Last nail in the coffin...

I used to be more open-minded about the Democratic race. Hillary Clinton has done several things to lose my vote over the past few months, but nothing to equal her smearing of Obama on the topic of choice and women's health issues.

Please watch this video...

and then this video.

I'm one of the women in New Hampshire who was sent the misleading mailing by Clinton's campaign. Although I was initially shaken by it, but sue to my knowledge of Barack's positions, I wasn't swayed in my support for his campiagn --- but apparently, many other women were. After having worked my tail off for Barack in New Hampshire, to have him lose (not on the real issues, but rather due to unethical campaign tactics) was one of the toughest experiences I've had lately.

Senator Clinton, If you're intent on having a "conversation with America", please keep in mind that most people aren't terribly keen on having conversations with people who are intentionally disingenuous. It's beneath you and beneath the office you seek.

Please join me in thanking Lorna Brett Howard, via NARAL Pro-Choice New York (of which she is a member), for speaking out so clearly and courageously against this kind of unethical campaigning.

family snapshots

With the "silly season" in full gear (particularly for the next few days) and groundless charges flying thick and fast in the mainstream media, maybe it's time for a little stroll down memory lane...

UniVision poll

Please vote in this UniVision poll. Scroll down towards the bottom; it's in the middle.

Polling Point survey

This poll will take a little longer, but seems quite worthwhile, even though a few of the questions are a little outdated (i.e., they still include the entire slate of candidates). Check it out!

UPDATE, 2/28/08: The poll is still active! Please head over here if you have a spare 5 minutes.

http://surveyg2.pollingpoint.com/vXM2rN9lxWZvy2

MSNBC poll on the 2/26 debate

Please take this poll soon -- it's not likely to be open long.

Feminists and Hillary

Here's an interesting article from The Nation entitled "1000 Feminists oppose Hillary". Please check it out, and also sign the petition on which it's based...

women for Obama

DIGG it here!

Ellen show straw poll

Please vote in this straw poll from the Ellen Degeneres Show. Barack needs our help here --- it's neck and neck!

Update, 2/28/08: A new poll is up on Ellen's site: "Does Obama make you feel more hopeful for the future?". Also, a good interview video.

Contact ABC's "The View"

The women on ABC's "The View" continue to keep the air charged with anti-Barack sentiment. A few of the hosts on the view have called him "Osama" several times each (pretending that it's actually a difficult name to pronounce). The best they seem to be able to suggest is that Obama just fall in line and become HRC's VP. Flagging the "experience" issue, and other assorted cliches. They never come out and say that they all just happen to be HRC supporters, but...they all are, and there's no semblence of balance.

As a fellow Obama supporter recently said:

These Osama references are disrespectful to a U.S. Senator, a presidential candidate, and the victims of 9/11.

Please contact The View and ask them to stick to celebrity interviews...something they're actually good at. Either that, or just be honest, ladies, and turn the title of the show into "This Day in Hillary History".

UPDATE, 2/16/08: Better yet...contact ABC itself...

UPDATE, 2/26/08: The View's biased coverage has continued...they said yesterday that Obama has "sponsored no bills in the senate" Wow! In addition to contacting ABC, please contact Cambell's Soup, one of The View's largest sponsors, and complain. If you'd rather call, their number is 800-257-8443.

UPDATE, 2/28/08: Whoopie reports that she didn't watch the most recent debate, yet she seems to feel herself qualified to influence millions of viewers. Please tell The View to GO BACK TO CELEBRITY COVERAGE --- they are not qualified to talk politics!

the youth vote...illustrated

This is video of a thousand students in deep red Texas (Corpus Christi) who walked, en masse, 7 miles from their campus to the sole location the county has opened for early voting. These students literally took over a highway, joined together, and cheered their way to vote for Obama. In light of all of the negativity which has come down in the past few days towards the Obama campaign, this is a sight for sore eyes!

they're rooting for us!

Those (sometimes wacky) Canadians are right behind us...

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend talks sense

...but nobody's listening.

from Political Wire:

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton, spoke at St. Mary's college in Maryland last week and offered a very frank assessment of the state of the Clinton campaign. A Political Wire reader emails a summary:

"Townsend said she expects Sen. Barack Obama to win the Democratic presidential nomination and that Clinton is finished. She believed that the Wisconsin results demonstrated that Clinton's coalition (voters over the age of 50 and those earning less than $50,000) had fallen apart. When asked why the Clinton campaign had failed, Ms. Townsend had plenty of opinions and she placed significant blame on Bill Clinton and his racially tinged statements in South Carolina. She also felt that Clinton made a tactical error in making "experience and inevitability" her central campaign themes. Townsend argued that Clinton had little more experience than Obama and far less than candidates such as Senators Dodd and Biden. Additionally, making the inevitability claim hurt her when she lost Iowa... Townsend then lamented Clinton's decision to go negative and question Obama's readiness. She said that she called the Clinton campaign and advised that they 'go out on a high note' but her advice was politely dismissed."

Sen. Clinton's MO is time-tested

I frequently get upset about Sen. Clinton's way of doing business. But every time I do, my husband Rob sets me straight, telling me it 'twas ever thus. Never a fan of either Clinton, he frequently votes Republican (but like me, calls himself an independent, albeit more on the conservative side than I), but supported Richardson this year, and has admired Obama of late.

Here's a Wall Street Journal opinion article about Sen. Clinton's antics in her 2000 NY Senate race. An excerpt:

When the going gets tough, Mrs. Clinton seems to be telling us, women turn into victims. They are in too much pain--over their husbands' infidelities, over their own mistakes, over the possibility they might ever be called to account --- to be held accountable. Voters exist to serve as one big support group, expected en masse to shoulder the blame and pay the bill.

Here is video of a Clinton v. Lasio debate leading up to the 2000 NY Senate race, dealing with the issue of soft money. You'll find her tactics relatively familiar: smirking, dissembling, etc. (Ignore the "error" message...just press the "OK" button on the error message window and the video will play). She later spun Lazio's handing her the papers he wanted her to sign as a misogynist invasion of her space. You be the judge!

Please Digg this article

Vermont letters to the editor

Here are links to some of Vermont's newspapers. Please write letters to the editor in this upcoming primary state!


Times Argus

Letters
Blog
Forum


Bennington Banner

news@benningtonbanner.com


Brattleboro Reformer

tderrico@reformer.com


Burlington Free Press

Letters: letters@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
Forum


Rutland Herald

Letters


St. Albans Messenger

Letters


St. Johnsbury Caledonian Record

Letters


White River Junction Valley News

Letters

Obama, Mariachi Style

Please pass this video link along to any Spanish-speaking communities you're aware of, folks...also, please visit Obama's Latinos for Obama page.



Here's a translation of the lyric:

To the candidate who is Barack Obama
I sing this corrido with all my soul
He was born humble without pretension
He began in the streets of Chicago
Working to achieve a vision
To protect the working people
And bring us all together in this great nation
Viva Obama! Viva Obama!
Families united and safe and even with a health care plan
Viva Obama! Viva Obama!
A candidate fighting for our nation
It doesn't matter if you're from San Antonio
It doesn't matter if you're from Corpus Christi
From Dallas, from the Valley, from Houston or from El Paso
What matters is that we vote for Obama
Because his struggle is also our struggle, and today we urgently need a change
Let's unite with our great friend
Viva Obama! Viva Obama!
Families united and safe and even with a health care plan

Viva Obama! Viva Obama!
A candidate fighting for our nation

Vermont poll

The Times/Argus of Barre and Montpelier, VT (Vermont's gorgeous state capitol, pictured!) has a new poll. Please vote! (scroll down, on the right)

Ask Hillary...

...in addition to asking her to make her tax returns public, ask her to pay her bills! There seem to be quite a few small vendors across the nation who are waiting for Hillary's next statement (or rather, a response to invoices, with a CHECK) in her "Conversation with the American People"(TM). Perhaps some of the problem stems from profligate spending by the HRC campaign on things most would consider "frills" a few months ago, when HRC was Inevitable(TM).



Also check this NYTimes article, along the same lines...

a unifying voice

Here's a great article from Boston.com, the online wing of the Boston Globe. It goes into detail about Obama's years at Harvard Law School.

going negative

"Going negative" has been a bust. It could never be anything but a bust, because there is no audience for it in the Democratic Party... Barack Obama is a phenomenon that comes along once in a lifetime. Unfortunately for Hillary, it's her lifetime; fortunately for the rest of us, it's ours."

~Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker, Feb. 23, 2008

Raspberry Du Jour: HRC goes nuclear..."shame on you"

Here's footage of Hillary going nuclear on Obama..."undermining core Democratic principles", etc. All about a mailer which called her to task for her health care plan, and does so factually. "Right out of Karl Rove's playbook", she said.

Here's the Obama campaign's response, as well as video of an Obama press conference re: same. It's refreshing to see how he speaks extemporanously, following neither a script or a stump speech: he's articulate, thoughtful, and thorough.

Raspberries to Sen. Clinton on her new "tactic"! There's also a poll at the bottom of this Newsday article re: "Who do you think will get the Democratic (and Republican) Nomination? Please vote!

SodaHead poll

They've updated this Sodahead Poll to McCain/Obama/other only (wow).

It's a totally lightweight poll, but please vote! The Ron Paul folks and other assorted oddities are out there in force!

Texas poll #2

Please vote in this Texas poll: "who won the debate"? You'll have to take a minute to register. The results are encouraging so far...

Petition former Vice President Gore

Please sign this petition, which requests that former Vice President Al Gore endorse Senator Obama for President. There's room for you to write your thoughts about why, too!

the lady doth protest too much...

All politicians appropriate good ideas from each other. But it's the Clinton campaign that keeps calling attention to the fact that Obama has done just that. Meanwhile, she's done it, too --- just as much, if not more!

Defensive much, Senator Clinton? Here's why:

Here's Hillary borrowing from Senator Edwards, and then from Bill:

REAL "change you can Xerox"

Yes, you can download an excellent overview of Obama's policies. It's called the "Blueprint for Change". Check it out!

Michelle Obama reacts to word parsing...

Is she proud of America, or REALLY proud of America? Either way...please listen to Michelle's interview in Rhode Island today, part of which is her able response to all the ratings-seeking manic parsers out there...

Typical young Obama supporter

Seems to me, from the folks I've met, that many young Obama supporters are like young Derek here. Watch this young man think on his feet...



UPDATE, 2/20/08: Here's a an update from Derek, now that he's had a chance to think about it all a little bit:

Letters to the Editor: Texas

Please find an issue you care deeply about, and tell the people of Texas why you're supporting Obama (and if you've already voted, why you voted for him. The Clinton forces are out in numbers all over Texas --- keep the word in the street for Obama!

Nacogdoches Sentinel

New Braunfels Herald

Odessa American

Palestine Herald-Press:
editor@palestineherald.com

Pampa News

Paris News

Pecos Enterprise

Plano Star:
Rick Man, editor rman@acnpapers.com

Plainview Herald:
Kevin Lewis, editor 1kevin@plainviewdailyherald.com

Port Arthur News:
panews@panews.com

Rosenberg Herald Coaster

San Angelo Standard Times

San Marcos Record:
Rowe Ray, editor rray@sanmarcosrecord.com

Seguin Gazette-Enterprise

Sherman Dennison Herald Democrat

Stephenville Empire Tribune

Sweetwater Reporter

Temple Telegram

Terrell Tribune

Texarkana Gazette:
Les Minor, editor lminor@texarkanagazette.com

Tyler Telegraph:
opinion@tylerpaper.com

Victoria Advocate:
feedback@vicad.com

Waco Tribune Herald

Weatherford Democrat:
Phil Riddle, editor editor@weatherforddemocrat.com

Wichita Falls Times News Record

wake up, Democrats...

Ohio poll

Please vote in this poll from CentralOhio.com: Who is the best candidate to beat Senator John McCain in the general elections in November 2008? (There's an interesting article, but the poll is at the bottom --- scroll all the way down).

Experience isn't everything...

...at least for *Bill* Clinton. Why should it be so different for his wife?

Fighting back...

...Obama style. Assertive and strong, yet civilized and calm. After all the shrillness, political ponzi schemes, and underhandedness we've seen over the past years, isn't this is the personal style that we need in the Oval Office?



...and this one...

Houston Chronicle...

...endorses Obama.

This is a big endorsement! Please thank the Chron for their endorsement and tell them why they've made the right decision!

viewpoints@chron.com

Talking points

Those of you who are talking about Obama vs. Clinton with your friends, relatives, etc...

Here are some excellent, up-to-the-moment talking points you might keep in mind...

~~~~~

Obama is the only candidate to have released his tax forms. (neither McCain or Clinton have. Clinton says she will release hers if she receives the nomination, but by then it will be too late for Democratic voters to benefit much from that information).


Obama has released his earmarks. (Clinton has not)


Hillary Clinton reigns as the Queen of Federal Pork


Obama was rated #1 in environmental policy by the League of Conservation Voters, with a 96% rating overall


Obama was right about Pakistan, back when Hillary was calling him "naive"


Washington Post gave Obama's economic plan an A- and gave Hillary's a C.


Wall Street Journal preferred Obama's healthcare plan over Hillary Clinton's


Judge Obama by his legislative achievments, which are quite impressive, according to the Washington Post

AOL poll

This poll re-sets each week. Even it you've voted before, please visit this AOL poll!

Rev. Al does the right thing

Unlike Julian Bond, his colleague at the NAACP, Rev. Al Sharpton has come down on the side of supporting the Democratic Party's decision NOT to seat the Florida and Michigan delegates --- as was agreed to by all of the candidates months ago, as a punishment for the fact that FL and MI tied to "jump the line" rather than participate in comprehensive, nation-wide primary scheduling reform. Sen. Clinton has made mighty rumblings over the past weeks, suggesting that she wants the delegates seated --- despite the fact that she signed the pledge agreeing that the delegates would NOT be seated.

Please thank Rev. Al Sharpton for his courageous, timely statement.

silly poll in TX

Yes, it's silly ("rate a candidate" from 1 - 10), but others are voting...so go for it!

This one seems about as unscientific as they get (i.e., one can vote multiple times for each candidate in one visit. As many times as you like, apparently). But go for it anyway, if you like.

Democracy for America's initiative

DFA has an initiative to encourage the superdelegates to abide by the wishes of the popular vote. Please check it out and consider signing the petition.

to the dreamers...thank you

comic relief

Barack delivering Letterman's Top 10 list a few weeks ago...

Obama at the Jefferson/Jackson dinner, 2/9/08

Obama on tonight's 60 Minutes

Count EVERY vote in CA...

Apparently it's not quite over with the California vote. Due to some irregularities in the ballot, there's been some confusion. Let's get this vote RIGHT.

Please sign this petition.

multiple petitions: support election fairness

Tell Senator Clinton to cease and desist all efforts to seek the seating of the delegates from the Michigan and Florida elections. She signed a pledge that she wouldn't seek the seating of those delegates at the Convention (because FL and MI tried to defy the Democratic Party and "jump the line" in the schedule of primary elections...not that we don't need reform of the schedule, but it ought to be comprehensive, not piecemeal). Now she's trying to change the rules after the fact.

There's a spot for you to write your specific concerns, as well.

Vote in the poll

~~~~~

And here's another petition on the same subject.


.

MSNBC poll

Please vote in this poll! Some interesting questions, most regarding Obama.

The "experience" thing...

...let's put it to bed, once and for all. Read more here.

Just because you keep repeating a mantra over and over, doesn't make it true...

watching the results roll in...

http://www.dipdive.com/

Howard Dean

Please contact Howard Dean, the Chair of the Democratic Party. Seems he's wavering on whether or not the Michigan and Florida delegates might be counted.

Backgound information

email Howard Dean

Democratic National Committee phone lines:

(202) 863 8000
(877) 336 7200

YouPoll: Barack on Iraq in this week's California debate

Weigh in on this one!

Text accompanying the poll question:

I was toying with the following lead to my post-debate wrap, "Nobody lost this debate, let's make that clear." And then the subject shifted to Iraq, that's when this debate turned Obama's way.
Both candidates started out soft and strong; it appeared another kumbaya debate was about to take place.
And then came Iraq and Clinton once again showed why the issue has been such an Achilles heel. Obama just has an easier time talking about his position. Clinton has to sit there and re-explain why she was for it and why she's not for it now. It's never a good moment for her which is the recent shift to the economy has been so welcomed by Team Clinton.
Obama's strongest moments may have been toward the end when the debate shifted to Iraq. Clinton struggles to defend her actions at the time with her new position now and it just doesn't come across well. If this debate were being scored like a boxing match, the first 60 minutes would have been judged as a draw but the last 30 minutes would have been given to Obama on points, thanks to the Iraq issue.

Susan Eisenhower (Ike Eisenhower's grand-daughter)

From the Washington Post:

Why I'm Backing Obama

By Susan Eisenhower
Saturday, February 2, 2008; A15

Forty-seven years ago, my grandfather Dwight D. Eisenhower bid farewell to a nation he had served for more than five decades. In his televised address, Ike famously coined the term "military-industrial complex," and he offered advice that is still relevant today. "As we peer into society's future," he said, we "must avoid the impulse to live only for today,
plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all
generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow."

Today we are engaged in a debate about these very issues. Deep in America's heart, I believe, is the nagging fear that our best years as a nation may be over. We are disliked overseas and feel insecure at home. We watch as our federal budget hemorrhages red ink and our civil liberties are eroded. Crises in energy, health care and education threaten our way of
life and our ability to compete internationally. There are also the issues of a costly, unpopular war; a long-neglected infrastructure; and an aging and increasingly needy population.

I am not alone in worrying that my generation will fail to do what my grandfather's did so well: Leave America a better, stronger place than the one it found.

Given the magnitude of these issues and the cost of addressing them, our next president must be able to bring about a sense of national unity and change. As we no longer have the financial resources to address all these problems comprehensively and simultaneously, setting priorities will be essential. With hard work, much can be done.

The biggest barrier to rolling up our sleeves and preparing for a better future is our own apathy, fear or immobility. We have been living in a zero-sum political environment where all heads have been lowered to avert being lopped off by angry, noisy extremists. I am convinced that Barack Obama is the one presidential candidate today who can encourage ordinary Americans to stand straight again; he is a man who can salve our national wounds and both inspire and pursue genuine bipartisan cooperation. Just as important, Obama can assure the world and Americans that this great nation's impulses are still free, open, fair and broad-minded.

No measures to avert the serious, looming consequences can be taken without this sense of renewal. Uncommon political courage will be required. Yet this courage can be summoned only if something profoundly different transpires. Putting America first -- ahead of our own selfish interests -- must be our national priority if we are to retain our capacity to lead.

The last time the United States had an open election was 1952. My grandfather was pursued by both political parties and eventually became the Republican nominee. Despite being a charismatic war hero, he did not have an easy ride to the nomination. He went on to win the presidency -- with the indispensable help of a "Democrats for Eisenhower" movement. These crossover voters were attracted by his pledge to bring change to Washington and by the prospect that he would unify the nation.

It is in this great tradition of crossover voters that I support Barack Obama's candidacy for president. If the Democratic Party chooses Obama as its candidate, this lifelong Republican will work to get him elected and encourage him to seek strategic solutions to meet America's greatest challenges. To be successful, our president will need bipartisan help.

Given Obama's support among young people, I believe that he will be most invested in defending the interests of these rising generations and, therefore, the long-term interests of this nation as a whole. Without his leadership, our children and grandchildren are at risk of growing older in a marginalized country that is left to its anger and divisions. Such an outcome would be an unacceptable legacy for any great nation.

Susan Eisenhower, a business consultant, is the author of four books, most recently "Partners in Space: US-Russian Cooperation After the Cold War."

~~~~~

Please thank Ms. Eisenhower, via the Eisenhower Institute, for her pivotally important endorsement of Barack. She will remain a Republican, and yet her support of Barack could not be stronger.

detailed survey for Obama supporters who are Facebook users

If you're a Facebook user and an Obama supporter, please take this survey. It's probably about 10-15 minutes. It's seemingly studying the effects of social networking sites like Facebook on the political process.

George Clooney

Noted actor and UN Peace Envoy George Clooney has praised, but has declined to stump for, Barack. Clooney feels that sometimes celebrity endorsements can backfire, and he doesn't want to do anything to hurt Obama's candidacy. Nonetheless, his kind words about Senator Obama have been very helpful!

Please contact Clooney's agent, Creative Artists Agency, to pass on thanks for his important praise for Obama:

Bryan Lourd
Creative Artists Agency
2000 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067

tel: 424.288.2000 fax: 424.288.2900

http://www.caa.com

(pictured: Obama and Clooney speak about Darfur)

Facebook member?

Please add the Analytic Polls application on Facebook and express support for Obama.

youth for Obama

Every time I think I've seen the ceiling of the support that the youth vote has for Obama, it kicks up another level.

I knew about Obama from the 2004 Convention, but I didn't know he was running until a student at the high school where I teach organized two busloads of students and faculty to go to Durham, NH (90 minutes away) to go hear Barack's first appearance in New Hampshire for the '08 campaign.

Inspirational.

who won the California debate?

First check out this FOX news video about the results of the debate...check out Monty Python's John Cleese about halfway through!!!

So far opinion is running towards Barack. Take 30 seconds and go vote!