By The Associated Press
[Sun Jul 6, 2008 10:57 am EDT]
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080706/ap_on_el_pr/rnc_adwatch
TITLE: "Balance."
LENGTH: 30 seconds.
AIRING: Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. ...
ANALYSIS: The ad is the first by the Republican National Committee against Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The party is spending about $3 million to place the ad in four battleground states, taking advantage of its financial advantage over its Democratic counterpart.
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complete copyrighted story, including ad script, at clickable link above
by Tula Connell, Jul 3, 2008
http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/07/03/mccains-flea-market-economy
George W. Bush’s solution to our nation’s economic mess—that his failed policies helped create—is to applaud people who must work three jobs to make ends meet.
Sen. John McCain colors his solution to working families’ financial struggles with similar crayons: He encourages us to make a living selling stuff on eBay. ...
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complete item at clickable link above
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeFi3SDi_n8
From: themack618
Added: May 22, 2006
This is the 4th of July fireworks show at the Disney-MGM Studios in Walt Disney World, FL. Taped in 2005. This version of the show made its debut in 2004 and has been the same since.
7:09
-
reminder to watch it in full screen version [bottom right of YouTube screen]
Thursday, July 3, 2008
David Hardt, YDA President
Young Democrats of America
http://whYDA.org
Dear Young Democrat,
On this Fourth of July, whether you are a student a month into a much needed summer with no classes, a young worker excited to have a long weekend to celebrate with friends, or a young family looking forward to fireworks with the kids, you might notice that this year's patriotic celebrations have a little extra hope and optimism attached to them. You see, this year the Fourth of July falls exactly four months before Election Day 2008.
Already, 2008 has proven to be the year of the young voter as a Young Voter Revolution sweeps the country. During many of the primaries and caucuses young voter turnout doubled, tripled - and in some cases - quadrupled compared to the numbers we saw in 2004. Even in deep red states like Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee, more young voters cast ballots for Democrats than Republicans.
Why are you voting for Democrats this November?
Tell your story at http://www.whYDA.org
The opportunity our generation has to sweep Democrats into office up and down the ballot in every state in the nation is unprecedented. Turning this opportunity into a reality, however, will take a lot of hard work. We need to do everything we can to convince our friends and family to vote for Democrats come November. With everyone gathering together to celebrate our nation's independence, I can't think of a better weekend to get started.
That is why YDA picked this holiday weekend to unveil our newest project. A web site designed to encourage a community of young voters to share why they are voting for Democrats and why they think others should as well. We call it whYDA.org (get it?), and in order for this to be an effective community building and persuasion tool, we need you to visit and tell your story.
Why are you voting for Democrats this November?
Tell your story at http://www.whYDA.org
Read More »
The 'mushy middle' hard to reach for Obama, McCain
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
7-3-08
http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-the-middle
WASHINGTON (AP) — They're the most fickle voters, and potentially the most powerful. Thus, with party nominations secure, John McCain and Barack Obama now are pushing toward the center to win them over.
Meet "the mushy middle," a complex chunk of people likely to decide the presidential election but difficult to reach and very hard to please.
"Yes, we can!" isn't floating their boat. Nothing much is, from either candidate.
They aren't uniformly conservative or liberal, and they don't fit strict Republican or Democratic orthodoxy. They aren't typically engaged in politics, and they don't much care about the campaign. And like so many others, they are extraordinarily pessimistic. ...
Some 39 percent of voters called themselves Democratic, 29 percent Republican, and 32 percent independent in the June 13-23 survey, part of an ongoing study tracking opinions of the same group of people over the election cycle. ...
That Democratic edge suggests Obama may be less dependent on votes in the middle than McCain.
Still, the likeliest path to the White House cuts through the center of the electorate.
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complete copyrighted story at link above
What Would John Wesley Do?
United Methodists and the Bush Think Tank at SMU
An Urgent Appeal to Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience
http://www.whatwouldjwdo.net
The Web site you are viewing has been created to provide information critical for understanding the year-long controversy surrounding the proposed location of the George W. Bush Presidential Library complex on the campus of Southern Methodist University.
Of particular concern is the linkage of the complex – and, by extension, Southern Methodist University and The United Methodist Church – to a proposed institute (“think tank”) dedicated to promulgating the failed policies and ideology of the Bush Administration. http://www.whatwouldjwdo.net/library.php
The "anchor" for this site is an analytical letter written to delegates to the South Central Jurisdictional Conference by prominent United Methodist theologian, the Rev. Dr. Tex Sample. Dr. Sample is a retired clergy member of the Missouri Area of The United Methodist Church. A link to his letter appears elsewhere on this page. You are invited to respond to Dr. Sample’s letter and to enter into discussion with others about it.
http://www.whatwouldjwdo.net/blog
Of particular interest, too, is the extensive library of articles
http://www.whatwouldjwdo.net/library.php
that have been written about the Library complex and the proposed research institute. I also hope you will view the link to the "Protect SMU Petition" campaign; if you’ve not already done so, you are invited to join the 12,000 concerned people who have already signed the petition.
http://www.protectsmu.org
McCain: Straight Talk On The Economy?
Wednesday, July 2, 2008 2:23 PM [EDT]
Democratic National Committee
Press Release
For Immediate Release
July 2, 2008
See the Video McCain Wanted You To Miss
Washington, DC -- This morning the McCain campaign sent around a video clip of John McCain on Good Morning America under the "In Case You Missed It" headline. What the clip did not include, however, is Senator McCain misleading the voters on his own admission that the economy is something "I still need to be educated on" despite his 25 years in Washington. When the reporter interviewing McCain began her question by noting that McCain has "admitted that you're not exactly an expert when it comes to the economy," McCain interrupted and said "I have not. I have not. Actually I have not." [ABC News, Good Morning America, 7/2/08]
In reality, McCain has repeatedly acknowledged that he doesn't understand the economy and that he's "not smart enough" to solve challenges like the mortgage crisis. He has, however, read Alan Greenspan's book.
Today, your friends at the Democratic National Committee released the video that McCain's campaign wanted you to miss. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVVIw7oZEyk
"Apparently John McCain's campaign thinks the voters haven't already noticed that he was right when he admitted he doesn't understand the economy as well as he should," said DNC Communications Director Karen Finney. "As the voters have gotten to know John McCain, they realize that he is offering more of the same failed and flawed Bush policies that have left America's working families struggling to keep their jobs, stay in their homes, and pay more for everything from gasoline to groceries. The last thing Americans can afford is John McCain's promise of four more years of the Bush economy."
McCain: Straight Talk on the Economy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVVIw7oZEyk
Script:
Read More »
Few demographic differences evident among Hispanics
by Jeffrey M. Jones
July 2, 2008
http://www.gallup.com/poll/108532/Hispanic-Voters-Solidly-Behind-Obama.aspx
PRINCETON, NJ -- Hispanic registered voters' support for Barack Obama for president remained consistent and strong in June, with Obama leading John McCain by 59% to 29% among this group.
While Hispanics generally preferred Hillary Clinton to Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination, a solid majority of Hispanics have consistently backed Obama against McCain in general-election trial heats. Obama has led McCain by about a 2-to-1 margin since Gallup began tracking general-election voting preferences in early March. ...
Rather, Hispanics of differing demographic backgrounds all tend to solidly support Obama. It thus appears that there isn't much beyond a shared Hispanic ethnicity or identity that explains Hispanic voting patterns. ...
Implications
Some political experts assumed Obama's struggle to attract widespread Hispanic support in the primaries would carry over into the general-election campaign against the Republican candidate. But Hispanics have become a reliable Democratic voting bloc, and have so far shown little difficulty in transferring their loyalties from Clinton to Obama. Obama continues to lead McCain by about a 2-to-1 margin among Hispanic voters, as he has since March. Hispanic voters could be crucial in key swing states such as New Mexico, Colorado, and Florida.
While George W. Bush made a strong push for the Hispanic vote in the 2000 and 2004 elections, McCain faces an uphill climb to attract Hispanics' support, given their consistent and solid support for Obama in recent months.
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complete copyrighted item with charts at link above
Christian Site's Ban on 'G' Word Sends Homosexual to Olympics
By Mary Ann Akers
July 1, 2008
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/07/christian_sites_ban_on_g_word.html
The American Family Association obviously didn't foresee the problems that might arise with its strict policy to always replace the word "gay" with "homosexual" on the Web site of its Christian news outlet, OneNewsNow. The group's automated system for changing the forbidden word wound up publishing a story about a world-class sprinter named "Tyson Homosexual" who qualified this week for the Beijing Olympics.
The problem: Tyson's real last name is Gay. Therefore, OneNewsNow's reliable software changed the Associated Press story about Tyson Gay's amazing Olympic qualifying trial to read this way:
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complete copyrighted story at above link
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
From: "Ivan Holmes, Chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party"
For Immediate Release
July 1, 2008
State Central Committee Votes Unanimously
After Tragic Loss of Rep. Terry Hyman
The state Democratic Party's Central Committee voted unanimously today to place Samson R. Buck's name on the ballot for House District 49. In the wake of the overwhelming loss of Rep. Terry Hyman the State Democratic Central Committee was required to provide a replacement candidate within 5 days of the tragedy.
In an emergency meeting of the state central committee today Samson Buck's name was presented after an extensive search. The vote was unanimous and a letter was delivered to the State Election Board presenting Mr. Buck's name for candidacy this afternoon.
Mr. Buck is an attorney practicing in Ardmore, and currently resides on his farm on the Carter/Love county line. The farm has been in his family for four generations.
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Oklahoma Democratic Party | George Krumme Center | 4100 N. Lincoln Blvd. | Oklahoma City | OK | 73105
Obama to expand Bush's faith based programs
By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 40 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080701/ap_on_el_pr/obama_faith
ZANESVILLE, Ohio - Reaching out to religious voters, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama called for expanding President Bush's program steering federal social service dollars to religious groups and — in a move sure to cause controversy — supported some ability to hire and fire based on faith.
Obama unveiled his approach to getting religious charities more involved in government anti-poverty programs during a tour and remarks Tuesday at Eastside Community Ministry, which provides food, clothes, youth ministry and other services.
"The challenges we face today ... are simply too big for government to solve alone," Obama said.
Obama's announcement is part of a series of events leading up to Friday's Fourth of July holiday that are focused on American values. ...
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complete copyrighted story at link above
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