Posts with the tag Women

Mrs Palin & what Obama is up against

John Pedler — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:09:12 EDT

After listening to Mrs Palin's acceptance speech, I am, as a European, very worried. Karl Rove is a political genius and one guesses at his master hand behind the choice of this woman: she's an excellent orator and preaches just the sort of family plus tough-girl message that appeals to the least educated who vote what's nearest their gut feelings - not policy issues.

37% of Americans still support G W Bush. Around 30% apparenlty still believe Cheney's claim that Saddam was in league with Bin Laden. Some 30% believe Obama is a Muslim. Most of these 30% groups are doubtless the same people - but enough to swing the election for McCain.

The fact that the hugely impressive Obama who actually understands the issues (see for example his masterly foreign policy piece in Foreign Affairs Aug 2007, see for example his Kennedy-like ambitious plan to provide the means to find energy alternatives to end "oil addiction") is "black" means he has an appalling handicap given the immutable racism of so many Americans - (the same 30% again?)

AND he has the possibly equally great handicap of standing as a Democrat when that party is so widely perceived as "politically correct" favouring abortion on demand, gay marriage, sex at will, and the desire to force such values on others by legislation. Seems to us onlookers that maybe this revulsion is shared by many others than just those 30percenters.

Many of us here in Europe see with dismay that this election - absolutely key for us - will be determined by irrational gut prejudices and not by rational considerations.

Yet is is essential that the US renounce confrontation and lead towards an era of international cooperation that became possible with the end of the Cold War.

For more about the way we see things please visit our website at dipconsult.eu

Putting Palin On The Ticket Is Sexism At Its Worse !

FreedomOfSpeech — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:24:57 EDT

Yes, you read the title correctly.

John Mc Cain put Palin on his ticket because she is a woman who he believes will gain votes from other women simply because she is a woman. That is a insult and a slap in the face to all women. He did not put her on the ticket because she was Governor of "Low Populated" Alaska . He did not put her on the ticket because she would be able to step in as Commander in Chief if he were to pass away or become mentally unfit to carry out his term which is more likely to happen than not. He put her on the ticket because she is a woman. Pundits call this a gamble for a reason. It can , and I believe will , cause a major backlash because Americas women are not stupid.

Women Leadership in the World

Liz — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:49:22 EDT

I did not see this posted anywhere last night on the Women's Forum. I think it is worthwhile for any one who has a daughter or a granddaughter to share this with them.

There is a great site for those who are interested in women’s political achievements.The link shown below is a wonderful and a very long list of Female candidates for president worldwide from 1870 to the present (Even though it is titled “Female Presidential Candidates 1870 to 1990, the list has been updated through July 17, 2008) I love this list because it gives not only the names but the photographs of the women.

If you have daughters or granddaughters, this is a great site to sit down with them and show them so they

http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/candidates1990.htm

Also please, when you are looking at this list be sure to note all the brave Iranian woman who in 2001 stood up and registered their names as candidates. That could not have been a safe thing for them to do.

And be sure to point out, that even though we don’t have a woman president yet, it was an American woman who trail-blazed the way for women presidents all over the world.

Here is the link to the home page for those who may not know of this site, Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership.

http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/index.html

OMG I was totally on NPR!!

Farheen Qurashi — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 22:29:38 EDT

You can listen to it here: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kcur/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1316276

Michelle Obama in KC

Farheen Qurashi — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:08:42 EDT

Michelle Obama came to UMKC this morning for a roundtable discussion with a panel of 5 women on Women and Economics. It was such a great experience!

CAIR Urges Obama to Include Muslim Women in Upcoming Events

funkfresh01 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:52:15 EDT

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/18/2008) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today urged Sen. Barack Obama to invite two Muslim women, who were barred from sitting behind the podium at a Michigan rally, to an upcoming campaign event.

Media reports indicate the women were kept from the podium area because campaign volunteers did not want the candidate associated with the women's Islamic scarves, or hijabs. Campaign officials later apologized to the women.

SEE: Muslims Barred from Picture at Obama Event (Politico.com)
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11168.html

SEE ALSO: Obama Campaign Apologizes for Excluding Women in Hijab (Detroit News)
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008806180427

SEE ALSO: Head Scarves Led to Decision; Democrat's Campaign Apologizes (Detroit Free Press)
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080618/NEWS07/80618043/1008/NEWS06

TO ALL HILLARY SUPPORTERS

CJ — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:13:52 EDT

I don't know how many of you will actually read this email because most of the Hillary groups here have been hijacked by Obama supporters or the DNC and so I'm going to try one last time here.

No McCain

Progressive Democrat — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:57:39 EDT

If you are concerned about continuing the War in the MiddleEast as I am then thats one good reason to vote Democrat in November. Look at how many Men and Women we have lost not to mention the ones who are alive but wounded for life because of the Bush lies in the Republican Party. Now McCain wants to continue this course and also have a base in Iraq for years to come. If anyone is voting for McCain because they are angry at Obama get over it quick . If your against the Iraq War and voting for Senator McCain then your a hypocrite period . This is why our country is screwed up every 4 years during election time and this time some Democrats or people claiming to be Democrats will vote for McCain . You will if he is elected get more of the Republican policies that have not worked and are killing our Economy and also the Trillions of your tax dollars spent on the Iraq War .Your harded eared money . So again think very clearly about what your planning on doing . Voting for Senator McCain you might just want to hand in your Democratic Party badge because what your telling us is that you do not need the Democratic Party anymore and you like Senator Joe Lieberman have become a Republican. At least be honest with yourself and with fellow Democrats before you vote for Senator McCain and just come out of the closet and say I am really a Republican and nolonger a Democrat. We have alot of new Democrats in our Party and maybe some of you who now support McCain have forgotten your ideals from the late 1960's and have grown to old to remember who you are now. I still have my Idealism intact and will never vote Republican not now not ever. Its like taken candy from the devil . The new generation of Democrats now in the Party will elect Obama President in November. McCain will be history and will fade away . Senator Obama will make Americans proud and is relationship with International leaders will be welcomed from around the Globe. If you vote McCain then you support the Bush failed Policies and thats your choice. I want Change and that is Obama not a Bush Republican. Senator Hillary Clinton will be voting for Senator Obama as a Democrat and so will I and millions of others around the country. Thats the bottomline

You can do something for the Women of Iraq

Liz — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:46:25 EDT

Here is a great site if you are interested in helping people, especially women in Iraq.

http://www.womenstandwithiraq.org/

You can make a difference.

Tomorrow I'm participating in a peace studies workshop at the Women's Museum here in Dallas. It will be led by Rita Marie Johnson. Rita moved from the USA to Costa Rica almost 15 years ago to help strengthen its peace model. Costa Rica does not have an army. That is great, isn't it? A country with no army!

Rita wrote a Ministry for Peace initiative that was embraced by Costa Rica's current president, Oscar Arias, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. There is a process that she teaches called "Bepeace". In 2003 she founded a group know as the Academy for Peace of Costa Rica. Their work is spreading globally. I feel honored to be able to attend. I can only hope that I am educable, but that remains to be seen .

Caroline Kennedy For Obama's VP The Perfect Choice

Progressive Democrat — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:05:34 EDT

I think Obama and the Campaign Veep Committee has a Vice President contender right on the Committee. Her name is Caroline Kennedy the daugther of John F Kennedy. She is bright no baggage and would be a great Women to have on his ticket. It would to me make for a strong ticket. I am going to contact the Obama campaign and suggest they consider Caroline Kennedy for the 2nd spot on the ticket. How many Democrats on here like Caroline Kennedy and would support an Obama/Kennedy ticket?

Obama/Kennedy 08

Breaking News:Hillary Clinton Dropping Out of Campaign Friday

Progressive Democrat — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:42:17 EDT

By Adam Nagourney and Michael Luo updated 2 minutes ago NEW YORK - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is moving to suspend her campaign and endorse Senator Barack Obama on Friday after Democratic members of Congress urged her on Wednesday to leave the race and allow the party to unite around Mr. Obama, according to a senior adviser to Mrs. Clinton. Mrs. Clinton is likely to make the announcement in New York City, an aide said, although no final venue has been chosen. Her decision came after a day of telephone conversations with supporters on Capital Hill about what she should do now that Mr. Obama has claimed enough delegates to secure the nomination. Mrs. Clinton had initially said she wanted to wait before making any decision, but her aides said that in conversations, some of her closest supporters said it was urgent that she step aside.

Obama Clinches Nomination AP Wire Reports

Progressive Democrat — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:34:00 EDT

Jun 3, 9:15 PM EDT

Obama clinches nomination; Clinton seeks VP spot

By TOM RAUM and NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press Writers

AP Photo/Chris Carlson

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois sealed the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, a historic step toward his once-improbable goal of becoming the nation's first black president. A vanquished Hillary Rodham Clinton maneuvered for the vice presidential spot on his fall ticket.

Obama's victory set up a five-month campaign with Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a race between a 46-year-old opponent of the Iraq War and a 71-year-old former Vietnam prisoner of war and staunch supporter of the current U.S. military mission.

Both men promptly exchanged criticism over the war in Iraq and sought to claim the mantle of change in a country plainly tired of the status quo.

"It's not change when John McCain decided to stand with George Bush 95 percent of the time, as he did in the Senate last year," Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery in St. Paul, Minn.

"It's not change when he offers four more years of Bush economic policies that have failed to create well-paying jobs. ... And it's not change when he promises to continue a policy in Iraq that asks everything of our brave young men and women in uniform and nothing of Iraqi politicians." In a symbolic move, he spoke in the same hall where McCain will accept the Republican nomination at his party's convention in September.

McCain spoke first, in New Orleans, and he accused his younger rival of voting "to deny funds to the soldiers who have done a brilliant and brave job" in Iraq. It was a reference to 2007 legislation to pay for the Iraq war, a measure Obama opposed citing the lack of a timetable for withdrawing troops.

McCain agreed with Obama that the presidential race would focus on change. "But the choice is between the right change and the wrong change, between going forward and going backward," he added.

Obama sealed his nomination, according to The Associated Press tally, based on primary elections, state Democratic caucuses and delegates' public declarations as well as support from 19 delegates and "superdelegates" who privately confirmed their intentions t/o the AP. It takes 2,118 delegates to clinch the nomination at the convention in Denver this summer, and Obama had 2,129 by the AP count.

Banning Nuclear Weapons Proposal

Progressive Democrat — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:46:30 EDT

As a Democrat I believe the time has come for our Government to ban and dismantle all our Nuclear Weapons including production facilities should be transformed for Non Nuclear Alternatives. Presidents past and Present have told other nations to stop any Nuclear production period. We see this with North Korea ,Iran, and a few other countries. If we are going to have a Anti Nuclear Weapons policy for other nations to live by then we must set now an example. I hope when Obama becomes President that not only will we set a policy to end all production and use of Nuclear Weapons and Power but also within the United States close all our Nuclear Weapons complexes and have a Worldwide policy that no nation can produce or use Nuclear Power. This must be part of the agenda of the new Democratic President. For the sake of our Children and the future of our World lets be a leader in ending Nuclear Power once and for all here at home and around the World Yes We Can.

Hillary would be a Bad Choice For Vice President Keep Options Open

Progressive Democrat — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:15:21 EDT

Senator Barack Obama needs to keep his options open for Vice President of the United States. Picking Hillary would be a huge mistake and I believe many Obama supporters would not vote for that ticket . Senator Obama you have plenty of good people in the Democratic Party with the Clintons Political Baggage to chooose from. I would suggest these combination Obama/Sebelius Democratic Gov of Kansas,Obama/Boxer Senator Barbara Boxer another great US Senator that would be great with Obama. Obama/Richardson the Gov. of New Mexico and or Obama/Edwards but John Edwards says he his not interested. You might have other combined suggested for the VP Slot. Many will not vote for a Obama/Hillary Clinton ticket. So in closing I ask all who want change not to support Hillary Clinton for VP. We can do alot better

Obama Will Win The Nomination Its Over Finally Over

Progressive Democrat — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:22:04 EDT

Jun 3, 3:00 PM EDT

AP tally: Obama effectively clinches nomination

By DAVID ESPO and STEPHEN OHLEMACHER
Associated Press Writers

AP Photo/Chris Carlson

Watch Related Video

AP Tally: Obama Clinches Democratic Nomination

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates, ending a grueling marathon to become the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House.

Campaigning on an insistent call for change, Obama outlasted former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in a historic race that sparked record turnout in primary after primary, yet exposed deep racial and gender divisions within the party.

The tally was based on public declarations from delegates as well as from another 16 who have confirmed their intentions to the AP. It also included 11 delegates Obama was guaranteed as long as he gained 30 percent of the vote in South Dakota and Montana later in the day. It takes 2,118 delegates to clinch the nomination.

The 46-year-old first-term senator will face John McCain in the fall campaign to become the 44th president. The Arizona senator campaigned in Memphis, Tenn., during the day, and had no immediate reaction to Obama's victory.

Clinton stood ready to concede that her rival had amassed the delegates needed to triumph, according to officials in her campaign. They stressed that the New York senator did not intend to suspend or end her candidacy in a speech Tuesday night in New York. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been authorized to divulge her plans.

Obama's triumph was fashioned on prodigious fundraising, meticulous organizing and his theme of change aimed at an electorate opposed to the Iraq war and worried about the economy - all harnessed to his own innate gifts as a campaigner.

With her husband's two-White House terms as a backdrop, Clinton campaigned for months as the candidate of experience, a former first lady and second-term senator ready, she said, to take over on Day One.

But after a year on the campaign trail, Obama won the kickoff Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, and the freshman senator became something of an overnight political phenomenon.

"We came together as Democrats, as Republicans and independents, to stand up and say we are one nation, we are one people and our time for change has come," he said that night in Des Moines.

A video produced by Will I. Am and built around Obama's "Yes, we can" rallying cry quickly went viral. It drew its one millionth hit within a few days of being posted.

As the strongest female presidential candidate in history, Clinton drew large, enthusiastic audiences. Yet Obama's were bigger still. One audience, in Dallas, famously cheered when he blew his nose on stage; a crowd of 75,000 turned out in Portland, Ore., the weekend before the state's May 20 primary.

The former first lady countered Obama's Iowa victory with an upset five days later in New Hampshire that set the stage for a campaign marathon as competitive as any in the last generation.

"Over the last week I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice," she told supporters who had saved her candidacy from an early demise.

In defeat, Obama's aides concluded they had committed a cardinal sin of New Hampshire politics, forsaking small, intimate events in favor of speeches to large audiences inviting them to ratify Iowa's choice.

It was not a mistake they made again - which helped explain Obama's later outings to bowling alleys, backyard basketball hoops and American Legion halls in the heartland.

Clinton conceded nothing, memorably knocking back a shot of Crown Royal whiskey at a bar in Indiana, recalling that her grandfather had taught her to use a shotgun, and driving in a pickup to a gas station in South Bend, Ind., to emphasize her support for a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax.

As other rivals quickly fell away in winter, the strongest black candidate in history and the strongest female White House contender traded victories on Super Tuesday, the Feb. 5 series of primaries and caucuses across 21 states and American Samoa that once seemed likely to settle the nomination.

But Clinton had a problem that Obama exploited, and he scored a coup she could not answer.

Pressed for cash, the former first lady ran noncompetitive campaigns in several Super Tuesday caucus states, allowing her rival to run up his delegate totals.

At the same time, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., endorsed the young senator in terms that summoned memories of his slain brothers while seeking to turn the page on the Clinton era.

In a reference that likened former President Clinton to Harry Truman: "There was another time, when another young candidate was running for president and challenging America to cross a new frontier. He faced criticism from the preceding Democratic president, who was widely respected in the party."

Merely by surviving Super Tuesday, Obama exceeded expectations.

But he did more than survive, emerging with a lead in delegates that he never relinquished, and proceeded to run off a string of 11 straight victories.

Clinton saved her candidacy once more with primary victories in Ohio and Texas on March 4, beginning a stretch in which she won primaries in six of the final nine states on the calendar, as well as in Puerto Rico.

It was a strong run, providing glimpses of what might have been for the one-time front-runner.

But by then Obama was well on his way to victory, Clinton and her allies stressed the popular vote instead of delegates. Yet he seemed to emerge from each loss with residual strength.

Obama's bigger-than-expected victory in North Carolina on May 6 offset his narrow defeat in Indiana the same day. Four days later, he overtook Clinton's lead among superdelegates, the party leaders she had hoped would award her the nomination on the basis of a strong showing in swing states.

Obama lost West Virginia by a whopping 67 percent to 26 percent on May 13. Yet he won an endorsement the following day from former presidential rival and one-time North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

Clinton administered another drubbing in Kentucky a week later. This time, Obama countered with a victory in Oregon, and turned up that night in Iowa to say he had won a majority of all the delegates available in 56 primaries and caucuses on the calendar.

There were moments of anger, notably in a finger-wagging debate in South Carolina on Jan. 21.

Obama told the former first lady he was helping unemployed workers on the streets of Chicago when "you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart."

Moments later, Clinton said that she was fighting against misguided Republican policies "when you were practicing law and representing your contributor ... in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago."

And Bill Clinton was a constant presence and an occasional irritant for Obama. The former president angered several black politicians when he seemed to diminish Obama's South Carolina triumph by noting that Jesse Jackson had also won the state.

Obama's frustration showed at the Jan. 21 debate, when he accused the former president in absentia of uttering a series of distortions.

"I'm here. He's not," the former first lady snapped.

"Well, I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes," Obama countered.

There were relatively few policy differences. Clinton accused Obama of backing a health care plan that would leave millions out, and the two clashed repeatedly over trade.

Yet race, religion, region and gender became political fault lines as the two campaigned from coast to coast.

Along the way, Obama showed an ability to weather the inevitable controversies, most notably one caused by the incendiary rhetoric of his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

At first, Obama said he could not break with his longtime spiritual adviser. Then, when Wright spoke out anew, Obama reversed course and denounced him strongly.

Clinton struggled with self-inflicted wounds. Most prominently, she claimed to have come under sniper fire as first lady more than a decade earlier while paying a visit to Bosnia.

Instead, videotapes showed her receiving a gift of flowers from a young girl who greeted her plane.

Michelle Obama Visits The Nurturing Center in Kalispell

Progressive Democrat — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:31:00 EDT

Michelle Obama Visits the Nurturing Center in Kalispell
by Caitlin HarveyMonday, June 02, 2008 at 07:07 PM

This afternoon, Michelle Obama stopped by The Nurturing Center in Kalispell, Montana, where she read several books to local children, including Green Eggs and Ham.

After the books were finished, the children lined up to each give Michelle a big hug!

Stay tuned for more coverage of Michelle's visit to Kalispell, and remember to vote tomorrow if you live in Montana! Find your polling location here.

And if you don't live in Montana, help make calls to undecided Montanans before tomorrow's election!

Obama SuperDelegate New-Clyburn To Endorse Obama

Progressive Democrat — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:07:34 EDT

Clyburn to endorse Obama
Posted: 05:19 PM ET

From CNN Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, CNN's Deirdre Walsh

Clyburn has been critical of former President Bill Clinton.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Several sources tell CNN that House Majority Whip and superdelegate James Clyburn of South Carolina will endorse Senator Barack Obama Tuesday.

Clyburn, whose congressional district went overwhelmingly for Obama in the state's January primary, had said that he would wait to weigh in on the presidential race until the last nominating contest had been held. Earlier this spring, he had made remarks critical of Bill Clinton, calling his conduct on the trail "bizarre," and telling interviewers that some of the former president's actions had deeply upset African-Americans.

"There are African-Americans who have reached the decision that the Clintons know that [Hillary Clinton] can’t win this," he told Reuters. "But they’re hell-bound to make it impossible for Obama to win.”

Obama SuperDelegate News-Washington Superdelegate For Obama

Progressive Democrat — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:02:36 EDT

Washington Superdelegate for Obama; Delegate Countdown - 41.5 To Go Jun 2nd, 2008 at 6:22 pm EDT The AP reports... OLYMPIA, Wash. Seattle attorney and Democratic National Committee member David McDonald says he is endorsing Barack Obama for the party's presidential nomination. McDonald had been holding off making an endorsement until after this past weekend's rules committee meeting in Washington, D.C., where he was one of 30 members deciding what to do with the disputed delegates from Michigan and Florida. In an e-mail statement to The Associated Press, McDonald says Obama's candidacy "has brought astounding new energy and hope to the Democratic Party nationwide." Obama now only needs 41.5 total delegates to secure the nomination.

Breaking:Uncommitted Senate SuperDelegates Meeting Now

Progressive Democrat — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:04:12 EDT

Breaking: Uncommitted Senate superdelegates meeting Posted: 04:39 PM ET From From CNN's Ted Barrett and Kate Bolduan (CNN) â€” Several of the 17 uncommitted Senate superdelegates are currently holding a meeting to discuss their course of action after the polls close in the final two primaries, CNN has learned. It remains unclear exactly how many and who of the 17 uncommitted Democratic superdelegates in the Senate will be in attendance at the meeting, which is being held at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee headquarters near the Capitol.

Breaking News:Most Uncommitted Senators To Endorse Senator Barack Obama

Progressive Democrat — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:20:04 EDT

Sources: Most uncommitted senators to endorse Obama
Posted: 11:20 AM ET

Most of the 17 senators who remain uncommitted will announce their support of Obama, CNN has learned.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Most of the seventeen Democratic senators who have remained uncommitted throughout the primaries will endorse Barack Obama for president this week, CNN has learned.

Sources familiar with discussions between Obama supporters and these senators tell CNN’s Gloria Borger that the senators will wait until after the South Dakota and Montana primaries to announce their support for Obama.

Two sources familiar with the sessions said the endorsements will come sometime later this week.

Obama supporters have been “pressing” for these superdelegates to endorse earlier in the week, but according to one source, “the senators don’t want to pound Hillary Clinton, and there is a sense she should be given a grace period.”

A series of meetings on the topic have been facilitated at different times by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin. Durbin and Daschle are Obama supporters, while Harkin is uncommitted.

According to CNN’s Candy Crowley, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will remain uncommitted until Clinton officially drops out of the race.