Okay,
So, I'm sitting here at home watching CSpan and on the computer checking out the blogs right now, and I just happen to be looking through the Obama Campaigns Flikr page and noticed this. I cracked up. I don't know if we did it or an independent group, but whoever it was .......is DEAD on ! I wanted to share it with you all.
Click on extended.
ROFLMAO!
Read More »In addition to making sure that our Democratic nominee wins the General Election, let's continue to go for it in supporting Senators from all the fifty states. I don't know about you, but the best site that I've found to keep up is
On this site I can easily find all the latest news about what is happening all over the USA regarding our Senatorial races.
I love their section called "The Road to Victory".
Amy Rubin is hitting the road to show you all the inside stories, unscripted interviews, and spontaneous moments of the campaign trail. She'll talk with the campaigns, the candidates, and - most important - the people who know what's really at stake in these elections. We call it the Road to Victory. Have an idea for what city Amy should go to next? Want to send some ideas for landmarks to visit in your state? Have some questions you'd like her to ask the candidates? Send them to roadtovictory@dscc.org.
Here is a wonderful video about change from the viewpoint of people in Minnesota. I love it. It is a bunch of REAL Minnesotians (I can tell. I lived in Minneapolis for almost 20 years.) in a real bowling alley telling why not to vote for Republicans.
NEW VIDEO: The Road to Victory hits the lanes in Minnesota. Watch now...
So therefore, it is rare that someone enters the political arena with the swell of support that has propelled Barack Obama. If you think his popularity can be narrowed down to his ability to deliver dramatic, mellifluous speeches, you are misreading the situation entirely. His meteoric rise can only be understood in context. The backdrop of the last 8 years tells a story of de facto one party domination at all three levels of the federal government (or if you wish, 12 years because the last 4 years of Clinton were dominated by a Republican agenda). The Republican Party has become especially arrogant and contemptuous of the opposition. This is somewhat unprecedented in modern America. Not since the civil war have we seen such acrimony and partisanship. Read More »
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq-hXWhk6dI
The talking heads on TV will tell you that the framers of our constitution established presidential elections to give the illusion of revolutionary change. Personally, I think that illusion was invented by Madison Avenue as a way of selling their product - the candidate.
But what if someone who really intends to facilitate change is elected??? It is this unknown quality about Senator Obama which makes his opponents so nervous.
Every four years we get lots of rhetoric about change - like James Carville said in 1992, "Thats hardly a new political tactic." We do get change but unfortunately more for the worse than the better.
The politicians talk about gridlock as if nothing ever gets passed by congress. The truth is, lot's of bills get passed - just mostly not the ones that benefit the average citizen. The Patriotic Act for instance. Did anyone even read that??? We know they didn't Mr. Conyers told us they didn't. Remember????
The truth is, there can be no meaningful change without idealism. The problem is most politicians lost their idealism long ago - if they ever had any.
Robert
Coalition For Economic Equality
Jacque Fresco is an industrial engineer, architectural designer, social engineer and futurist. According to WIKI, his optimistic view and desire to create solutions that maximally benefit the greatest number of people stem from his formative years during the Great Depression. Fresco is somewhat of a Buckminster Fuller only with more heart. He was born March 13, 1916 and at 92 is still alive today.
As part of my two year project to make myself energy independent, I am also reviewing various organizations that support these efforts to see how if they might assist me and/or vise versa. (Remember that today over 200,000 Americans are living energy independent, paying no one for their energy sources and that number has increased exponentially by one third since 2004. This is not some impossible “pipe dream” as the oil companies and other special interests like for us believe. It is achievable right now. Many Americans are living this dream right now—today, as the rest of us face our outrageous heating and cooling bills, not to mention gasoline prices and wonder how we will pay for it all. ) At least half our population could be energy independent in a year if we set our minds and hearts to the task.
Detail Regarding the Venus Project follows:
Read More »Wow! Just wow. I've been perusing the FEC filings for the 2nd Quarter today. And you know what?
Democrats rock... Especially our terrific candidates here in California! Read More »
The Seven Years war (Ironic isn’t it? We have been in a seven years war.) and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake are said by some literary critics as being the two events that most influenced Voltaire in writing his satirical novella. The Lisbon earthquake was a natural disaster that also created a tsunami and fires. After the earthquake, Voltaire who had been a believer in the Optimism theory that this is the best of all possible worlds decided that it was not.
A digression, for whatever reason I don’t know—perhaps just thinking about the best of all possible worlds, inspired by a recent post by Cato. If I were queen and no satire intended except for the queen part, this is my vision of the best of all possible worlds:
The ACLU, the NATION, and others who are suing the government for violating the Constitutional rights of Americans with FISA would win their case in the Supreme Court. This would mean that the Bush administration is guilty of committing a felony by asking the Telecoms to commit a felony and they would immediately be removed from office. There would be no need for a long drawn out impeachment to remove Bush AND his friends in the Senate would not have a say in the matter. They would be tried in a court of law. (Which in my opinion was the ONLY reason that this FISA amendment ever came into being—to protect George Bush and his minions. Read More »
2008, Year of Changes - Barack Obama Calendar
by
evarmy98x
create calendar At www.zazzle.comBrowse other United States Calendars
Apparently, we have a new round of fighting occurring here at MyDD over "PUMA". Now I know it's easy to just become angry and scream about it... However, I'd like for us to all calm down and really think about what this "PUMA" phenomenon is supposed to be all about. Oh yes, and why don't we think about WHO this is supposed to be all about? Read More »
I'm absolutely sold that, as a people, we need to recognize those for what they are...labels. I have never met any two women who thought the same; never met any two muslims or jews who thought the same. I've never met any two hippies or yuppies who thought the same and have yet to meet any two whites or blacks who think the same. They're just labels. Call me what you will...now prove it? What does it mean? and So what if you're right?
Barack Obama is Black...he's a man...he's white...he's African...he's a bastard...he's young...he's inexperienced...he's an elitist...blah blah blah. So what?!?!?!
The only thing I care about is whether he'll fulfill his promises...work with Congress and the Senate to fix Bush's MESS! I believe that he'll bring our troops home as soon as possible. I believe he'll work with, my GIRL, Hillary Clinton to ensure Universal Healthcare, and I know he'll bust his ass to tap an alternative fuel source so we aren't relying on Saudi Arabia and OPEC for their Oh-so-precious-oil!
What's more, I believe deep in my heart that my black son will have the perfect role model to which he can finally attribute some positivity beyond that of likes of sports greats Lebron James and Michael Jordan. And hopefully, unlike Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, America will allow Barack Obama to live long enough to prove, as a matter of principal, that black people are as intelligent and deserving of equality as any white person. I fume knowing that oftentimes when my son walks into an office building with his beautiful blackness all some see is a nigger. Well, times are changing and again, we need to each toss those labels aside.
We need to get over ourselves. We're never gonna make a difference if we first don't learn to accept our differences. Egos, fears, and all they bring with them are the obstacles that we're all afraid to face...look in the mirror and look beyond your skin and bones...look beyond the makeup and pimples. Who's there?
Michael Jackson had a song "Man in the Mirror"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zpTQCQEFhg
"...if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change..."
We'll never be truer to our country as we have the opportunity to be today. Just be willing to accept the change you seek and be willing to change from within. The whole world is watching...are you up for the challenge?
I just read a great article in THE NATION by Eyal Press titled: "Is the Party Over?"
Press mentioned a piece that was written by Thomas Edsall a couple of years ago titled "Building Red America: The New Conservative Coalition and the Drive for Permanent Power." I remember that book. It was very depressing and painted the picture that we would forever be controlled by the power of Karl Rove. According to that book, the Republican hegemoney was predicted to last for more than 20 years.
But it is a diffferent story today. As this article points out, things look very glum for the Republicans. New Gingrich is quoted as recently sayingthat the republicans are going to face a catastropic fall. A lot of journalists are saying that the Republicans lost the Americans trust on the way they handled (or didn't handle) domestic issues.
Read More »We need to UNITE our party!
Super Delegates and Undecided Democrats, the only candidate that will WIN John McCain is:
BARACK OBAMA!
Let us support and nominate "Barack Obama for our Democratic Presidential Nominee.
God Bless America!
All the states count!!! Yes I said it they all count.
I do not like what is happening to FLA or Mich either. Its a DNC screw up!!!!
Obama in 2008!
I understand. I have to confess that I have flip-flopped, sometimes daily, between Clinton and Obama. Clinton has the experience of insider, she is tough as nails, and she has demonstrated an admirable discipline. Ironically, hat very discipline has contributed to her being perceived by some as cold and heartless. On the other hand, Obama inspires. He has reframed the debate, or debates, and this redefinition challenges many of the societal divisions that the Bush administration has worked so diligently to exploit and entrench. Yet, his comparative youth, his almost Reagan-like optimism, and his emphasis on themes of hope and change has left many calling for more nuts and bolts concreteness.
The Mutnemom theory suggests that Democratic voters are torn about the choice between the concreteness and predictability of Hillary's discipline and experience, or the inspiration and optimism of Obama's thoughtfulness, openness and talent for mobilizing people. But I don't believe they have been undecided. They want both. I believe they intuitively understand that the entire package is needed to pull the US out of the enormous quagmire in which it has been stuck by the Bush Administration. At one point only a few weeks ago, this insight even found form in the talk about a "dream ticket" that would include both candidates. But if more conventional political calculations would seem to make that an unlikely dream, the kidney punches thrown in recent weeks certainly diminish that possibility. No, as an increasingly large proportion of Democratic leaders are now concluding, it is time for the choice to be made or accept the increasing risk of snatching defeat out of the jaws of what was once almost certain victory.
It is notable that much of John McCain's support derives from being perceived as not-Republican. He is known to many voters based on his disagreements with the mainstream Republican Party, such as opposing the original Bush tax cuts, his support for public financing of election campaigns, or his belief that climate change presents a serious threat that requires decisive action. Given the temptations of running for the US presidency, he is deservedly credited with a high level of integrity for sticking to those positions and not backing down. In many voters' eyes, McCain is more Independent than Republican, and even now he is making an effort to distance himself from the Bush Administration. But as McCain presents his views on the wide range of issues that extend beyond the set of core questions that have distinguished him, that perception will weaken. His recent statements on how to cope with the mortgage crisis generated by unregulated financial institutions and his plans for addressing ongoing health care system problems in the US provide clear examples. In both areas, his stunningly lame proposals represent mainstream free-market dogma. In an effort to appeal to mainstream Bush Republicans, he has even begun modifying his own earlier positions and now proposes tax cuts of his own. This includes a holiday on gasoline taxes - not exactly an aggressive step toward wrestling under control America's contribution to climate change. Of course, these truths will remain obscured as long as the bulk of the attention is directed to the blows being dealt out by Democrats, aimed at one another.
This brings us back to the issue of choosing between two remarkable candidates. Here's how I solved the problem. Clinton's and Obama's values and positions on many issues are quite similar - especially in comparison to McCain. However, the very significant differences in their respective political styles and core constituencies will likely have major consequences.
Hillary's strengths are suited to - and locked in by - a political polarization in the US that dates to even before her husband's Presidency. That polarization is not necessarily her fault, but she is trapped in it, with the consequence that struggles over policy change on a wide range of issues will likely be fought out along the conventional political battle lines. These lines were established by the Republicans, and work to their advantage. This makes for a slow and messy process - one that does not make it easier to accomplish the policy changes that are so desperately needed. For evidence of this sort of lock-in, one need only review the strategic decisions made under Hillary's direction regarding health system reform in the 1990s. That failed struggle not only fell short of providing Americans with anything close to the "health care that's always there" we worked for; it contributed to the 1994 Republican takover of Congress.
One of the most interesting aspects of Obama's campaign is the strength of its social movement character, and this has by no means gone unnoticed. Along with the grassroots organizing process that the campaign has engaged in, Obama has a remarkable talent for blurring old conceptual and political divisions and redefining key questions. Most political struggles are really won not in bruising political fights, but in how issues and interests are defined in the first place. Here, Obama has remarkable potential for producing the real breakthroughs that are necessary. This assumes, of course, that he is a fast learner, and that having previously lived in the White House is not the only way to gain relevant experience.
All this argues for supporting Obama. Not because Hillary isn't very good, but because Obama's strengths are better suited to the nature of the task at hand. That task is nothing short of redefining political boundaries and mobilizing Americans' inclination toward looking out for one another. We have here a once-in-a-generation opening to create a realignment of enormous proportions. That opening was created perhaps not so much by progressives as by the utter failure of so much of what the Bush Administration has stood for. conventionally defined experience offers predictability, and that offers a certain measure of comfort in an unstable world. However, given the multiple, fundamental problems facing Americans and the next US president, it also entails not much change. To produce the kind of change in the US that provides real health care security, action to curb globe-warming greenhouse gasses, and cope with an economy handicapped with staggering debt, the US needs a leader who can redefine what it means to be an American. For that task, Barack Obama has already proven himself highly qualified - and experienced.
Marcus Carson, PhD
Carson is a sociologist, health care activist, and former grassroots organizer.
Party political ideology does matter. Political ideology, like class, are two topics that are passé for discussion in America—other than to shout stupid epitaphs at one another such as “left-wing commie liberals” or “right-wing fascists”. Still, party ideology and class remain the 800 pound gorillas in the room of America politics. Edwards at least brought the issue of class up and you saw how quickly he was shut up. We Americans still like to pretend that there are no classes in our country.
At least race and gender and age have come out into the light of day during this campaign season so that marks some progress. No matter what the outcome of the election, the belief system of Americans will be forever changed in that we will know that a women is a viable candidate for the highest office in this land, a black man is a viable candidate for the highest office in the land, and yes, a senior citizen is a viable candidate for the highest office in this land.
If McCain is smart, he will bring out his 90-something mother to dance with him on the stage during the general election campaign to further prove his point, because of all these issues, we still have the farthest to go when it comes to age discrimination. If half the jokes that have openly flown around the campaign trail and presented on mainstream media about McCain’s age were made about Obama’s race or Hillary’s gender—OMG, the ACLU would have pounced on them faster than most pit bulls on a cat. But an old person is still fair game.
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