative Deborah Berry Endorses Obama
Dodd and Clinton, Stop Killing the Democratic Pary, byDemocraticLuntz
Need Obama information? Don’t know where to go? Well, here is the Obama Campaign one-stop-shop for information, right here. Everything you need to know pertaining to media is a click away. Also, the Obama Campaign has launched a fact check page which is part of their website. This is critically important since Senator Hillary Clinton has decided to go all out negative, due to the Des Moines Register Poll, released Sunday. Obama is about addressing the issues and having a civil, lively debate. But when the opposition decides to attack character, you need to protect yourself with fact.
Does Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement help Sen. Barack Obama? She doesn’t hurt.
The question seems to be on everyone’s lips. Obama’s campaign announced Monday that Winfrey will join the presidential hopeful next month in the important lead-off states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
I doubt that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, was thrilled to hear that news. The conventional wisdom holds that celebrity endorsements don’t mean much, if anything. But, hey, this is …Oprah!
We’re talking about the queen of all media taking on the diva of Democratic politics. Chicago Tribune
The first thing I ever heard about Barack Obama was that he had a white mother and a black father. I heard this over and over again, never in a snide or gossipy way, always matter-of-factly. Apparently this was the way we Americans had to introduce Obama to each other. For some reason, knowledge of his racial pedigree had to precede even the mention of his politics–as if the pedigree inevitably explained the politics.
Of course, I am rather sensitive to all this because I, too, was born to a white mother and a black father, though I did not fully absorb this fact, which would have been so obvious to the outside world, until I was old enough to notice the world’s fascination–if not obsession–with it. To this day it is all but impossible for me to actually stop and think of my parents as white and black or to think of myself, therefore, as half and half. This is the dumb mathematics of thinking by race–dumb because race is used here as a kind of bullying truth that pushes aside the actual human experience. Time
Our country is in serious trouble. The gap between the wealthy elite and the working majority grows ever larger, tens of millions of Americans lack health insurance and others risk bankruptcy when they get seriously ill, and many public schools do a poor job of educating the next generation. Due to the arrogant, inept foreign policy of the current administration, more people abroad mistrust and fear the United States than at any time since the height of the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, global warming speeds toward an unprecedented catastrophe. Many Republicans and overwhelming numbers of Independents and Democrats believe that, under George W. Bush, the nation has badly lost its way. The 2008 election thus comes at a critical time in the history of the United States and the world.
We endorse Barack Obama for president because we think he is the candidate best able to address and start to solve these profound problems. As historians, we understand that no single individual, even a president, leads alone or outside a thick web of context. As Abraham Lincoln wrote to a friend during the Civil War, “I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.” more
icebergslim’s last word: terror of the polls. negative attacks. kindergarten essays.
Well, David Yepsen wrote an op-ed piece about getting hot. And the candidate who is hot since the JJ Dinner is Barack Obama.
It is apparent by the new Des Moines Register Iowa Poll. This poll shows that Barack Obama is up 3 points and that the race is fluid and within the margin of error. But the most telling of the information is the lost ground by Hillary Clinton to women. Women are moving towards Barack Obama and away from Clinton.
Why telling? Women are her firewall. They are. And this is scaring her to death. So, what happens? She is going negative and toward attacking Barack Obama’s character.
I say, bring it on. Why? Hillary Clinton does not own the trust nor honesty issue. She does not. Repeatedly in polling this has been her weakness. Now it has come to fruition. People are questioning her truthiness, unwilling to be candid, do they like her, and if they trust her.
All the above are valid. And we must thank her husband for his lapse of truth when he announced he opposed the War in Iraq, from the start, only to get blasted because he supported the War in Iraq. All this is a reminder of the Throwback Clinton Years that Democrats are finding out they don’t want again.
I am for a jousting, civil debate on the issues. I am. But, when you go negative to attack one’s character that is a stretch for me. If many recall wasn’t it Clinton crying about her contemporaries attacking her? And hasn’t it been Bill Richardson, lately when given a microphone, stating in nice subliminal terms, “Don’t attack each other?” Now, Hillary has thrown all of this out of the window because of one poll?
Damn. She must really live and breathe polls. If one poll does this, what will she do if she loses Iowa or New Hampshire? Perish the thought!!
And finally, Hillary, I thought you of all the candidates were the most thorough on oppo research. To have to read that you are citing Barack Obama’s kindergarten and very early school years for his ambition to be president is well, just desperate. For a child to aspire to be president is a good thing. What is wrong with that? Clinton does not get it. Now she has resorted to taking Obama’s kindergarten and early school essays of “I Want to be President”, as serious oppo research and is using this against him. This is truly profound and pathetic.
I would hope any child would aspire to be that president, astronaut, teacher, doctor, nurse, firefighter, policeman, etc. These are proud professions that aid the public, but to actually use his kindergarten aspirations as an attack weapon?
All I can write is, “Hillary have you lost your mind?”
Washington Post on February 5th Organizing bypsericks
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As the Iowa Caucus is nearing, need to know what to do? Find everything at The Caucus Center.
as the cold is starting to set in and the holidays are upon us, remember we must stay focused and resolved. many of us are taking time off work, leaving family members at home, to push senator obama over the top in these early states. we are the obama advocates and supporters. whether you donate money, time, trips to these early states, always remember to focus on obama and not the drama. because the drama is being slung, rapidly.
The squabble to be first in deciding the nation’s fate is intensifying. Early states are cleverly inching their primaries in a race to secure voting influence for their citizens. By the end of February, we’ll know who the presidential finalists are before more than half the nation gets a chance to vote, let alone meet the candidates. Sound Fair?
The heavily frontloaded primary schedule does all of America a disservice. Leaving the power to decide who the next president of the America can be to a handful of people is just not right. The demographic make up of all the early primary state, even combined, does not accurately represent the American population. For instance, isn’t New Hampshire the third wealthiest state in the nation?
With less than a month left, there seems like there’s no hope. The Washington Post reports that the American people are being tempted by pessimism, and are losing faith in our political system. But, not to fear. Register to host a caucus at www.nationalcaucus.com and get involved.
It seems like there’s no hope but to accept the circumstances. However, I came across this website, the National Presidential Caucus, that looks to give voters a fair chance to voice their opinions before the primaries kick off. It’s not a national primary or anything like that, don’t let the name mislead you.
Here’s how it works:
1) Post your caucus online
2) Meet offline with some friends, neighbors, whomever to discuss candidates and issues
3) Post your results from your discussions online
It’s as simple as that. It’s really just an effort to encourage and empower civic engagement and voter opinions. So why not…
How can we claim to go across seas to build a democracy, when our own political system at home is suffering? Get involved. sign up to host a caucus in your neighborhood today.
Well, Dennis Kucinich continues to speak for America rather than gross party politics. Speaking in New Hampshire, Wednesday, Kucinich stated:
the vow from his party’s leadership in Congress to stand up to President Bush on ending the war in Iraq amounts to a “total fraud.”
The Ohio congressman said the most recent House-passed plan to set a timetable for ending the war still would permit permanent bases in Iraq and allow Americans soldiers to train Iraqi military and police and to fight off insurgents.
It really does seem to me that only Kucinich understands, or at least is willing to admit, that this country is in serious danger right now. Kucinich, seems alone among the candidates who believes that this election is much less about reclaiming the White House for the Democratic Party, than it is about reclaiming the United States for all of its citizens.
Yet, there is such a disconnect within our political system that the Democratic Leadership will not act upon the wishes of a majority of Americans regarding the war/occupation or even in protecting the essence of our Democracy through accountability and beginning impeachment investigations. As kucinich duly noted:
“I think the outrage is building among the voting public, but to the political system, it’s business as usual.”
State Rep. Betty Hall, D-Brookline, who attended, decided to endorse Kucinich after he forced consideration of V.P. Cheney’s Impeachment a few weeks ago. Hall tried to bring in a non-binding resolution to the New Hampshire House supporting an impeachment proceeding against Bush and Cheney, which House leaders from both parties opposed, not allowing an up or down vote.
“It isn’t popular to speak up; I know. When I spoke in the Legislature, some people were angry, but we must talk about it. We must learn about it,” Hall said.
Hall also showed Kucinich an article in the New Hampshire State Constitution, which reads inpart:
“The doctrine of nonresistance against arbitrary power and repression is absurd, slavish and destructive of the good of all mankind.”
Kucinich, who is now promising to bring more detailed articles of Impeachment against President George W. Bush, said:
“I’m going to quote that language from the New Hampshire Constitution all over the country. Clearly New Hampshire is the place to bring this message.
Seems fitting for New Hampshire: “Live free or die”…
Kucinich will be a leading speaker Monday night at Dartmouth College for an “Impeachment Teach-In” sponsored by state and national liberal-leaning organizations.
December 1, 2007 – Des Moines, IA, Brown & Black Forum
December 1, 2007 – Des Moines, IA, Heartland Presidential Forum
December 4, 2007 – Des Moines, IA, NPR News/Iowa Public Radio Debate
December 10, 2007 – Los Angeles, California, CBS
December 13, 2007 – Johnston, Iowa, Des Moines Register Democratic Debate
January 15, 2008 – Las Vegas, Nevada
January 31, 2008 – California
In the space of an hour this weekend, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, using some of their most pointed and forceful rhetoric of the campaign, framed the choice for Democrats deciding their party’s presidential nomination.
Clinton gave a strong speech at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner late Saturday. But Obama, criticized for occasional lackluster performances, delivered one of his most focused and powerful addresses.
In the view of many watching, he emerged as the oratorical winner at the biggest Democratic political event in Iowa before the state’s January caucuses.
His candidacy, Obama said, could produce a new Democratic majority capable of breaking the gridlock and polarization that have plagued Washington for a decade or more.
“The same old Washington textbook campaigns just won’t do it in this election,” he said. Seattle Times
November 19, 2007 – Meet the Candidate, Barack Obama, Clarion, IA
November 19, 2007 – Town Hall Meeting with Barack, Fort Dodge, IA
November 20, 2007 – Meet the Candidate, Barack Obama, Alton, NH
November 20, 2007 – Meet the Candidate, Barack Obama, Conway, NH
November 20, 2007 – Meet the Candidate, Barack Obama, Laconia, NH
November 20, 2007 – Michelle Obama, Orangeburg, SC
November 20, 2007 – Michelle Obama, Columbia, SC
November 30, 2007 – Barack Obama and Former Sec of Navy, Richard Danzig, Washington, D.C.
December 2, 2007 – Countdown to Change, Boston, MA
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? Why It’s Barack Obama Obama Shows Off Organizational Strength at JJ Dinner Transcriptof Obama Apperance on Meet the Press
obama on meet the press with tim russert, november 11, 2007, des moines, ia
Democrat Barack Obama said Sunday that if elected he will push to increase the amount of income that is taxed to provide monthly Social Security benefits.
Obama and other Democratic presidential candidates previously have signaled support for this idea.
But during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Obama said subjecting more of a person’s income to the payroll tax is the option he would push for if elected president.
He objected to benefit cuts or a higher retirement age.
“I think the best way to approach this is to adjust the cap on the payroll tax so that people like myself are paying a little bit more and people who are in need are protected,” the Illinois senator said.
“That is the option that I will be pushing forward.”
Currently, only the first $97,500 of a person’s annual income is taxed. The amount is scheduled to rise to $102,000 next year. more
Democratic Caucus Goers Pick Obama, Edwards as JJ Winners
Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Scott Brennan called it “the most successful Jefferson Jackson Dinner in history,” but it was more successful for some candidates than for others.
After discussions with party insiders and people in attendance, the early consensus seemed to be that the candidates who have generally polled in the top three — Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama — all did well, with Edwards and Obama excelling in particular. Among the other three candidates — Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Bill Richardson — the crowd seemed to be moved the most by Dodd and Biden, but not enough to significantly affect their chances in January, interviews Saturday night suggested. Candace Opstvedt of Story City was an undecided caucus-goer, but not any longer.
“I am definitely leaning toward Barack after tonight,” she said after the long night of speeches and Democratic fundraising, including an auction. Undecided caucus-goer Jordan Oster, a Drake University student and a Des Moines native, thought Obama and Edwards made a definite impression on the crowd.
“It is yet to be seen if tonight can be considered a moment of shakeup, but I think it really goes to show that Edwards and Obama cemented their importance in the race,” he said. “Neither made direct reference to Senator Clinton, but without mistake many references were aimed her way.”
Oster said he thought Biden, Dodd and Richardson did well, but didn’t stand out. Iowapolitics.com
Can Obama Rock the Nomination?
What kind of question is THIS??? One word, yes. He showed it last Saturday night, at the JJ Dinner. The debate performance is now past and will forever be plagued with innuendo. He is stronger than ever in Iowa. And if people are fed UP, with partisian politics, gridlock, the same old thing. Then you know for sure, what time it is. It is change time.
youtube interview
Will Obama Turn Out Young Voters inIowa All TiedUp in Iowa Obama PhotoBlogLebanon, NH Obamaon Net Neutrality
UAW Region 4, Endorses Obama
UAW Region 4 Delegates Throw Support to Obama’s Campaign for PresidentDUBUQUE – Delegates of United Auto Workers Region 4, which includes 30,000 members and retirees in Iowa, voted today to support Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. The group announced its overwhelming support at the close of a weeklong conference where seven of the major Democratic presidential candidates addressed the group earlier this week.
“There are many talented Democrats in the presidential field this year, but Barack Obama is the leader who will bring the kind of change to Washington that America’s working men and women can believe in,” said UAW Local 442 (Webster City, IA) President Paul Erickson. “For the last two decades, working families have been able to count on Barack Obama to stand up for us and our values. We are supporting him, because we know he’ll do the same thing in the White House.” Time, DemDog
kos, on Obama’s Plan for Open Government StollerLeaning Obama Chris Bowers, Ok, it is Still a Close Campaign Barack Obama and the Illinois Death Penaltyby AdamB
Clinton Camp, Sure Do Not Care About Nor Believe in the Youth Vote
Yep. The Clinton Campaign has to be one of the more out of touch campaigns running. For the Clinton Campaign to tout the inevitability meme, this campaign does not understand what drives the youth. And to totally dis’ them as unimportant is even more laughable. I am sure no dissin’ will be going on in an Iowa barn on January 3rd, if these Facebook Caucus Goers decide to show up. Respect the youth. Respect the ones who are disenfranchised. Respect the lost Democratic Voters who want in again. Just respect the voters. Ok?
shoutouts: food prices up, by bink; i am starting to detest hillary clinton, the british observer; read, dengre; why an edwards fan thinks obama took jefferson-jackson; dl’s take on democrats preferring dems on iran; update on marlboro marine; foreclosures record high
icebergslim’s last word: obama and his supporters advocates.
Barack came from the Iowa JJ Dinner, with a speech that people are still talking about.
Then the debate.
Well, it was a sham. My opinion, as I do not speak or write for Obama Supporters Advocates. But, it was. Then we got the blistering report from an Obama supporter advocate who called them all out in her diary, no stone unturned, not off the beaten path, but blunt and precise. LV Pol Girl’s diary of the events surrounding the debate was simply titled, Las Vegas Disgrace. Was it Pulitzer Prize writing? No. Rhetorical Rhetoric? No. It was four simple paragraphs with an ending sentence that summed it all up what happened in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the CNN Debate. So, simple, that everyone has read this diary, passed it on, shaking their heads. And those that did not want it out had to sit, squirm, and take it.
Then Bob Johnson, comes on the scene. You really don’t know what to expect with him, but he ripped Steny Hoyer a new one with this diary, Hey, Steny… Butt out. I don’t know who Bob supports, but he was absolutely correct in this assessment of Hoyer going after Obama:
Oh, no. Steny thought it best to single out a candidate who he felt was bashing the current frontrunner:
“I’ve been disappointed,” Hoyer, 68, said in an interview on Bloomberg television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” scheduled to air tonight. “I think it will hurt the party.”
He took particular exception to Illinois Senator Barack Obama’s assertion in a Las Vegas debate yesterday that Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton hadn’t given “straight answers” on “a host of issues.” Hoyer said that comment is “likely to get used by Republicans” in the general election.
What is this you ask? It is what politicians refer to as, “calling your chits in.” The old, “I helped you, raised money for you, now you need to help me.” In other words, the Clinton Camp needs to dirty up Barack Obama. The Clinton Camp need to reinforce that Obama is inexperienced, not ready. Obama should not challenge, nor question anything on Hillary Clinton. The GOP could use this against her. As if “girlfriend” has already been anointed and appointed.
Then your keepin it real voice of icebergslim, rolls into a Saturday with an aw, hell naw diary on our best friends at CNN. I don’t like to write on the weekends because I am usually compiling ‘This Week’, but when you get articles from NYT and L.A. Times sent to you about the debate, but more importantly how it is all connected up? What are you to do? I had to do what I do best. Clinton News Network = CNN.
Of course, Obama Supporters Advocates then had to read insinuations of a whisper campaign, against our candidate. Remember, it is all about making him dirty. But, we took solace to what Barack said in his statement.
“The item did not identify these ‘agents,’ nor did it reveal the nature of the charge. It was devoid of facts, but heavy on innuendo and insinuation of the sort to which we’ve become all too accustomed in our politics these past two decades. If the purpose of this shameless item was to daunt or discourage me or supporters of our campaign from challenging and changing the politics of Washington, it will fail. In fact, it will only serve to steel our resolve.
That paragraph, for me, said it all about Barack Obama.
It will only serve to steel our resolve.
That is what the other campaigns don’t get. But they will, starting in Iowa.
Yes, we are supporters of Barack Obama, but you are correct in your assessment, we are his ADVOCATES, first.
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.
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Lastly, a magnificent diary by femlaw titled, “Obama’s Field of Dreams (California & Iowa Edition)” This is a must read for all. If you don’t understand strategy and Obama’s passion for building from ground up, peep this. After the read, you will get it.
well, barack was in austin, texas telling them to get ready for change. and i am here to ask you, are you ready for it? always, remember to focus on obama, and not the drama….
For months, politicians in big states like California, Florida and Michigan have griped about their lack of influence in the 2008 presidential race, pushing up their primaries to try to diminish the sway of Iowa and New Hampshire.
Now, thanks to those efforts, Iowa and New Hampshire appear more important than ever.
It’s mainly a process story about how candidates must score an early victory to be able to gather enough money to compete on February 5. It was all so eminently predictable, and the relative absence of any Presidential candidates or buzz in this state with a little more than 3 months to go until the primary is further proof. The only way to end the prospect of Iowa and New Hampshire picking the nominee is to… stop having them pick the nominee.
I remember this refrain over and over again from everyone who demanded that California move up its Presidential primary to February 5. The most populous state should have a say in the nomination, everyone said. The candidates will have to start talking about “California issues,” they said.
Chris Bowers has a post showing the number of public appearances made by all of the Presidential candidates thus far this year.
There have been more trips to Iowa and New Hampshire than to every other state and territory combined. And I wish Courage Campaign was still doing their ATM Watch, because they would clearly see, as Bowers mentions…
…looking at upcoming events in California, one can see that over 60% of all scheduled appearances in the state are fundraisers, and virtually every non-fundraiser campaign appearance in the state is accompanied with a fundraiser.
over…
When California moved up their primary, I was adamant in saying that this move would do nothing but enhance the power of Iowa and New Hampshire. And that’s exactly what’s happening. By putting this giant electoral prize on February 5, close to the early states, you make it imperative for candidates to be in front early to have any chance to win the nomination. Any strategy to tread water until Super Tuesday will fail, and by the looks of the appearance schedule all of the candidates know it.
Furthermore, this June primary with no Presidential race and no statewide candidates on the ballot will almost surely have a very low turnout, and Republican dirty tricksters are falling all over each other to take advantage of that, with the electoral college split and other nefarious initiatives. Was it worth it? Did everyone get what they wanted?
The only way to change the primary system is to actually change the system, with a complete overhaul. Change the way California practiced it was pointless, debilitating to democracy (a nine-month general election campaign will not be beneficial to anyone), and dangerous for the future of the state if some of those pernicious ballot measures squeak by.
August 19, 2007 – Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa (ABC) 8PM
August 27-28, 2007 – Cancer Forum, Cedar Rapids, IA (MSNBC & Live Streaming)
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….
Obama Appearances
August 12, 2007 – Michelle Obama, Chicago, IL
August 13, 2007 – Keene, NH
August 13, 2007 – Nashua, NH
August 15, 2007 – Cedar Falls, IA
August 16, 2007 – Council Bluffs, IA
August 16, 2007 – Atlantic, IA
August 17, 2007 – Clear Lake, IA
August 18, 2007 – Waverly, IA
August 22, 2007 – KICKOFF, Brooklyn, NY
August 24, 2007 – KICKOFF, Tallahassee, FL
August 26, 2007 – KICKOFF, Lexington, KY
Well, I am back with the weekly roundup. I took the week off, due to being at the Yearly Kos Convention in Chicago. I thought I “might” be able to provide last week’s roundup, but was tired, drained, and reflective of the events when I got home. So, I posted a diary about my reflections of the convention, instead. All I have to say is, GO NEXT YEAR, start saving your pennies, NOW. Next year is critical, it is the year of the presidential election, but more importantly we must work hard to get more democrats in the congress, in our state houses and state races. Yes, we were fired up this year, but next year the flame is ON!!
August 5, 2007
Thanks, lovingj!!!!
Senator Obama was in Park City, Utah for a fundraiser, but held an impromptu rally of over 500 and expected just a small number, at Utah Olympic Park. Kudos to the Obama Campaign for getting this together on the “fly”, and just look at the people grateful to see him.
Obama was next in Elko, Nevada, the senator’s first trip to rural Nevada. Attending a townhall type meeting of 900, Obama again, backed up his statements about Pakistan. And the crowd loved it:
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Sunday stood by foreign policy comments that sparked an anti-U.S. protest in Pakistan and attacks from his opponents this week.
Obama told a group in Elko, Nevada that he didn’t think he’d made a mistake in suggesting that he would use military force in Pakistan if necessary to root out terrorists.
Pakistan has been considered a U.S. ally in the war on terrorism.
Obama also sought to clarify his assertion, prompted by a reporter’s question, that nuclear weapons would be “off the table” in such an attack.
Senator Hillary Clinton criticized him by saying leaders should not discuss hypotheticals involving nuclear weapons. Obama portrayed the question and Clinton’s critique as absurd. more, My Silver State
The ongoing “flux” with Senator Clinton’s answer about lobbyists, their monies, “our friends”, “don’t influence”, me answers from Yearly Kos. And the stepping up of ousting Clinton by Obama and Edwards.
…”A lot of those lobbyists, whether you like it or not, represent real Americans,” the New York senator said. “They represent nurses, they represent social workers, yes, they represent corporations that employ a lot of people…I don’t think, based on my 35 years of fighting for what I believe in, I don’t think anybody seriously believes I’m going to be influenced by a lobbyist.”
A less hypocritical answer to the question might have looked something like this: “Yes, I am taking lobbyists’ donations and I too am concerned about the disproportionate influence wealthy interest groups have on the political process. I have often had to compromise my beliefs for lobbyist cash and that troubles me as a Senator, as a citizen, as a human being. And that’s why we desperately need to switch over to a public campaign finance system. But with the system we have, in order to win, I need to take their money. If I elected, I will do my utmost to enact a public campaign finance system.”
But Clinton seems to be in denial about the power of campaign cash even though, as a matter of historical record, she has flip-flopped like a trained marine mammal at Sea World for major contributors. For example, as First Lady, Hillary Clinton convinced her husband to veto a credit card company-backed bill to make it harder for Americans to declare bankruptcy. Inspired by Harvard Law professor Elizabeth Warren’s speech about the devastating impact the legislation would have on single mothers and their children, Hillary informally lobbied the president on what she termed “that awful bill.” Yet a few years later, Hillary, now in the Senate with the help of copious contributions from the credit card companies, voted for the same bill. “The financial services industry is a big industry in New York, and it’s powerful on Capitol Hill,” Warren later explained. “It’s a [testament to] how much influence this industry group wields in Washington that…they can bring to heel a senator who obviously cares, who obviously gets it, but who also obviously really feels the pressure in having to stand up to an industry like that.”
So please, Hillary, let’s not pretend that Washington lobbyists defend the interests of social workers — or single mothers — and that their contributions don’t affect your positions anyway. The power of entrenched wealth perverts the political process and turns politicians–even those whose hearts are in the right place, as Hillary’s often is — into paid corporate spokespeople. more
Obama is criticizing Clinton over her “lobbyist snafu” and the criticism is warranted. Americans need to have their eyes wide open about these candidates. We must select the right candidate who is supporting us, not the corporations who are the largest recipients of corporate welfare in the history of this government. Those are the real welfare “kings and queens”, and not the people.
…In an interview with The Associated Press and later at a town hall-style event, Obama said the matter would be a critical issue in his campaign for the party nomination.
Obama pointed to Saturday’s bloggers forum in Chicago where he touted his promise not to take money from lobbyists. Clinton argued at the event that taking money from lobbyists was acceptable because they represented real people and real interests.
Obama declined to use Clinton’s name, though he told the AP, “I profoundly disagree with her statements.”
“If lobbyists for well-heeled interests in Washington are setting the agenda on the farm bill, in the energy bill, on health care legislation and if we can’t overcome the power of those lobbyists then we’re not going to get serious reform in any of those areas,” he said. “That doesn’t mean they don’t have a seat at the table. We just don’t want them buying every chair.” more, KC Star, Ari Melber, Newsday, Politico
Barack Obama has been in the hotseat for his position on Pakistan, but many are coming around and agreeing on his position, Atlanta Constitution Journal, Washington Post, to name a few. Now the pundits are talking and discussing the “same policy” as Obama. Relevant it was on ABC, for the Republican Debate in Iowa on Sunday Morning, when Giulilani was pressed and “quoted verbatim” of agreeing with Obama’s stance on Pakistan, Giuliani, squirmed the question away.
So, while Obama may have gotten folks upset, as they grilled him in Iowa, the fact of the matter is that Osama bin Laden is still running amuck. He is being harbored in PAKISTAN, the United States know it, Musharraf knows it, and the man should be caught or killed, period. You can not play two sides of the fence on this. And for those afraid of Pakistan retailiating, they won’t. We have harbored and aided Musharref for too long. He can “publicly” denounce the United States, but he will play politically and hand this man over. Why? He is in a hot seat, as well. While re-emphasizing, strongly, that Pakistan is not harboring or aiding al-Qaida.
The Republicans are on their last gasp of breath coming into 2008, they know it, but more importantly, we know it. For any kind of public ratification of this party, they must get Osama bin Laden, in hope of regaining public trust and retaining the White House. Clear and simple. So clear, that this should have been done in the beginning, or we would not be in Iraq. But of course, Iraq is all about lining corporate purses, period. Isn’t it?
Obama’s Camp is reassuring its base that the national numbers are not important. And realistically, these nubmers are not. Not this far out. This all comes about from the Clinton Camp releasing another “inevitablity poll number memo”. David Plouffe has reminded the base that it is the “early states” in which polling is important. And this statement is true. Because if you look at the individual state polling the numbers are solidifying and he is doing well. And from the Obama Camp, it does not look like the money train has “stopped”.
“As the Washington insiders focus on irrelevant and wildly inconsistent national polls, there are strong signs in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina of the growing power and potential of this candidacy,” Plouffe wrote.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll last week showed Clinton, Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in a virtual tie in Iowa.
A recent poll by the American Research Group in New Hampshire put Clinton and Obama at 31 percent apiece, and a poll by the same group in South Carolina gave Obama a 4 percent lead over Clinton in that state.
“Remember, each contest affects the next,” said Plouffe. “Our strategy has always been to focus like a laser on the early states to create the momentum crucial to later contests.”
Plouffe also pointed to Obama’s prowess at raising money from 258,000 individual donors as a sign of his strength. Obama raised about $5 million more than Clinton during the second quarter. more
‘You blew it,’ student tells Obama, yes a student told Obama over the controversy of meeting with leaders of hostile countries from the YouTube Debate. And you know what, Obama is not going to have everyone agree with him. That is a fact. When I was in Edwards’ breakout at Yearly Kos, there was a person who did not agree with one of his points, and he stated, I don’t expect you too. And I don’t expect folk to agree with Obama on everything. But if you want change, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.
Strategist Says Blacks Are Obama’s‘Base’ ObamaVows to Stand Up Against Corporate Mega-Farm Lobbyists
Why are the GOP candidates, ganging up on Barack Obama? What does that tell you? Obviously, he has hit a nerve with somebody, somewhere? And why aren’t the GOP candidates worried about “their” nomination and trekkin’ over to spit in our pool? Yes, these are the questions, one must ask and try to answer. I have been saying alot about poll numbers and to start looking at them in the fall, and I still mean it. But their poll numbers must be awful to come sniffin’ around Obama. Especially, Mitt Romney. Matthews, from Hardball on Today Show, stated something that caught my attention, quick. He stated that Brownback has been coming after Romney “hard” about his “flip/flop” on the right to life and questioning his “religion”. Matthews stated that Romney’s anger was real in his response and that his gut feeling is that Romney’s “poll numbers” must be slipping in Iowa.
Well, Matthews was RIGHT. The current polling numbers for Republicans by the University of Iowa, Obama comes in THIRD, as the candiate Republicans will caucus for. Unbelievable? NO. We know that Clinton is the candidate the Republicans want to run against, Obama is the one they do not want to run against. If Obama gets the nomination, he will win. He will siphon off enough Republicans, get the independents and the Democrats will be behind him. No wonder Romney spewed all those “cheap shots” against Obama on Sunday, he knew what the polling numbers, would be. Oh, and who won on Sunday?
Barack Obama: Obama was all over this debate and was even the basis of one of the questions. That’s great news for the Illinois Senator. It shows he has become a major center of gravity in this race although he has not yet reached the villain status enjoyed (and we do mean enjoyed) by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) It also allowed him to put out a statement of his own that drew a bright line between him and the GOP candidates on the war. “The fact that the same Republican candidates who want to keep 160,000 American troops in the middle of a civil war couldn’t agree that we should take out Osama bin Laden if we had him in our sights, proves why Americans want to turn the page on the last seven years of Bush-Cheney foreign policy,” Obama said. more
Pure Horserace
Obama Rising? Agree with him or not, Barack Obama has become the hot candidate over the past week, gaining the attention of presidential candidates from the other party as well as his own. Obama and Hillary Clinton have sparred recently over what conditions they would or would not set for a presidential-level meeting with some of the world’s most shady characters. And at yesterday’s Republican debate in Iowa, the Illinois senator’s insistence that, as president, he would attack terrorists in part of Pakistan – with or without that nation’s cooperation – triggered discussion. more
Will Clinton Sever Ties With Penn?
No. My take on all of this with the Penn/Clinton association is that he has been effective for her, period. He is associated with a firm that prides itself with parrying union pressure. When I look back on growing up, I grew up in a union home. A home that allowed my parents to become middle class, to afford the dream home, to purchase a new car every 3-4 years, a home that produced four children who graduated from college. We need more than a tax break and lip service. We need “living wages” for workers in America, along with “living wage jobs”. We need a president who is not a sell-out to corporate America. We need a leader who will stand with us and beat back the influx of China in this country. We surely do not need anymore Penn’s, and I am confident many will agree with me on this one.
AFL-CIO Debate, Soldiers Field, Chicago, IL
I watched the debate and came to this conclusion. Chris Dodd and Joe Biden want a “cabinet position” with the “hopeful president to be”, that is Clinton. The way they went after Obama was comical, at best, with tints of desperation, to be nice. But this gave Obama a chance to speak and clarify (video here) his position on Pakistan. As Ben Smith from Politico wrote:
…”Well, look, I find it amusing that those who helped to authorize and engineer the biggest foreign policy disaster in our generation are now criticizing me for making sure that we are on the right battlefield and not the wrong battlefield in the war against terrorism,” Obama said to applause for the crowd. more
One shameless moment came from Senator Biden. This was during the union members Q&A, when the widow, Deborah Hamner, whose husband died at the Sago Mines, addressed Senator Biden about federal safety regulations for mine workers. Instead of him answering the question, he was still in tag team form of answering a question about Pakistan!!! He was booed soundly and loudly. The most stupid question of the night went to Senator Obama from Keith Olbermann. Will you invite Barry Bonds to the White House? Umm, can I categorically let you know that we don’t give a damn. The most passionate and one that left impressions was Dennis Kucinich. Even my husband, had to sit up and take notice. Kucinich was the only one who would ban NAFTA for good. And wouldn’t any union household cheer that?
During the analysis on MSNBC former Mayor Willie Brown stated something that stuck with me, and I have been writing about it on the boards. He stated that Senator Clinton need to address and put to bed, the “lobbyist” snafu. She had an opportunity to address this tonight and her answer was everthing but the “right answer”. The former mayor also stated that this issue could run like a “virus”. I have posted my comments on this and agree. Everyone must understand this. We follow these candidates, polls, campaign stops, etc. The average public does not. So, when hearing about this “lobbyist snafu”, they only have one reminder, the Jack Abramhoff lobbyist scandal. To publicly, admit, that it is “okay” to take monies from lobbyists, puts you in the bed of “business as usual”. This is something her campaign need to address and expect ads out “very soon”, on this issue.
Overall, Clinton is unscathed. Obama held his own and scored some points on foreign policy. Biden and Dodd are riding out to “Desperado”. Edwards was just OK for me. With the exception of calling Clinton out for being on the cover of “Fortune” or is it “Money” magazine? Richardson better, but forgettable. And the winner is Dennis Kucinich. The only candidate that will send NAFTA out to pasture, and kick WTO to the curb. AP, Washington Post, Newsday, Chris Cillizza, Full Debate Transcript And the moment of the debate, was here, Steve Skvara, retired LTV Steel Worker:
…Despite becoming this presidential race’s phenomenon, with the power to draw huge crowds and raise millions of dollars, Mr. Obama remains relatively unknown among the country’s fastest-growing electorate: Nearly half of Latino voters have never heard of him, according to a June Gallup poll.
Even as he gains awareness among Hispanics, he may find wooing them to his campaign a challenge. Across the U.S., tensions simmer between Hispanics and blacks who regard each other as rivals for jobs, educational resources, housing and political power. In Los Angeles, Hispanics have become the majority in traditionally black enclaves and clashes have erupted between the groups in schools and on the streets.
For Mr. Obama, this has created a tricky situation. The fiery debate over immigration in Congress alienated many Hispanics, pushing conservatives among them into the Democratic camp and encouraging others to register to vote. But to tap into that, Mr. Obama must navigate past Democratic primary opponents who are better positioned to capitalize on those voters.
“If Obama were the Democratic presidential nominee, he would do well in the Hispanic community,” says Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster. But “he will have to fight for their support in the primaries.” more
Well, the Yearly Kos Presidential Forum has unleashed the “real”. From new polling data 48% believe Senator Clinton will be “influenced” by lobbyist monies. Since this blunder, or we can say the “keepin’ it real Hillary moment”, this put the pause in folk to say, “hold up, lobbyist represent average americans”? Yes, folk are questioning this. See, when you are in the “beltway”, you do get “disconnected” with how people feel. That is why I do give kudos to Clinton for consistantly polling to keep up with the “pulse” of people. But to come out and say that “lobbyist” gaffe is just another question to throw onto the “who is Hillary” pile. Lastly, former Mayor Willie Brown from San Francisco summed it up. That Hillary Rodham Clinton need to address the lobbyist issue, if she does not it will be come a virus. And this may just be the start.
Hillary Clinton has surged to a big lead in national polls for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination but her chief rivals say the polls are overblown and the race is far from over.
According to a realclearpolitics.com average of recent polls, the New York senator and former first lady is enjoying a gap of 18 percentage points over her closest challenger, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, 41 percent to 22 percent, while former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards has 11.5 percent.
Democratic strategist Jenny Backus, who is neutral in the 2008 nomination race, said the national polls are important but that Obama and Edwards are making the race a more difficult one for Clinton than her camp had anticipated.
“I think Hillary is the front-runner but not the front-runner she thought she was going to be when this race started. She was supposed to be this colossus striding over a field of pygmies. But instead she’s in a hand-to-hand battle with one very ferocious competitor and a couple others breathing on her heels,” said Backus. more
“President Musharraf has a very difficult job, and it is important that we are a constructive ally with them in dealing with al-Qaida,” the Illinois senator said.
Obama did not repeat the most incendiary line from his foreign policy speech last Wednesday, when he promised: “If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.” more
With a television crew and photographers in tow, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spent Wednesday morning mopping floors, cleaning cobwebs and preparing breakfast for an 86-year-old wheelchair-bound amputee, as he accompanied a home health care worker on her daily duties.
A day on the job has become a new ritual of the Democratic presidential campaign this year, after the powerful 1.9 million-member Service Employees International Union demanded that candidates “Walk a Day in My Shoes” with a union member in order to be considered for endorsement.
On Wednesday, it was the Illinois senator’s turn. Obama joined 61-year-old Pauline Beck, an African-American woman with gray hair and an easy manner, as she cared for John Thornton, a retired cement mason and widower who lives in a modest clapboard home in a low-income neighborhood of Oakland.
“I’m not going to lie to you. It’s been a while,” Obama said, after mopping the kitchen and bathrooms.
“I probably haven’t mopped a floor since I started my Senate race,” Obama continued, though he quickly added, “Before that, that wasn’t something I was averse to doing.”
Obama gamely assembled Thornton’s customary breakfast of coffee, frosted flakes and watermelon cubes, washed and folded laundry and gingerly approached the task of making the bed.
The conventional thinking – especially in Washington – is that Barack Obama is flunking foreign policy. But this is one case where conventional thinking may be too closely tied to convention and not all that well thought out.
Yes, we’ve had a glimpse of the world according to Obama. And it doesn’t look half bad.
Not the world itself, which is as dangerous and unpredictable as ever – full of petty tyrants, enemies posing as friends, and rogue states in search of nuclear weapons.
I’m talking about the worldview of the junior senator from Illinois. What seemed like a rookie mistake – i.e., suggesting that, as president, he’d meet with dictators from countries such as Cuba, Iran or North Korea – may actually wind up serving Obama well.
First, it let him draw a distinction between himself and the front-runner. Hillary Clinton helped the cause when she blasted Obama’s comments as “irresponsible and frankly naive.”
That’s baby boomer code for “young and immature.” The 46-year-old Obama stresses the fact that he’s of a different generation than his opponents. This was Clinton pushing back. She might as well have sent the whippersnapper to his room without dessert. After all, Clinton lectured, the president of the United States must be careful not to be used “for propaganda purposes.” more
..Over the past few weeks, Obama has been working to create a commander-in-chief moment, and it has resulted in a rough patch for his campaign. But if he wants to win the nomination, he can’t give up working for this moment.
Obama made the right decision in not backing off his comments about pursuing terrorists in Pakistan. At the AFL-CIO debate earlier this week, Chris Dodd urged Obama to admit that his statement about Pakistan was a mistake — but Obama forcefully defended himself.
Obama is correct to stand by his statement because what he originally said makes perfect sense:
“It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al-Qaida leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.”
Since when did going after al-Qaida become a controversial platform? Bush, Cheney and Giuliani have based their entire political identities on the vague assertion that they will hunt down the terrorists and kill them, but Obama suggests we might actually want to do this and he is hit for being naïve.
The truth is that Bush and Company gave up on catching bin Laden four years ago to focus on what they thought would be an easier time in Iraq. Intent on solidifying her hawkish credentials, Hillary went along for the ride. more
As ABC says: “She said vs. She said?”
Hillary Rodham Clinton need to hire a staff just for canvassing “youtube, “audio, “print”, files before she opens her mouth, for criticism. In fact, I would hope “all these campaigns” are doing just that, if not, “heads up”, you should. Back to Clinton, who publicly “berated” Obama stating that he would not resort to using “nukes” to rule out terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The bait and switch is that Clinton said almost the exact same thing.
“I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table,” Mrs. Clinton told Bloomberg Television in an interview in April 2006, responding to a question about how the Bush administration would try to prevent Iran from building up its nuclear program.
Last week, Mr. Obama said it would be a “profound mistake” for the United States to use nuclear weapons to fight terrorism in Afghanistan or Pakistan. Asked to reply, Mrs. Clinton said: “I think that presidents should be very careful at all times in discussing the use or non-use of nuclear weapons.”
For weeks, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama have tangled over their foreign policy views, judgment and experience in their quest to win the Democratic presidential nomination. Mrs. Clinton has challenged Mr. Obama – at one point, calling his foreign policy stands “irresponsible and frankly naïve” – while he has sought to portray his positioning as an example of how he would change Washington.
But during the television interview more than a year ago, the comments of which were reported by The Associated Press, Mrs. Clinton also discussed the role of nuclear weapons.
“I have said publicly no option should be off the table, but I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table,” Mrs. Clintons said. “This administration has been very willing to talk about using nuclear weapons in a way we haven’t seen since the dawn of a nuclear age. I think that’s a terrible mistake.” more, ABC, Bloomberg
Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday he wanted to tap into the “core decency” of Americans to fight discrimination against gays and lesbians, and argued that civil unions for same-sex couples wouldn’t be a “lesser thing” than marriage.
At a televised forum focusing on gay rights, the Illinois senator was asked to explain how civil unions for same-sex couples could be the equivalent of marriage. He said, “As I’ve proposed it, it wouldn’t be a lesser thing, from my perspective.
“Semantics may be important to some. From my perspective, what I’m interested (in) is making sure that those legal rights are available to people,” he said.
“If we have a situation in which civil unions are fully enforced, are widely recognized, people have civil rights under the law, then my sense is that’s enormous progress,” the Illinois Democrat said. more, post conference
Over onmydd bloggers for their “candidate” will be given featured author status. This event starts Monday, and on Wednesday check out psericks and Max Fletcher, blogging for Barack Obama. Don’t miss it.
Obama was compared to a rock star at the LGBT forum and received a strong welcome from the crowd. He acknowledged his experience as an African American, and how it helps him relate to the LGBT community. “When you are a black guy named Barack Obama, you know what it’s like to be on the outside.” He also said, “It is important not to look at the black candidate and wonder whether or not he’s going to be more sympathetic, or less sympathetic to these issues. I’m going to be more sympathetic not because I’m black, but because this has been the cause of my life and will continue to be the cause of my life making sure that everybody is treated fairly and we have an expansive view of America, where everybody is invited in and we are all working together to create the kind of America we want for the next generation.” Link
Obama at National Association of Black Journalists
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday that rival Hillary Rodham Clinton was wrong when she said politicians shouldn’t discuss hypothetical decisions on foreign policy.
Speaking at a conference of the National Association of Black Journalists, the Illinois senator defended his recent call for military action to hunt down terrorists if Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf doesn’t act. Obama also said it would be “a profound mistake” to deploy nuclear weapons in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Clinton, who has tried to cast her rival as too inexperienced for the job of commander in chief, said presidents shouldn’t make “blanket statements” with respect to the use or non-use of nuclear weapons.
“She said, I don’t I think we should talk about it. Well, I think we should talk about it. I think the American people ought to have a debate about our foreign policy because it’s so messed up and if we don’t talk about it we’re going to end up repeating the same mistakes,” Obama told an audience at a conference of the National Association of Black Journalists.
“Being experienced is not enough. The question is, what lessons do you learn from your experience?” he said. “Nobody had a better track record in experience than Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, but they had bad judgment … The people who have been criticizing me over the past two weeks are the people who engineered what is the biggest foreign policy fiasco in a generation.”
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Saturday served as grand marshal of the annual Bud Billiken Parade, an event founded in 1929 by the Chicago Defender newspaper to celebrate area children.
Before the parade began, Obama said he was glad to be on the South Side.
“Everybody here has looked after me for years,” Obama said.
Asked if participating in the parade was part of a strategy to court black voters, Obama said, “This is my crew. I don’t worry about them. We’re doing fine.” more, ABC7 Chicago, Video
Barack Obama appears to be winning the faculty lounge straw poll — his presidential campaign is cultivating academics and pacing the field in collecting cash from them.
Obama, whose website features an “Academics for Obama” page, raised nearly $1.5 million in the first half of the year from people who work for colleges and universities, according to an analysis of campaign finance data by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. And that’s 55 percent more than the $939,000 brought in by the next biggest professor’s pet, fellow Democratic senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. more
A Series of Fortunate Events
This piece is slated for August 12, 2007, Washington Post. I decided to include this piece with this week’s roundup because it is a facisnating read about Obama’s rise in politics.
In the summer of 2002, a little-known Illinois state legislator named Barack Obama thought he saw the political opening he’d been looking for. It was a long shot, a flier — a race for the U.S. Senate against a sitting Republican. Obama believed he could beat the incumbent, Peter Fitzgerald. The immediate and, in some ways, harder challenge would be getting the Democratic nomination.
Obama was about to turn 41. An attorney and law lecturer at the University of Chicago, he had been elected to the state Senate in 1996, but had been chafing for some time at the limitations of legislating in Springfield. In 2000, he’d overreached by challenging former Black Panther Bobby Rush for the seat Rush held in the U.S. House of Representatives. It had been a disastrous bid, but understandable given that in Illinois, as around the country, paths to higher office for black politicians are few.
But this new opportunity looked, to him, feasible. In 1992, another Chicago politician, Carol Moseley Braun, had demonstrated that it was possible for an African American to win a statewide U.S. Senate primary, as long as there were at least two white Democrats to split the white vote. And several were already lining up to take on Fitzgerald.
There was just one problem, and it was a big one: Moseley Braun was talking about running herself. Only the second African American U.S. senator since Reconstruction, she had lost to Fitzgerald in 1998, in part as a result of allegations, never proved, that she had misused campaign funds. After the loss, she had been appointed U.S. ambassador to New Zealand. But now she was back in Hyde Park, the neighborhood that surrounds the University of Chicago, where Obama also lived. If she did run, there would be two credible black Democrats in the primary — one far better known than the other. more
Leave it to Barack Obama
Leave it to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to stir up an international incident by acknowledging something everyone already knew.
Obama’s bombshell: If the Obama administration knows Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan and President Pervez Musharraf doesn’t act to take him out, President Obama will. Obama’s rivals in the race for the White House pounced, calling his stance naive and a sign of his lack of foreign policy experience. They didn’t disagree with the policy. They didn’t like the way he said it.
The gloves are coming off. We’re seeing a new debate emerging in the dog days of summer that’s centering on how much Obama has to learn about foreign policy. The former first lady and second-term senator, who has been widening her lead over Obama in polls, certainly has the edge on experience. But Obama has a big comeback of his own: If experience got us into the foreign policy mess we face today, that kind of experience is overrated.
Yet, Clinton and other leading Democratic rivals, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware and Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, saw an opportunity to criticize Obama and they took it. So did former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on the Republican roster.
Yet, Obama’s critics acknowledged that his policy is already the Bush administration’s policy. Furthermore, none of the leading candidates disagreed with it.
So what was the problem? The issue quickly became a question of international etiquette. more
If you want “business as usual”, and believe “lobbyists represent the average american”, well you know who your candidate is. If you want change, real change, you know WHAT TO DO.
Missed YKos Presidential Forum? Right Here
yearly kos presidential forum part I and part II;
Missed AFL-CIO Debate? Right Here
afl-cio debate part I, part II, part III, part IV; part V; part VI; part VII; part VIII; part IX
icebergslim’s final word: This week’s final word is about a “supposed to be” Democrat by the name of Harold Ford, Jr.
I don’t really know where to begin. One thing I do know for sure, we can have knockdown, drag out fights, arguments, amongst each other. Even when our candidate does not win the primary, we begrudgingly rally behind the Democrat. Now this is something I have not witnessed in a while, a “Democrat” assaulting a Democratic Progressive Website, Daily Kos.
I don’t know what Mr. Ford is trying to accomplish by “bashing us”, but let me remind him a tad bit of what this community is about. During his campaign he got a “hell of a lot of money” from the community of that site and all through the progressive community. Many did not believe he could win, but many of us, did. He may not be on the same “page” as many of us, but he is a Democrat and thus so, we supported him.
Now, since Mr. Ford did not win, he is working as a correspondent with the Fox News Channel, Vice Chairman and Senior Policy Advisor for Merrill Lynch, and is Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Conference.
He started with an op-ed piece, tag-teaming with Governor O’Malley of Maryland titled, “Our Chance to Capture the Center”, and his opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal. I am not going to comment about these articles, it speaks for itself. But, what I found rather “odd” is that this is not how most Democrats think. It is not. Nor are we trying to get back to “center”, look what that has done for us? Nothing. So, is he out of touch? Is he ranting because the presidential candidates decided to support and address, the Yearly Kos Convention, instead of the DLC, which they did a “no-show”? If so, what kind of “cheese” do you wish with your “whine”?
Moving on, Mr. Ford presumes that we think next year will be a “cakewalk”, I hardly think so. Every vote will be fought for, we totally get that. We, Democrats, have been fighting this battle for as long as I can remember, which includes for me, my mother, dragging me and my brothers and sister, through the neighborhood knocking on doors, for DEMOCRATS.
What I am getting from Mr. Ford’s article is a “throwback” to the “Clinton Years”, the “90’s”. That reads well on paper, but this is 2007, driving into 2008. People are different, times are different, and issues are different, period. And to think “that time” will fit into “this time” is wishful thinking, at best.
Mr. Ford can continue to go on Bill O’Reilly’s show, continue to write op-ed pieces, rant and rave, all he want Oh, by the way, Mr. Ford, did you read Markos’ op-ed, by chance? Anyway, he has assaulted us, the many of us who commune at Daily Kos because many do not agree with him, and many of us are Democrats. And he has taken it public. On this note, for me, he is just like Joe Lieberman, ’nuff said on that one. Mr. Ford has lost any support or admiration he got from me, and if it was up to my husband this would not be “readable”. So, in closing, Mr. Ford definately will not get another check for his endeavors from, icebergslim, again.
Obama @ YKos breakout, thanks casperr for the pix!!
email me for any questions, read ya next week, remember to focus on Obama, not the drama….
donate to next year’s netroots nation conference/convention, (a.k.a. Yearly Kos)here
In Sacto this morning, a group of consultant types got together with some politician types to discuss the presidential primary. It looks like they agree with dday on the New Hampshire bump.
“If you want to influence the California Republican or the Democratic presidential primary, my suggestion would be to move to New Hampshire,” Murphy said, “because the bounce is that big.” Later, Democratic consultant Bob Mulholland echoed Murphy somewhat: “New Hampshire has 30 delegates, but is worth $30 million in free headlines.”(Pol.Muscle 3/22/07)
So, next week, I will begin moving the entire state to New Hampshire. We’ll start with Republicans.
Don Perata and his discipline. I present this SF Chron story without comment.
Normally, I dig sunshine, but SoS Bowen was right to shut this program down.
