HowieJames (almost) DailyPost
About the Author
Taking it back and Keeping it!
He'll rip the innards out of Romney or any of those other frauds in a debate,He plays well with others,and ,most importantly,He'll rip the innards out of Romney or any of those other frauds in a debate! Although I was not on the Obama bandwagon until after my first and second choices were eliminated,Biden and HRC respectively,I think He is very talented and will be outstanding during the rest of this campaign . Biden seals the deal for me, my enthusiasm has ramped up 200 per cent! Many of my associates who supported HRC were very happy with the choice of Biden ,though some doubt he can deliver any swing states. I believe we will win Pennsylvania and Ohio with Biden,and possibly Florida,I believe Obama is going to win in Georgia,most of the states Kerry won, (minus NH )and at least 1 western states,probably Colorado where he is currently behind in the polls. Obama proved during the primaries that when he worked a state he did well ,a little party unity in Denver and some hard work til November and I think we can pull this off!!
I have seen some postings in the blogosphere on the pros and cons of certain individuals as running mates for Obama,with most of the cons complaining that we would lose a Senators or Governors seat to the GOP.Some say ,that Obama is doing so well in Indiana he wouldn't need an Evan Bayh for instance.NONSENSE!WE need a balanced ticket to win,and I believe that this election is going to be very close electorally!If we lose a seat in Indiana and gain 6 or seven nationally I'm thinking we come out a little ahead and take the White House to Boot!And if the number 2 spot goes to Joe Biden even better,because his seat in Deleware will almost certainly go Democrat...My favorite choice for veep ,with Hillary not in the running would be Biden,but I think Bayh might have a little more clout as far as what he can deliver electorally to the ticket...I know a lot of lefties will bark about his DLC leanings,I say seal the deal,pick the strongest ticket and leave the ideological extremes at the door...
Here in the Greater Lowell area much of the activity surrounding the Obama campaign is coming from the Niki Tsongas re-election camp.Since Niki is unopposed for re-election this year(she is running for her first full term after winning the special election last year to replace Marty Meehan)Her organisation has been doing a great job canvassing in Southern NH and promoting the Obama campaign with her "Tsongas Tscoops" meet and greets at ice cream stands in the area.At one event just a short drive from where yours truly is typing this ,a hundred people showed up and were treated to our own Shaws Farm Ice Cream.If anyone in the area is interested in joining Team Tsongas for canvassing or Tsongas Tscoops go to www.nikitsongas.com for more info.If you just want coffee and donuts and maybe a pitcher of beer,join me on one of my Saturday Canvasses for John Kerry in Dracut...More info later this week at www.dracutdems.com on the Saturday Canvasses...
For the last year or so I have been spending my Saturday Mornings at a Cafe in Lowell Mass called Cafe Aiello,a centrally located shop with a little parking,access to wifi,tables inside and out and contemporary art hanging on the walls.A group of local officials ,election officers,town and regional committee members,political operatives,freemasons and young computer and science wizkids hung out there religiously.Unfortunately tough times have fallen and we lost our Cafe to the constable,our loyal group was not enough to sustain the shop downtown.You don't know what you've got til its gone!Try to find another place with the elements of parking and location,where people from five suburbs can drive to in five minutes and a State Senator and City Democratic Committee members can walk to in two!Hopefully ,something can be worked out in the near future so the place can reopen,there are rumors to that effect ,but for now I'll have to keep busy with the canvassing and settle for donut shop coffee.If anyone is reading this please share stories of your favorite Java Joint,I am jonesing for the Joe!
No not the song by Leslie West and his band Mountain,but the mini media blitz surrounding Senator Kerry being photographed with partying college kids on Nantucket.This sleigh rides on a slippery slope,since it is summer and most people who have the time off would gladly be doing the same thing...Except for Kerrys Democratic primary opponent ,Ed O'Reilly who wants to debate Kerry now while everyone is on vacation.Not to mention the Republican nominee Jeff Beatty ,and that political juggernaut known as the Massachusetts Republican Party,who are just about dumb enough to play it as Kerry being irresponsible rather than a bunch of kids having a good time and getting their picture taken with the Senator. On the Real News front,the Massachusetts Senate Just passed same day voter registration,which would allow people to register to vote on election day in at least 1 precinct this year and all precincts by 2010 ,a move I support and Kerrys Republican partypooper voter suppressing goon squad friends are opposed to.For obvious reasons.I seriously doubt that the kind of person who would become engaged in the process at the last minute would vote for anyone the Mass GOP could field,unless they could get Ted Nugent to run or something!
Anyone in the Merrimack Valley Area interested in canvassing for Obama or Kerry campaigns go to www.dracutdems.com for info on Nashua Obama canvass out of Lowell mass, and Dracut cnavass...
I say that will put him slightly ahead in the electoral situation,with Minnesotas 10 electoral votes.Unless of course Obama wins Indiana and Ohio,two southern states,and two western states not counting the west coast ,where he will probably win anyway,unless he loses in Oregon,then we'll have to win New Hampshire and three southern states,and so on and so forth...The reason I bring this up is that if anyone thinks Mccain will pick that ruthless,moneygrubbing fraud Romney as his running mate they are nuts,or Bobby Jindal for that matter!If Obama picks someone that can lock down a few more conservative northern and western states I think we can win this thing...
Saturday the 26th there will be door to door canvassing for John Kerry in cities and towns accross Massachusetts.Many Obama campaign events will be happening as well,including a voter registration drive at the Lowell Folk Festival on Saturday and Sunday from Noon to 5P.M,on both days.You can get info on the Obama events at my.barackobama.com.If anyone in the Merrimac Valley area would be interested in canvassing in Dracut for Senator Kerry,you can leave contact info here on partybuilder,or my e-mail at howardpla40@aol.com,or my other e-mail at HowieJames@dracutdems.com.More details will be posted on partybuilder and my town committee website at www.dracutdems.com as the details get worked out.
I have completed building the website for the Dracut Democratic Town Committee,and would like everyone in the world to click on it so that it will start coming up in google searches.I am new at sitebuilding but it came out O.k. and the committee seems to like it.Please find the time to check it out,the address is www.dracutdems.com.Thank You Much,Bye...
and as soon as he picks a veep that I approve of I will start working my A$$ off for them!!!
Senator Kerry won the endorsement of the Massachusetts State Democratic Convention Saturday ,but will have a primary challenge from Gloucester Attorney Ed O'Reilly who recieved about 22% of the vote. On the GOP side ,our old friend Jim Ogonoski failed to collect the required amount of signatures and has withdrawn his candidacy.Jeff Beatty from the Cape area will be the GOP challenger for Kerry's seat. O'Reilly picked up a lot of support from Hillary supporters angry over Kerry's endorsement of Obama.(Not including me,a Hillary supporter who thinks candidates have a right to endorse whoever they want.)(Except for Lieberman!.) Hopefully after the primaries we can all do what we do best,Unify,Organise and Beat the brains out of Mccain and the GOP!!
Town elections Monday,will be busy all day with visibilities for locals and final push on John Kerry signature drive,not to mention Cinco De Mayo and after vote candidates parties at bar I tend at ...Tuesday final signature drive for Kerry in neighboring Westford Mass,followed by Boston phone bank for Hillary making Indiana and NC calls!!!Anyone who wants to help Hillary just go to website ,there is an easy to use calling tool you can use from home,it provides a script and phone #s,and a template to track results...HaPPY CINCO DE MAYO!!
Two summers ago I attended a visibility before the final debate between my candidate Chris Gabrielli ,Tom Reilly and Deval patrick,all running in the Democratic Primary for Massachusetts Governor.Tom reilly had a large Union presence,a rowdy bunch of about 300 holding signs and raising hell.We had about 200,an enthusiastic but more polite group. Deval Patrick had 1 guy on a bicycle with a sign riding back and forth to the amusement of all...1 week later Patrick won the primary handily,we finished second,and Reilly finished a distant third.Deval had thousands of people on the phones that night rather than visibilities and rallys.Chris Gabrielli by the way ,who is brilliant and a great guy,spent 15 million dollars of his own money(he is a very successful venture capitalist,not like Romney he is much more benevolent).feet on the ground doing the work,like phones and canvassing wins elections,not money and media hype!!!Go Hillary!!
At delegate selection caucuses for Hillary this morning the subject of the Calling tool on the website came up .i strongly urge all clinton supporters to login and set aside some time to make phone calls for hillary to Pennsylvania and beyond.The online tool is easy to use,it actually does the calls for you and there is a script and instructions on your computer.Check it out at WWW.hillaryclinton.com.
For all those folks ready to cross party lines because they are enamored of one candidate and can't stand the other take note of this..John Mccain was found to be the eigth most conservative member of congress and has voted with the GOP 88 % of the time this year.Although Hillary voted to give Bush the authority for Bush to use force ,Mccain endorses a long term commitment in Iraq ,and holds positions on foreign policy in line with the Ultra right Wing think tank ,Project for a New American Century,the nuts that got us into this mess!That and votes against SCHIP,plans on making the Bush fat cat tax cuts permanent,and opposition to helping the folks who got stiffed by the sub-prime mortgage fiasco should be enough to convince a real Democrat to stick to our own.Mccain is a Reagan/Bush Republican ,unless we all stick together He will be serving the third Bush term and we will have even more right wing judges on the Supreme Court!
Take care with your divisive rhetoric!You think your the real Democrats but its that type of attitude that drives the real Democrats away.Obama pep rallys are lots of fun but they will not win the general!If Obama wins at the convention,and I guarantee you this is going to the convention ,he will need party unity to win in November.The kind of shrill voiced anti-establishment rhetoric you hear from the far left has been losing elections for the Democrats since 1972 at least,rivaled only by the assassins bullet for damaging the country and the party.Have a good but respectful debate,because in November if Hillarys supporters stay away ,Barack Obama will have no chance...
I will be attending Caucauses for Hillary in Lowell Mass next week to vote for Delegates for Denver.We have two Male ,One Female ,and one Male Alternate.Care is being taken through word of mouth to select delegates who will not flip to Obama. Contrary to media reports Hillary is still in it and Obama cannot get 2074 delegates before the convention,Hillary won't quit,and there will be a good old fashioned floor fight in Denver.I am less worried about Obama voters going for Mccain,(how you can go from Obama to Mccain is beyond me),than the fact that in the early open primaries a lot of Republicans were voting for Obama just to hurt Hillary,and independants as well...I have confidence the Clinton machine can overtake the Obama hype and go on to beat Mccain in November!
I attended the City Managers Annual St Patricks Day Breakfast in Lowell Friday,an event where local officials and such make an attempt at standup ,some faring better than others.The best line of the night came from Congresswoman Nikki Tsongas,who phoned in from Washington .After telling us She had been so busy since being elected to Congress that She had no time to see a movie ,she quipped"I thought 'No country for old men ' was about why John Mccain should'nt be elected president!
Democrat Bill Foster has just defeated Republican Jim Oberweiss in the special election to fill Dennis Hasterts seat in the Illinois 14th congressional special election,with 52% of the vote.This seat was held by GOP for a long time,hopefully its a sign of things to come in the fall.