Corny Music

Proving yet again that youth votes are so important in the 2008 race and attempting to be the first to use music as a slogan, Hillary Clinton has surpassed corny and moved to downright ridiculous in allowing the American voter to choose a campaign song that will represent and identify her campaign. American Idol meets politics! To my knowledge no other candidates are doing this, and I hope it doesn't set a trend.

I wonder what the musicians think of their song possibly being tied to Clinton's campaign?! I like so many of the songs that I'd hate to think of Hillary every time now after I hear it! After the first round of voting, Clinton's campaign has drawn this out to a second round with five of the original choices and five choices that were the top write-in vote. I commend the candidates for making the 2008 election about the voter and trying to increase voter participation early, but this is just absurd in my opinion.

Grilling with Obama

Want to 'hang with Obama at your Memorial Day picnic? If you said yes, you're in the majority.

A telephone survey of 1,166 randomly chosen people was conducted from April 25 to May 1 to determine whom they would most like to chat with at a Memorial Day picnic.

Obama received 33 percent of the votes, more than any other Democrat candidate. Clinton was second with only 24 percent. More women overall chose Obama over Clinton.

Guiliani was the top Republican with 37 percent, followed by McCain with 27 percent.

Obama Means It

Voters believe Obama means what he says, whereas voters believe Clinton says what she thinks will get her elected. It baffles me with these continual poll finding that Clinton maintains a lead.

A new FOX News poll finds that voters are focusing on Iraq, terrorism and health care as they consider their vote for president. Looking at the candidates, more voters think Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Barack Obama say what they truly believe, even if it is unpopular, while a majority thinks Hillary Clinton usually says what she thinks will get her elected. Clinton is the only candidate where a majority of voters (55 percent) thinks she says what she thinks will get her elected, rather than what she truly believes (34 percent).

Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the national telephone poll of 900 registered voters for FOX News from May 15 to May 16. The poll has a 3-point error margin.

Democrats (60 percent) are much more likely than Republicans (45 percent) to say Iraq is extremely important to their vote — by a 15-point margin. Republicans are most likely to be motivated by the issue of terrorism.

Even with the early start, attention to the presidential election remains high. Many voters say they are extremely (27 percent) or very (35 percent) interested right now, although few (13 percent) say they have already made up their mind about which candidate to support.

Only 16 Votes

Sixteen votes. That's all the Democrats need from the Republican senators to override Bush's veto of the bill that includes a timetable for withdrawl of U.S. troops from Iraq. The main banner of Obama's homepage depicts a hand signing a bill and encourages the public to contact their Republican representative to encourage him or her to support the bill and cross the aisle to do what's right.

Here's part of the e-mail I received Obama's campaign on the topic:

Barack has been traveling across the country asking people to speak out and let their Senators know that it's time to end the Iraq war. One Republican colleague has already called this "not Senatorial". But this isn't about Washington etiquette, it's about bringing our troops home.

This isn't a game. We need just 16 additional votes to override the president's veto and bring to a close this sad chapter in American history. It's going to take some convincing, but Senators need to hear from people in their states that they can join us to bring a responsible end to the war.

That's where you come in. There are 20 incumbent Republican Senators facing re-election battles in 2008. They will have to make clear very soon whether they will continue to block efforts to bring the troops home.

Now is the time to hold them accountable for their choices on the war. Their constituents are making their voice heard, but they need to hear from all of us. Will you speak out now and add your voice to the growing public pressure to end the war?

Make your voice heard.

The N Word

Rush Limbaugh has been tossing around the N word, negro that is, in what he calls a musical parody. I call it racist. Limbaugh calls Obama "Halfrican African" and has written a song the "Barack the Magic Negro" set to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon."

So Don Imus creates national rage for "Nappy-headed Negro" but it's different with Rush Limbaugh?! I don't see how the two are different and there is not more outrage over Limbaugh's comments. And Obama's response is that the song is dumb. I suppose he is trying to downplay the song to make it go away.

The shock jock legitimizes his use of the phrase "magic negro" by noting he plucked it came from an Op-Ed by commentator David Ehrenstein that ran in the L.A. Times. Ehrenstein wrote, in a nuanced argument, that Obama fulfills the classic Hollywood role of a "noble, healing Negro" who assuages white guilt over slavery and segregation....

"while replacing stereotypes of a dangerous, highly sexualized black man with a benign figure for whom interracial sexual congress holds no interest. As might be expected, this figure is chiefly cinematic—embodied by such noted performers as Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman, Scatman Crothers, Michael Clarke Duncan, Will Smith and, most recently, Don Cheadle. And that's not to mention a certain basketball player whose very nickname is "Magic."

Questions over Obama's race should have long ago been laid to rest. What is the obsession and who cares about his ethnic make-up. A candidate should be judged by their opinions and how they will act as president, not race or genetics.

Barack Drops Back

In the first released since both the Democrats and Republicans held their first televised debate, the margin between Obama and Clinton has grown considerably. Obama was virtually even with Clinton two weeks ago, but is now 15 percentage points back again, where he was over a month ago. Gore and Edwards are a great distance behind.

In the Republican race, Giuliani is leading the pack, with McCain and Romney second and third respectively.

The Gallup Poll results were released this week.

I don't know about you, but I like to see a candidate for president who can admit mistakes. When speaking today, Obama said 10,000 had died in the Greensburg, Kansas tornado, and later realized his mistake. He admitted there will be times when he's tired and times when he's wrong. That's nice to hear, unlike Bush who can't admit a mistake EVER. I wasn't asked by Gallup Poll people my opinion, but my vote for Obama still stands.

The Power of Internet Campaigning

Campaigning by use of the Internet has become the way to campaign for 2008. Candidates all have official Web pages with the ability to donate online, network with other supporters, create a blog or Web site page and leave the candidate messages, just to name a few of the features.

Barack Obama recently became the first candidate to have 100,000 MySpace friends on his MySpace page. However, the use of the Internet to control campaign messages and relay timely information took a turn last week when Obama's campaign fought and won the battle to control the Barack Obama MySpace page.

The page was actually created over two years ago by a supporter in Los Angeles, California. Obama's campaign had the password and was providing messages and information to the creator of the site for posting but they determined that was not enough. In an effort to have complete control of the site, they argued to MySpace that the entire page should belong to Obama and his campaign. The creator, who had invested a great deal of time on the site, was told he could keep the list of registered friends but must give up the page.

The case highlights the struggle between campaigns' desire to control their message versus the power of voter-generated material. And it shows how one person - in this case Los Angeles paralegal Joe Anthony - can become an influence on presidential politics through the power of the Internet.

When Anthony lost the page, he vowed to never vote for Obama, but a personal call from Obama helped to smooth things over.

Republicans Switch to Obama

Disillusioned by George W. Bush's "my way or the highway" approach to politics, many top Republicans who previously backed him are making the move to Obama because they believe he can reunite the highly divided country. I hope it doesn't hurt the way Obama is viewed with the Democrats, however.

Tom Bernstein went to Yale University with Bush and co-owned the Texas Rangers baseball team with him. In 2004 he donated the maximum $2,000 to the president’s reelection campaign and gave $50,000 to the Republican National Committee. This year he is switching his support to Obama; he is one of many former Bush admirers who find the Democrat newcomer appealing.

Matthew Dowd, Bush’s chief campaign strategist in 2004, announced last month that he was disillusioned with the war in Iraq and the president’s “my way or the highway” style of leadership – the first member of Bush’s inner circle to denounce the leader’s performance in office.

Although Dowd has yet to endorse a candidate, he said the only one he liked was Obama. “I think we should design campaigns that appeal, not to 51% of the people, but bring the country together as a whole,” Dowd said. A champion of human rights, he admires Obama’s call for action on Darfur. Interestingly, Dowd’s opposition to the war has been sharpened by the expected deployment to Iraq of his son, an Arabic-speaking Army intelligence specialist.

Last week a surprising endorsement for Obama's antiwar stance came from Robert Kagan, a leading neoconservative and co-founder of the Project for the New American Century in the late 1990s, which called for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Kagan is an informal foreign policy adviser to McCain oddly enough.

Disagreements on the war have not stopped John Martin, a Navy reservist and founder of the website Republicans for Obama, from supporting him. He joined the military after the Iraq war and is about to be deployed to Afghanistan.

“I disagree with Obama on the war but I don’t think it is a test of his patriotism,” Martin says. “Obama has a message of hope for the country.”

Financiers have also been oiling Obama’s campaign. In Chicago, his home town, John Canning, a “Bush pioneer” and investment banker who pledged to raise $100,000 for the president in 2004, has given up on the Republicans. “I know lots of my friends in this business are disenchanted and are definitely looking for something different,” he said.

Political Roundup

Today's post is a hodge-podge of news related to the 2008 elections.

First, I must mention that yet another candidate has entered the race on the Republican side. Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore entered the race as of yesterday, which doesn't come as much of a surprise since he formed an "exploratory committee" back in January. The announcement came from none other than Iowa. Gilmore says that the other Republican candidates are far too liberal, and he deems himself the only "real" Republican candidate in the race. Just what we need-an ultra-conservative to follow up the current ultra-ultra-conservative in office!

In case you haven't heard, Mike Huckabee's son was arrested for carrying a gun. Another plus for the Republicans following last week's Virginia Tech shooting. He was carrying the gun at none other than an airport!

We all knew McCain was a nut, but now we find out he has 22 dogs. That makes him tied with the crazy cat woman each of us has in our neighborhood or at work.

Clinton has recently been questioned for dropping the Rodham in her name. While she still uses Hillary Rodham Clinton in the senate and on all official senate materials, her campaign Web site lists Rodham no where. When her husband failed to be re-elected as Arkansas governor, she began going by Rodham Clinton and he was then re-elected. I must question if the name identity crisis is over preceived positives being tied to Bill Clinton more closely.

Denoucing Bush

A popular topic at the Democratic convention in California was the war in Iraq and it's grave mishandling by the Bush administration. Obama, as well as Clinton, were well-received for the jabbing remarks they made about misleading the country into war and Bush's promise to veto the bill passed by both houses of Congress. Obama vowed to "turn the page on this Iraq disaster."

Obama did not miss the opportunity to remind the left-leaning crowd that he is the only candidate to have denouced the war from the start. The remark is a continual sting to Clinton who voted in 2002 to authorize the invasion in Iraq. Obama has made his early opposition to the Iraq conflict a central theme of his campaign, and he told delegates he was proud to have bucked popular opinion at the time.

Both candidates also seized the opportunity to call for Bush to saw the bill, instead of vetoing a withdrawl timeline for Iraq.

With California moving its primary into February, like so many other states, it now has even more political clout than previously with its huge electoral college numbers.

Obama wowed California Democrats at their annual convention on the weekend, drawing a more passionate welcome than Hillary Clinton received hours earlier, a New Zealand online source says.

Obama Out-Manuevers Clinton

Clinton has had to rebuild her strategy for campaigning ever since Obama's fundraising matched what she raised, a shock to the Clinton campaign and many Americans alike. Quietly Obama has snuck up on Clinton, who was believed to be the front-runner and unsurmountable. Obama is not on the defense as is Clinton at this point. His grassroots campaign continues to grow and an additional 45,000 donors have contributed since the March 31 first quarter reporting.

What startled Clinton's team was not just Obama's totals or his success at drumming up contributions over the Internet, but also how much he is collecting from the big donors who have fueled Clinton enterprises for the past decade and a half. "It was a real wake-up call," says a Clinton strategist.

As her campaign chairman, Terry McAuliffe, discovered, Obama "works the phones like a dog. He probably did three to four times the number of events she did" in the first quarter. "No matter who I call," McAuliffe says, "he has already called them three or four times."

But her team says she is not yet ready to begin challenging Obama directly. That's because going on the attack could further boost her negatives and create an opening for Edwards, who has offered far more detailed plans than she has on issues like health care. "They are worried about both Obama and Edwards," says an outside adviser. "They think if Obama flames out, Edwards rises." And if that happens, Hillary's team will have to consider a course correction once again.

Read the full story from CNN.

Gap Narrows

Obama continues to close in on Clinton. According to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll doubts over Obama's electability are diminishing more everyday. Just last month Obama lagged 12 percentage points behind Clinton. Yet today he is within five percentage points. When the poll's margin of error is factored in, the two are neck in neck!

In the matchup featuring the most vivid contrast on views on Iraq, Obama leads McCain, a steadfast supporter of the war effort, by 45% to 39%.

The poll also shows that voters don't perceive a wide gap between the two front-runners in their ability to defeat the Republican nominee in next year's general election; 39% say Clinton has the "best chance," while 32% say Obama does. The finding indicates that, just as Obama's early fund-raising has undercut one of Clinton's presumed advantages, his relative inexperience hasn't emerged as a major impediment.

America is slowing catching on to the trend that is Obama!

Republicans DO NOT Make Us Safer

In a rare reaction to Rudy Giuliani's comments today, Obama, Edwards and Clinton struck back. Obama actually issued a statement with comments directly aimed at Giuliani and actually using his name. The step of issuing a statement retalating to another candidates remarks is rare, but justified in this case.

Giuliani actually said “America will be safer with a Republican president.” Unbelievable. He went on to elaborate that only a Republican president will protect the people from terrorists and be on the offense, whereas a Democratic president would only be on the defense the cost and number of deaths will be greater. I don't see how he can make that claim, since the Republicans don't want to withdraw, thus spending more money to finance the war and more war casualties as well. And, didn't September 11 happen under a Republican president and Republican New York City mayor? Obviously the Republicans aren't the great offensive force Giuliani claims. Read his full comments.

While Clinton issued a statement, she did not actually name Giuliani. But Obama had the guts to name him specifically, and Edwards later did as well. Obama said: "Rudy Giuliani today has taken the politics of fear to a new low and I believe Americans are ready to reject those kind of politics. America’s mayor should know that when it comes to 9/11 and fighting terrorists, America is united. We know we can win this war based on shared purpose, not the same divisive politics that question your patriotism if you dare to question failed policies that have made us less secure. I think we should focus on strengthening our intelligence, working with local authorities and doing all the things we haven’t yet done to keep Americans safe. The threat we face is real, and deserves better than to be the punchline of another political attack.”

Giuliani, you're creating back-lash you cannot afford at this point. He is clearly working to attract more conservatives from the Republican Party, but in doing so, he's making bold and stupid claims he cannot back up. And I don't think the American people truly believe a Republican president will make us safer, instead they're ready to give Bush the boot in a hurry in order to get a fresh perspective on the war and finally end it. Only a Democrat has the courage and smarts to do just that.

Straight from the Horse's Mouth

I continue to share with you e-mails I receive from Barack Obama's campaign. I think it's beneficial to hear the news straight from the horse's mouth from time to time instead of as interrupted by others. This echoes my post from earlier today on Obama's comments during a speech in Chicago that Bush has let America down and has not been a leader.

Here's part of the e-mail that I share with you:

Our foreign policy shapes America's image abroad, but America's role in the world is deeply personal for many of us here at home. We remember how it felt when the American president had the moral authority to speak for free people everywhere.

Maybe you've traveled abroad and seen firsthand how in a few years George Bush has squandered the goodwill America earned over half a century. Maybe the decisions George Bush has made has sent your friend or family member into a war that should have never happened in the first place.

Barack wants to know why a new direction for our foreign policy and restoring America's moral leadership in the world is personal for you. Share your story.

Today Barack gave a major address about why our role in the world is personal for him.

He's been to the border of the Darfur region and seen first-hand what happens when America will not step up and lead. He's seen first-hand that weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union have not been secured under this president. He's met with Israelis and Palestinians who told him that true peace won't be achieved without an American president committed to making it happen.

And he's got concrete plans to right our course and rebuild America's global leadership. Today he laid out five initiatives that an Obama Administration will pursue:

*Bring a responsible end to this war in Iraq and refocus on the critical challenges in the broader region:
*Modernize our overstretched armed forces, building the first truly 21st century military and show wisdom in how we deploy it
*Marshal a global effort to secure, destroy, and stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction
*Rebuild and construct the alliances and partnerships necessary to meet common challenges and confront common threats
*Invest in our common humanity to ensure that those who live in fear and want today can live with dignity and opportunity tomorrow

As Barack pointed out today, the position of "leader of the free world" has been vacant for some time. For too long we've seen the consequences of a foreign policy based on a flawed ideology, and a belief that tough talk can replace real strength and vision. How many millions of Americans and our allies abroad winced when Senator John McCain gleefully sang a tune about starting another war by bombing Iran?

As the Republican presidential candidates repeat the same tired White House talking points, one thing is becoming clear: Democrats have the obligation to turn the page and lead America into a new chapter in history.

And here is his full speech he gave today.

Bush Comes Up Short

Obama made a bold, but true, announcement today on Bush's lack of leadership and irresponsible decision-making. Obama flat out said that Bush has fallen short of his role as leader of the free world, but the 2008 election is just the opportunity to change that.

"This president may occupy the White House, but for the last six years the position of leader of the free world has remained open. And it's time to fill that role once more," Obama said, according to excerpts of his speech prepared for delivery to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

"The disappointment that so many around the world feel toward America right now is only a testament to the high expectations they hold for us. We must meet those expectations again, not because being respected is an end in itself, but because the security of America and the wider world demands it," according to the speech.

In a March speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a bipartisan pro-Israel lobby, Obama blamed the Bush administration failings in Iraq for strengthening the strategic position of Iran. He called for a reduction of U.S. forces in Iraq, during a November address before the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Obama has been consistent in his disapproval of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war.

Time for a Gun Law Change

It's not surprising in the wake of the Virgina Tech shootings that gun laws have become a hot-button issue again. While McCain and other Republicans do not believe a change is needed, Democrats have taken the opportunity to speak out and re-address concerns over current laws. They argue the current laws make it too easy to acquire a gun, and with a new Congress in town, maybe now is the chance to finally do something about it. Obama said the shooting highlights serious shortcomings with gun control.

"We're still selling handguns to crazy people," Obama said during a campaign stop at a Nashua senior center on Friday. "We're supposed to have a system that these people are screened out. What's clear is the background check system in this case failed entirely."

Obama is not a hunter, and while he has said he will not take away hunters' or sportsmen's rights, he did say there must be a reasonable balance between those rights and public safety.

"(Cho) had a semiautomatic weapon with a clip that allowed him to take 19 shots in a row," Obama said. "I don't know any self-respecting hunter that needs 19 rounds of anything. The only reason you have 19 rounds is potentially to do physical harm to people. You don't shoot 19 rounds at a deer. And if you do, you shouldn't be hunting."

In an interview with the syndicated radio program "The Steve Harvey Morning Show" Obama said gun laws have to change to prevent the type of killings seen this week at Virginia Tech and on a daily basis in urban areas. The senator says "some common sense" changes are needed, among them, he wants gun laws changed for those who are mentally ill.

Watch what he had to say on the day of the shootings.

People Are Stupid

With 24 hour news programs and flashing news stories when logging on to e-mail, how do people not even know who is the country's VP?! A Pew Research Center poll shows that on average, people today are about as able to name their leaders, and are about as aware of major news events, as nearly 20 years ago. The new survey includes nine questions that are either identical or roughly comparable to questions asked in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 2007, somewhat fewer were able to name their governor, the vice president, and the president of Russia, but more respondents than in the earlier era gave correct answers to questions pertaining to national politics.

In 1989, for example, 74% could come up with Dan Quayle's name when asked who the vice president is. Today, somewhat fewer (69%) are able to recall Dick Cheney. Okay, so people don't know the VP but know that the chief justice of the Supreme Court is generally considered a conservative and that Democrats control Congress than knew these things in 1989. That seems ironic to me, but maybe that indicates the country is more politically divided? Also odd to me is that people who watch the Colbert Report or John Stewart show know more about current events (54%) than those who watch CNN (41%)!

A majority of people know who Barack Obama is (61%) but more know Arnold Schwarzenegger as the California governor or a former action-movie star (91%) and football player Peyton Manning (62%). Sad.

Up in Smoke

Obama offered his energy proposal yesterday at the University of New Hampshire and has introduced a bill in the Senate. California has already introduced an effective initiative to lower carbon content, and Obama's plan for the whole country mirrors that of California's. He says the fuel used to power automobiles should contain less of the carbon that pollutes the air - enough to make the same impact as taking 32 million cars off the road.

It's nice to see someone in the government recognize that fossil fuels and global warming are a problem that need to be dealt with, unlike Bush who has choosen not to listen to ANY experts in the field and ignore the problem.

Specifically, Obama wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars by 5 percent in 2015 and 10 percent in 2020. Obama's plan counts on new limits to force increased production of renewable biofuels, such as corn and cellulosic ethanol, which naturally have lower emissions. The plan would create incentives for increased research, investment in cleaner fuels and flexible-fuel vehicles that can run on ethanol.

The campaign says a national fuel standard would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 200 million tons in 2020 compared with 2007 levels - the equivalent of taking about 32 million cars off the road in 2020The campaign also estimates the annual consumption of gasoline derived from foreign oil imports would drop by about 30 billion gallons in 2020.

The bill he introduced would raise fuel efficiency standards. If that were enacted and combined with his carbon program, it would cut about 583 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2020, the equivalent of taking about 96 million cars off the road.

The Right Wins an Alarming One

Today the Supreme Court pleased the right-wing, anti-abortionists by giving them a victory in what could become one step toward overturning Roe v. Wade altogether. The court's conservative majority ruling bans a controversial abortion procedure of partial-birth abortion. This marks the first time since the 1973 ruling that women had the right to choose that the court has ruled in favor of limiting abortion laws.

The 5-4 decision written by Justice Anthony Kennedy said the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act that Congress passed and President Bush signed into law in 2003 does not violate a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.

The law is constitutional despite not containing an exception that would allow the procedure if needed to preserve a woman's health, Kennedy said. "The law need not give abortion doctors unfettered choice in the course of their medical practice," he wrote in the majority opinion. Doctors who violate the law face up to two years in federal prison.

Of course Bush's reaction was that this is progress toward his administration's "sanctity of life" position. And joining the conservative majority decision were Bush's two new appointees Chief Justice John Roberts and Samuel Alito. No doubt they fell into party line, and this decision has the potential to make huge waves in overturning Roe v. Wade, giving conservatives the ultimate win and women the ultimate loss.

"Today's decision is alarming," Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in dissent. She said the ruling "refuses to take ... seriously" previous Supreme Court decisions on abortion.

Said Eve Gartner of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America: "This ruling flies in the face of 30 years of Supreme Court precedent and the best interest of women's health and safety. ... This ruling tells women that politicians, not doctors, will make their health care decisions for them." She had argued that point before the justices.

Obama said the decision is a dramatic departure from precedents safeguarding women's health. "I am extremely concerned that this ruling will embolden state legislatures to enact further measures to restrict a woman's right to choose, and that the conservative Supreme Court justices will look for other opportunities to erode Roe v. Wade, which is established federal law and a matter of equal rights for women," he said.

Likewise, Clinton and Edwards also denounced the decision. Guiliani, who has been back and forth on abortion, said he was happy with the decision.

Movement in the Polls

A new national Gallup poll finds that Obama is gaining ground, and a lot of it, on chief rival Clinton. Previously leading Obama by 19 percent (38 percent to 19 percent), Clinton lead over Obama has slipped to just five percent (31 to his 26 percent) Edwards trails at 16 percent and Gore at 15 percent. The un-candidate surpasses all the other Democrats who do not have more than 3 percent. Clinton's current 45% favorable rating with the American public is her third consecutive reading below 50% in the past two months, and is one of the lowest Gallup has measured for her since 1993. And the poll shows the growing distate with Clinton is broad-based across all races, partys, age groups and both sexes.

Perhaps more troublesome for Clinton is that 52 percent have an unfavorable opinion of her in the poll, versus 45% who have a favorable view. By comparison, Obama has a 52%-27% fav/unfav rating. That means that are a lot of people who have yet to form an opinion on him and can easily be swayed to form a favorable opinion of him.

In the GOP field, Giuliani is at 35%, McCain at 22%, Fred Thompson at 10%, and Romney at 9%. Again, a non-candidate, Thompson, tops a majority of the field of candidates.

The poll also shows that just 36% approve of Bush's job; only 25% approve of Alberto Gonzales' job; and just 26% believe the troop surge in Iraq is making the situation there better.

The fact that Obama never approved of the war, the only candidate with that stance, is a help to him, as the Iraq war continues to be a hot buttom issue. The fact that 74 percent of people are dissatisfied with the troop surge and how the war is being handled he can easily work to his advantage and rope this voters onto his team.

And he's one of the few candidates who got their start working with the American public as a "regular Joe" which will continue to work to his advantage as Clinton continues to poll that she can't relate to the American people, Guiliani doesn't know the cost of daily necessities because he's out of touch and Edwards uses campaign funds for $400 haircuts.

On Hold

All candidates, including Obama, postphoned all political events today in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy. He was scheduled to speak at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs today. This is the right thing to do, and I commend the candidates. At the same time, I wonder, what are their motivations for doing so? It is truly out of respect?

In visiting the Web sites of the top three Democrats and Republicans in the polls, Obama and Edwards changed the entry to the Web site so that a black screen with support for victims is all that appears; Clinton's site had a big message as part of the page as did Guiliani. McCain's message was buried on his site after the page about donating and Romney had no message at all. I think part of how they respond is a demonstration to the American public how they will react when/if president to major disasters and tragedies.

Numbers Game

Yesterday the Federal Election Committee finishing counting and double-counting the amount raised by Obama in the first quarter, and it was even more than originally reported. His campaign raised more than $25 million, and the original 100,000 donors was actually 104,000. Yet his campaign touts that the real story is the amount of giving in the two weeks since the end of the first quarter. Since that time, more than 18,400 donors have given, and 90 percent of those are for the first time.

An e-mail from his campaign had this to say:

With the news of our historic start, the Washington chattering class is nervous. Those invested in the status quo have a hard time grasping that a movement made up of people who want a new kind of politics can actually change things. Now's the time for every person who supports Barack Obama to make one thing perfectly clear: we're here, we're serious about change, and we're going to be heard.

And with the up-swing in donating, continues an increase in online support. Of the 18,000 donors, 15,000 gave online!

Recognizing that the support of women is also crucial to meet the numbers, Obama officially launched an initiative aimed at women today during a Women for Obama luncheon, where he raised $750,000 and once again made a statement by intruding on "Hillary's turf." And over the weekend he rallied in Atlanta and South Carolina. The Atlanta rally drew 20,000 supporters, more than have ever attended one rally in the city's history. And he entered Edwards turf in the Carolinas. All bets are off in Obama's campaign, proving that he really does a fresh way of doing things.

My Video

View the video I made and posted on YouTube. Share it with your friends!

Obama and McCain Trade Barbs

McCain and Obama continue their presidential campaign battle over the Iraq War.

In a speech at Virginia Military Institute, McCain derided Democratic anti-war efforts including calls for a U.S. withdrawal. The Republican said he'd rather lose the 2008 presidential contest than have the U.S. fail in Iraq. To that, I say HA. And his stance on the war will lose him the presidency, so no fear there McCain!

"No matter how much this administration wishes it to be true, the idea that the situation in Iraq is improving because it only takes a security detail of 100 soldiers, three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships to walk through a market in the middle of Baghdad is simply not credible or reflective of the facts on the ground," said Obama in a statement Wednesday referring to a recent McCain visit.

"A power vacuum in Iraq would invite further interference from Iran at a time when Tehran already feels emboldened enough to develop nuclear weapons, threaten Israel and America, and kidnap British sailors," McCain said of the exit timetable proposed by Obama and other Democrats. "If the government collapses in Iraq, which it surely will if we leave prematurely, Iraq's neighbors, from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Egypt, will feel pressure to intervene on the side of their favored factions. This uncertain swirl of events could cause the region to explode and foreclose the opportunity for millions of Muslims and their children to achieve freedom. We could face a terrible choice: Watch the region burn, the price of oil escalate dramatically and our economy decline, watch the terrorists establish new base camps or send American troops back to Iraq, with the odds against our success much worse than they are today."

"What we need today is a surge in honesty," Obama said. "The truth is, the Iraqis have made little progress toward the political solution between Shiia and Sunni which is the last, best hope to end this war. I believe that letting the Iraqi government know America will not be there forever is the best way to pressure the warring factions toward this political settlement."

"Everything's fine," said McCain. "We're moving on, we're moving on, we're moving on."

On Monday, McCain unleashed an unusually biting and blunt broadside against Obama, accusing him of backtracking on a previous commitment to work with McCain in developing a bipartisan proposal for lobbying and ethics reform.

In a letter to Obama on Monday, McCain -- upset by his colleague's support for a reform bill put forward by Democratic leaders as well as a suggestion that McCain's approach might delay the process -- accused Obama of "self-interested partisan posturing" and "disingenuousness."

McCain also told Obama "I understand how important the opportunity to lead your party's efforts to exploit this issue must seem to a freshman senator, and I hold no hard feelings over your earlier disingenuousness. I have been around long enough to appreciate that in politics, the public interest isn't always a priority for every one of us," McCain wrote. "Good luck to you, senator." If McCain wanted to focus on public interest, maybe he'd do what the public wanted, not what he wanted. The public wants the war to end, but McCain has fallen into party line with the "stay the course rhetoric.

In response, Obama sent a letter back to McCain, saying he was "puzzled" by McCain's reaction and insisting he still supported a bipartisan approach to ethics reform.

"The fact that you have now questioned my sincerity and my desire to put aside politics for the public interest is regrettable but does not in any way diminish my deep respect for you, nor my willingness to find a bipartisan solution to this problem," Obama wrote.

What set off McCain was a letter Obama sent him late last week, after he and several other Democrats attended a meeting hosted by McCain to discuss a bipartisan approach to lobbying and ethics reform.

In that letter, Obama expressed support for a reform bill being pushed by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, rather than McCain's proposal for a bipartisan task force to look at legislation.

"I know you have expressed an interest in creating a task force to further study and discuss these matters, but I and others in the Democratic caucus believe the more effective and timely course is to allow the committees of jurisdiction (in the Senate) to roll up their sleeves and get to work on writing ethics and lobbying reform legislation that a majority of the Senate can support," Obama wrote.

In the letter he sent Monday, McCain accused the Democratic leadership of wanting "to use the issue to gain a political advantage in the 2006 elections." And he denied that his task force was designed to short-circuit the Senate committee process.

Obama said he made it clear during last week's meeting that the Democratic caucus would insist that any reform plan go through the normal committee process -- and that he believes Reid's bill "should be the basis for a bipartisan solution."

Substituting for Rush Limbaugh on Limbaugh's radio show, Roger Hedgecock said that the dispute between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain shows "how Democrats treat African-American" officeholders. According to Hedgecock, "[T]hey get put back on the plantation."

Obama Gets Imus Fired?

I find it interesting that after Obama declared Imus should be fired, MSNBC did just that.

"I believe that NBC should not be having hosts like Don Imus who are making derogatory statements toward women and minorities," Obama, who is of African descent, said in an interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN's "The Situation Room." "I've got two young daughters who I hope will be athletes, and the notion that somehow they would be degraded and insulted and that that would pass as humor and that NBC would be running that over the public airwaves, I think, is atrocious."

Obama, who appeared once on Imus' show, said: "I have no intention of returning."

Obama On Top

Barack Obama is the candidate most likely to lead the country out of Iraq, according to an online straw poll of members of the liberal activist group MoveOn.org.

Obama won nearly 28 percent of the 42,882 votes cast by MoveOn's 3.2 million members. Edwards, the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee, was second with almost 25 percent. Clinton , who appears to be leading the field in national opinion polls but has been criticized for refusing to call her 2002 vote to authorize the Iraq war a mistake, was fifth with nearly 11 percent, finishing behind both Kucinich, an antiwar candidate who was third with 17 percent, and Richardson, who was fourth with 12 percent.

The survey, which asked which candidate would be best able to lead the United States out of Iraq, was conducted by the group after a MoveOn forum Tuesday night in which seven Democratic candidates answered questions about the war. The answers were aired online and broadcast on the liberal talk-radio network Air America.

It seems campaigning and debating online is the wave of the future, and the future is here.

Giddyup Gallup

According to a Gallup poll this week, voters are on a learning curve when it comes to Obama. His name ID has risen from 53% in December to 77% today. So far, his favorability has remained positive, although his negatives have risen from 11% in December to 24% today. Obama's great appeal to voters is his youth and freshness. He is also seen as likable. Voters also cite his inexperience as his biggest weakness. Well more than 9 in 10 voters say Obama's race would not be a factor in their vote.

Both Obama and Clinton are competing for the black Democratic vote, a minor factor in early primary and caucus states such as New Hampshire and Iowa, but of significant importance in South Carolina and others. Best current estimates are that the two are roughly tied among black Democrats.

It's still early in the process. Poll results at this phase -- 10 months before the first primaries and caucuses and less than 20 months before the general election -- do not necessarily bear a strong relationship to the reality that unfolds in the election year itself. This has historically been true for the Democratic Party in particular. Bill Clinton, Michael Dukakis, Jimmy Carter, and George McGovern were all virtual unknowns who rose from obscurity to take their party's nomination.

Three-quarters of voters in March indicated that they did not yet have a good idea for whom they will vote next year. Half have not given it much thought. A recent USA Today/Gallup poll finds slightly fewer than 4 in 10 Americans saying they would like to see Gore run for president in 2008; the majority of Americans do not want to see him run.

Live On Letterman

Last night Barack Obama fulfilled his promise to return to the David Letterman show when or if he decided to run for president. When Letterman introduced him, he received a roaring applause from the New York audience. Letterman said that he believes Clinton and Obama will go head-to-head for the party's nomination and "it will be tremendously exciting."

When telling jokes in the opening, Letterman joked that during one of his lines Obama raised another $25 million during that time. Obama, wearing a suit, atypical of his campaign style, was impressive in his responses. Letterman remarked that he had on a great suit, one which makes him electable and Letterman would vote for.

For anyone who argues he is charismatic but lacks substance, he gave meaty answers on the proposed phased-withdrawl of Iraq, what we've learned there and what he will push for if elected. "We can't be as careless exiting as we were careless entering." One point during the discussion on Iraq, Obama was interrupted by applause from the audience. He reiterated that we cannot stay the course we are currently on.

When Letterman asked about the possibly of an Obama/Clinton ticket, Obama asked in which order and then responded no one is running for second. Letterman also gave him several opportunities to make other candidates look bad, and Obama responded well that there are some great people running and avoided discussing the Clinton spat with David Geffen, saying his constituents aren't worried about that, but rather that they're jobs are moving to China and they have no health care.

When asked if campaiging was taking away from his job as senator, he defended his voting record, noting he's only missed three votes. He did say he would like to get back to Chicago more to see his family.

Additionally, Obama was asked whether he is still smoking, and has said he is now chewing Nicotine gum in an effort to quit. Letterman joked it'd be cool to have a president who smokes and can blow the smoke in people's faces.

Obama made quite an appearance, and his quotes are popping up in every major news outlet. He also managed to fit in three fundraises in New York City that same day, entering Hillary's stomping ground and making a statement that all of New York is not for her.

Coming Home

Yesterday Obama unveiled a housing program for veterans. He plans to introduce the legislation in Congress that he calls Homes for Heroes, which would establish grant and voucher programs to encourage development of affordable housing targeted for veterans. During a three-day trip to Iowa, (where's he's now visited 20 different counties), he made vets a top priority.

"Veterans are far more likely to be homeless than nonveterans and part of it is because we're not providing services to them as they transition out of the service," Obama said in an interview Friday before a campaign rally. "Part of it is because there is just not enough affordable housing."

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that as many as 200,000 are living on the streets or in shelters and perhaps twice as many are homeless at some time in the course of a year.

Obama, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, concluded a three-day trip to Iowa by touring the Iowa Veterans Home and focusing on veterans issues. He said the government spends billions on the war but has consistently shortchanged programs for veterans, whose needs should be a top priority.

Obama said he chose to visit the Iowa Veterans Home because of its solid reputation. The center is essentially a state-financed retirement home for veterans, which Obama believes is a model for the rest of the country.

Not Up for Debate

Today Obama announced he will not participate in the Fox News and Congressional Black Caucus-sponsored Democratic debate this fall, joining Edwards who three days ago announced his refusal to participate. Obama said he would instead participate in the Congressional Black Caucus' debate that will be hosted by CNN in January.

Democrats have been under pressure from liberal activists, such as Jesse Jackson, a supporter of Obama, to avoid Fox-hosted debates. Last month, the Nevada Democratic Party canceled a debate that Fox was to co-sponsor in August. Democratic critics complain that the network displays a conservative bias in its news broadcasts. Last week the Democratic National Committee sanctioned six debates before the 2008 primary season, but did not include the Fox-CBC Institute debate among them.

Although the debates are still scheduled as of now, two major contenders are out, and ColorOfChange.org, an online organization of black activists, is urging Clinton to also pull out of the debate on Fox.

Hillary Endorsers

Hillary has received several endorsements over the last week, among them an endorsement from Iowa's Governor, Tom Vilsack, who until last month, was also running for president. Nine additional state representatives from New Hampshire also announced their endorsement of Clinton, bringing the total number NH state reps for Clinton to 29. The governor of New Jersey and two congressmen also officially announced their support. More than a dozen state officials in New Jersey are now behind her. While none of these people are so significant that these endorsements spell ruin for Obama and others, they are leaders in their states, states which have very early primaries.

More Bush?! Help Us All

It's a bit early, and rather presumptous to begin naming potential running mates for vice president, but that's exactly what Mitt Romney did yesterday. Among the three names he gave, Florida Governor Jeb Bush was on the list! If a Bush can find a way to be in the White House, he will leave no stone unturned. And Florida just has to make a mess of another election. This is all around bad for everyone, and I can't help but think this will hurt him. The story, however, was disappointly buried in the news.

Iowa = Illinois

In Iowa yesterday, Obama said he thinks he may have an advantage in Iowa: the fact that he lives next door.

"I feel like I'm home," Obama told the Associated Press. "Illinois is basically Iowa, and then we have Chicago."

Plenty of coastal residents lump all the Midwest provinces together, as "those square states" one flies over on the way from one shore to another. But it's unusual to hear folks from the Heartland do it themselves.

I doubt people in Iowa are going to like the comment that it's basically the same as Illinois. And people in Illinois but not in Chicago continously complained they're forgotten to Chicago.

Ground Up

A story from the New York Times explains Obama's fundraising campaign philosophy as a grass-roots, bottoms up campaign. I agree, and think it it very note-worthy that only individual contributions have been accepted, keeping PACs from buying his vote. Below is a synopsis of the story.

Two and a half years after he had taken quite a “spanking,” as he put it, in his bid to unseat an incumbent congressman, he was still struggling to pay off a $20,000 debt, eking out donations of $1,000 here, $2,000 there. His fund-raising prowess has helped make him the chief rival to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

Interviews and campaign finance reports show Obama drew crucial early support from Chicago’s thriving black professional class, using it as a springboard to other rainmakers within the broader party establishment. Soon he was drawing money — and, just as valuable, buzz — among wealthy Chicago families, as well as friends from Harvard Law School and the University of Chicago.

Obama appears to have such a firm hold on so many of Chicago’s big donors that Clinton, who grew up in a Chicago suburb, did not even have a fund-raiser here during the crucial first quarter of this year. Obama’s campaign says its grass-roots support is expanding rapidly, in part through $25-a-ticket fund-raisers designed for a new generation of donors.

I have been asked what it is that people see in Obama, and I think this is a good summary from the New York Times:

Even as he cultivated an image as an unconventional candidate devoted to the people, not the establishment, he systematically built a sophisticated, and in many ways quite conventional, money machine.

IOWA? A Hot Bed of Political Activity

Does anyone understand why Iowa is the political center of the American universe? I fail to understand why they have such a large pull over who is the party's candidate. Sure, they have the first caucus and primary, but why? Last year, by the time the Illinois primary was held, I had no choice in candidate, as there was only one candidate left in the running at that point. Obama held his Web cast in Onawa, Iowa, last week and is back in Iowa this week for several days. This certainly not his first or last trip to the state, and likewise for the seemingly thousands of candidates. I think there is almost one candidate running for each person living in Iowa. They should be the most informed voters in the country however, having the opportunity to attend hundreds of events featuring each candidate. Still, I fail to understand why the first primary is in Iowa. And can you imagine living in Iowa, receiving the multitude of political mail, soliciting phone calls and even people knocking on your door for nearly two years?!

With that said, a number of states are considering moving up their primary, or have already done so. A vote is currently before the Illinois Senate to move the primary to February 5, and it is expected to happen. California and New Jersey just moved theirs to February 5 as well, and Texas is considering doing likewise. Florida changed theirs to January 29. If Florida can mess up any political race, they will, injecting themselves once again. States that already have a February 5 primary: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Utah. Interesting that most of the states with early primaries or moving their primary up have a candidate running from their state. But again, there are so many candidates at this point that there are few states withOUT a candidate.

Oval Office For Sale

It seems the Oval Office of the White House is up for sale! After reading the startling campaign fundraising numbers, clearly the Oval Office is available for purchase. By the end of the election, it seems these candidates could single-handedly end the national debt!

I must admit that I am happy to see that Obama stole a bit of Clinton's thunder by tying her for money raised, making him a bigger threat than I think Clinton's camp originally estimated and bringing more attention from the American people. He is on par with once-supposed front-runner Clinton. What I respect about Obama's fundraising strategy is that none of the money was from PACs or corporations, but instead all from individuals. To me this shows his vote on hot issues can't be bought by the PAC willing to pay the most. And no one other candidate can say they didn't accept PAC money! And more than half the donors contributed online, demonstrating that online support is growing and quashing some of my earlier fears that online support wouldn't translate to offline support.

While Clinton has honed a vast national fundraising network through two Senate campaigns and her husband's eight years as president, Obama launched his bid for the White House with a relatively small donor base concentrated largely in Illinois, his home state. But his early opposition to the Iraq war and voter excitement over his quest to be the first black president quickly fueled a powerful fundraising machine.

I received this e-mail from Obama's campaign: "I'm proud to tell you that, after the first quarter of the campaign, we've exceeded all of our hopes and expectations. In less than three months, a staggering 100,000 Americans have contributed to our cause -- tens of thousands more than the number reported by any other campaign. That's on top of the hundreds of thousands who have attended rallies, started groups and shared their ideas and energy."

What was a surprise is that former MA Gov. Mitt Romney also raised about the same amount, coming seemingly out of nowhere to raise the most of Republicans. It is reported that a large amount of his donations are from Mormon groups. Help us.

No Playing Chicken with Troops

Obama continues to distance himself from Hillary Clinton, by calling out that she refuses to repudiate her vote. This is a strategy that is working in Obama's favor due to the high number of Americans who now oppose the war and want the troops to come home.

If President Bush vetoes an Iraq war spending bill as promised, Congress quickly will provide the money without the withdrawal timeline the White House objects to because no lawmaker "wants to play chicken with our troops," Barack Obama said Sunday.

"My expectation is that we will continue to try to ratchet up the pressure on the president to change course," the Democratic presidential candidate said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I don't think that we will see a majority of the Senate vote to cut off funding at this stage."

Read the full story.

Savior Barack

A new art exhibit that looks like Barack Obama in Jesus' robe and halo is causing a stir in Chicago.

The artist says he did his senior art project depicting Obama as Jesus because,
"All of this is a response to what I've been witnessing and hearing, this idea that Barack is sort of a potential savior that might come and absolve the country of all its sins," Cordero said. "In a lot of ways it's about caution in assigning all these inflated expectations on one individual, and expecting them to change something that many hands have shaped."

Obama's thoughts on the exhibit? Well, his campaign is trying to steer clear of this one, saying they're for First Amendment rights but also cautious of offending people. Personally, I think it's rather funny and the artist does have a point in his comments.

Anyone Else?

So, does anyone else out there want to run for president?! Why not, as it seems everyone else is! It's the cool thing to do, I guess. Today two more Republican candidates joined the race.

Former Wisconsin Governor and Former Health and Human Services Secretary during Bush's first term, Tommy Thompson announed he is the "reliable conservative." He said his Iraq strategy would be "tremendously" different from Bush's and said he opposed the Democratic approach in Congress to start withdrawing U.S. troops based on timelines.

Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo also threw his name into the ring, declaring that he is unhappy with all of the current Republican candidates because they are too soft on immigration. His staunch stance against immigration has garnered publicity in recent years, and he has said that will be the focus of his campaign.

Tancredo, I've got news for you: there are greater concerns in our country right now than immigration reform. Sure, it's an issue, but the most important? C'mon. And with a name like Tancredo, can you oppose it?! And I don't understand these people who don't want to set a withdrawl from Iraq timeline. I guess they'd like us to stay permanently or until all of our soliders are dead?!

I also have to wonder with all of these people so busy campaigning nearly two years before the election if anything is being accomplished in Washington. Clearly they're never there, spending half of their time in Iowa and the other half everywhere else, so when do they vote on bills, represent the people of their state (where they now have no time to visit or make a priority) and make great things happen? We know the answer to that.

Social Darwinism

Barack Obama, as well as John Edwards and Hillary Clinton, spoke at the Communications Workers of America conference on Tuesday. He accused the Bush administration on of pursuing a policy of "social Darwinism" that leaves every man and woman struggling. He vowed to look out for average workers and changes if elected president.

"It's a strategy that we've seen this administration pursue over the last six years, that basically says government has no role to play in making sure that America is prosperous for all people and not just some," Obama said to applause during an appearance before the Communications Workers of America.

The Illinois senator said the attempt to "divvy up the government into individual tax breaks" may be tempting, but government research and investment is what has made advances possible in the United States.

Campaign by Web cast

Yesterday I attended a relatively new type of campaign rally and information session. Packed into the Democratic Party Headquarters in Oak Park, Illinois, about 75 people sat silently through a 75-minute question and answer session with Barack Obama. Obama wasn't in the room, yet he was. Broadcast live through his Web site, the Web cast was streamed live. In the tiny town of Onawa, Iowa, (it only has two stop lights) the presidential candidate took questions from a crowd gathered in the community library. This is a unique way to hold a town hall meeting all over the country simultaneously. His campaign said 5,000 similar events were being held in all 50 states to view the Web cast. I could have watched the Web cast at home, but part of the excitement was the atmosphere and seeing how people reacted to certain remarks. I compare it to being in the basement of some church or house leading up to the Revolution, plotting secretly and building excitement for the cause.

I was excited to hear him speak on the issues, yet walking away from the session, I feel as if I know no more about his stance on the issues than previously. He wants every American to have health care by the end of his first term, he is tired of outsourcing jobs to other countries, he thinks "No Child Left Behind" is not working and he wants to end our reliance on oil for gasoline. Don't we all, but how?! Obama did lay out his plan for phased redeployment and withdrawl from Iraq.

The downfall, as with any form is technology, is reliance on it working. For about the first 10 minutes as people logged onto the site to watch, there were intermittent delays or breaks between words. Throughout the Web cast, there were times when there were words but no picture. And 75 people sitting around a computer screen is a bit difficult. This speaks to the age group and demographics of Obama supporters, however.

I doubt an event of this nature would attract those who are unsure who they support or sway the vote of someone who is currently backing another candidate, but I think the primary objective in this instance was to excite and energize his loyal supporters and get them pumped to help him campaign, spread the word and thereby attract others to support Obama. I did come home and hang an Obama sign in my window for others to see as they passby, so I guess it kinda worked in that I'm spreading the word, maybe just not as actively as the Obama campaign would've liked.

The Washington Post story linked to this post talks about this specific problem and points out that while Howard Dean had 650,000 online registered supporters, they were unable to mobilize that online support into real offline support. The Obama campaign is optimistic they will be able to succeed where Dean failed. I think we'll just have to watch and see how it plays out as to whether these new mediums for campaigning are in fact making an impact.

Fundraising Deadline

As the quarterly fundraising deadline approaches (its midnight March 31), the Obama campaign is increasing its e-mails encouraging donation support. (I get ALL of their e-mails, so I know). They said they're more concerned with reaching their goal of 75,000 donors than the dollar amount. Let's be honest, no campaign is concerned more with people donating than with the amount donated, but that's a good spin in encouraging more people. It seems they surpassed their goal, as here's part of the e-mail I received today.

The 75,000th person who decided to own a piece of this campaign did it with just $5.
It happened late last night, as we hit our goal of 75,000 people donating to the campaign more than two full days in advance of the March 31st quarterly reporting deadline.

His name is Rashed. He's a Navy veteran and this was his first donation ever to a political campaign. We gave him a call from headquarters here in Chicago last night to thank him, and he told us that the reason he decided to give had a lot to do with his young daughter, Yasemin:

"Being an African American male, to have that positive role model in Senator Obama, it's given me so much hope. To be able to look at my daughter one day and tell her, 'You can be anything you want in the world" ... In the past I might have said, 'You could be anything you want to be. But president? No' ... But now, he's given me that light. Now, I can tell her, 'You really can be anything you want in the world.'"

Campaign Endorsement

Jesse Jackson formally announced today who he's endorsing for president- Barack Obama. This comes as no surprise, as he's known for his liberal views, his son is a Chicago politican and he has long been a supporter of black rights. If it were anyone else, then I would've been surprised.

Jackson sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, winning 13 primaries and caucuses in 1988. His son, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois, has already endorsed Obama.

Jackson represents a different era of black politician, battle-tested by the civil rights struggles of the 1960s with Martin Luther King Jr.

In a statement responding to Jackson's support, Obama said, "This campaign has been about giving hope since Day One and I am proud to have the support of my friend Jesse Jackson. It is because people like Jesse ran that I have this opportunity to run for president today."

Watch This!

What a great video produced by a fellow blogger, News Snob

Poll Standings

Proving yet again that Americans don't vote on candidates for the right reason, John Edwards has gone up five percent in the polls since the announcement last week of Elizabeth Edwards' cancer. Don't get me wrong, I feel for the family, who has already had their share of tragedy, but it's no reason to now throw my support to John Edwards. Edwards is now at 14 percent, but is still third in the standings.

In the same poll, Barack Obama is holding steady at 22 percent, still second to Hillary Clinton, who has 35 percent.

Barack Event

On March 31, Barack Obama will be campaigning live in living rooms throughout the U.S. Demonstrating yet again how his campaign is different in more ways than one, he will hold a live Webcast from the living room of an Iowa family that can be viewed live online. Obama's campaign is encouraging supporters and opposers alike to hold small parties to watch the Webcast and then hold open discussions.

For those who register their event with the Barack Obama campaign, they will receive a kit of materials, including a DVD on Obama's campaign. This is unique to campaigning. As a registered supporter, I received both a phone call and e-mail from his campaign office yesterday urging me to hold an event. I live in a small apartment, so that's not really an option. But on his Web site are a list of registered events by zip code, and many invite other people to attend their event. I plan to attend an area event to view the Web cast and see what it's all about.

The Webcast will be held at 3 p.m. on March 31. Click on the title of this blog for the info about this posted on Obama's Web site.

Clinton: Meet 1984

A mysterious 1984 spin with Clinton has hit YouTube and taken off. Obama says he had never seen it before it was released and had no part of it, and I truly believe that. An unofficial AOL poll asked if people thought Obama knew about it before it aired, and 39,122 people responded. Of these respondents, 44 percent said no, 32 percent said yes and 23 said it was hard to say. AOL also polled as to whether the video would affect Obama campaign, and 38,713 people responded. Fifty percent said no, 39 percent it would affect his campaign negatively and 12 percent said it would affect his campaign positively.

The mystery creator of the Orwellian YouTube ad against Hillary Rodham Clinton is a Democratic operative who worked for a digital consulting firm with ties to rival Sen. Barack Obama.

Philip de Vellis, a strategist with Blue State Digital, acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that he was the creator of the video, which portrayed Clinton as a Big Brother figure and urged support for Obama's presidential campaign.

De Vellis said he resigned from the firm on Wednesday after he learned that he was about to be unmasked by the HuffingtonPost.com., a liberal news and opinion Internet site.

Blue State designed Obama's Web site and one of the firm's founding members, Joe Rospars, took a leave from the company to work as Obama's director of new media.

"It's true ... yeah, it's me," de Vellis said Wednesday evening.
He said he produced the ad outside of work and that neither Blue State nor the Obama campaign was aware of his role in the ad.

"But it raises some eyebrows, so I thought it best that I resign and not put them in that position."

In a statement released Wednesday evening, the Obama campaign said:

"The Obama campaign and its employees had no knowledge and had nothing to do with the creation of the ad. We were notified this evening by a vendor of ours, Blue State Digital, that an employee of the company had been involved in the making of this ad. Blue State Digital has separated ties with this individual and we have been assured he did no work on our campaign's account."

The Clinton campaign had no immediate comment.

The connection to the Obama camp, however, poses a public relations problem for the campaign. Obama has argued that he is a different type of presidential candidate who rejects negative politics.

The ad was guerrilla politics at its cleverest and had become the boffo hit of the YouTube Web site.

The 74-second clip, a copy of a 1984 Apple ad for its Macintosh computer, has recorded nearly 1.5 million views, with an enormous surge in the past two days. The video's final image reads "BarackObama.com."

De Vellis remained hidden for weeks, protected by the anonymity afforded by YouTube and the absence of federal regulations governing most Internet political speech.

The ad portrayed Clinton on a huge television screen addressing robotic humans in a stark, futuristic hall. A female athlete tosses a hammer at the screen, destroying Clinton's image with an explosive flash. Then this text: "On January 14th the Democratic primary will begin. And you will see why 2008 isn't going to be like '1984.'"

De Vellis said he used footage of an updated Apple ad that portrayed the female athlete wearing an iPod. He said he used standard Apple equipment to modify the video and edit Clinton's image into the clip.

Obama, appearing on CNN's "Larry King Live" Monday night, said his campaign knew nothing about the origins of the anti-Clinton ad.

"Frankly, given what it looks like, we don't have the technical capacity to create something like this," he said. "It's pretty extraordinary."

Four Years Later

Four years later, and we're still in Iraq. Mission Accomplished? No. Here's what was posted on BarackObama.com on the fourth anniversary.

Too many have seen friends and family killed or wounded, and all of us have seen the damage to our national security and good standing that will take years to undo.

This strategic blunder will have consequences for a generation of Americans and beyond.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/m/vim5sq0gjsg/9iO3Ag

Speaking out against this administration's reckless rush to war in Iraq wasn't easy four years ago. Washington didn't go easy on those brave enough to voice their opposition.

The same pattern continues today. From questioning someone's patriotism to accusations of aiding the enemy, almost no smear tactic is out-of-bounds when it comes to attacking those who speak out against this tragic war.

But from the beginning -- before George Bush announced the invasion of Iraq four years ago today -- Barack Obama consistently opposed this war.

Today he's got a plan to end it. His plan to begin a phased withdrawal of our troops by May 1st is the foundation around which Democrats of all stripes have united.

Now it's your time to lead.

From our resource and action center, you can write a letter to the editor, support Barack's plan to bring the troops home, and even upload your own video about why you want to end this war. Take action on Iraq now:

http://action.barackobama.com/iraqaction

On this page, you can also find a link to various ways you can assist troops in the field, veterans who’ve returned home, and the families of those whose service we honor. And so as we work to get them out of harm’s way in Iraq, please take a moment to do something for those who have sacrificed most.

All of us need to act now, because the administration still hasn't gotten the message about this war.

Just this morning, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice demonstrated the Bush administration's head-in-the-sand approach to Iraq.

Asked to name the biggest mistake over the last four years, she couldn't name one. She said, "I don't know. When we look back over time we will know the answer to that question."

The time to fix our course in Iraq is now. We can't wait for the Bush administration to act -- it's up to you.

Rock Picks Barack

Funny comments from Chris Rock on March 17's Saturday Night Live as to whether the country is ready for a black president. The funniest and best line is at the very end of this clip!

Shift to Obama

There has been a recent noticeable shift in sentiment among African American voters, who little more than a month ago heavily supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton but now favor the candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama.

Clinton continues to lead Obama and other rivals in the Democratic contest, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll. But her once-sizable margin over the freshman senator from Illinois was sliced in half during the past month largely because of Obama's growing support among black voters.

The question is now whether others who have typically supported either Clinton will also shift their support...

More Name Calling

The Obama name comparison and bad taste of newscasters continues…

Fox's Roger Ailes made a remark last week about the similarities between the Illinois senator's name and al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden.

At a Radio & Television News Directors Association Foundation event in Washington on Thursday, Ailes said, "And it is true that Barack Obama is on the move. I don't know if it's true that President Bush called (Pakistani President Pervez) Musharraf and said, 'Why can't we catch this guy?"' according to a transcript provided by Fox.
Ailes went too far, the state's Democratic Party chairman, Tom Collins, and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., wrote Fox News. "We cannot, as good Democrats, put our party in a position to defend such comments."

Nevada Democrats already were under criticism by MoveOn.org Civic Action, a network of liberal activists, for the partnership with Fox, which the group called "a mouthpiece for the Republican party."

In response, Fox News vice president David Rhodes said, "News organizations will want to think twice before getting involved in the Nevada Democratic caucus which appears to be controlled by radical, fringe, out-of-state interest groups."
"I didn't take great offense at the joke," Obama said in an Associated Press interview while campaigning in Iowa. "I have been called worse."

What can Obama really say that won’t continue to enlarge this topic in the news? It’s best for him, and everyone, if it just goes away. Instead of focusing on his name, why don’t we focus on what he stands for?!

Name Calling

In response to a reader’s comment left on my blog several days ago, I felt compelled to research whether the majority of Americans are still confusing Barack Obama with Osama bin Laden. I truly hope they are not after this length of time and extensive media coverage Obama has been getting.

In an early February Gallop/USA Today poll, most Americans were unsure about who Barack Obama was:

49% - Terrorist leader who organized 9/11
27% - The statue in Iraq the Marines pulled down on TV
11% - Kick return specialist that played for Notre Dame in the early 90's
11% - Kick return specialist that played for the Toronto Argo's in the mid-90's
2% - That black Senator who might actually be president

A month ago a Washington Post editorial noted a trend among conservatives to use Obama’s name in full: Barack Hussein Obama. "This would be merely juvenile if it weren't so contemptible," the paper declared.

Several major news organizations reported on Obama’s name similarity when he was still considering running for president. And several news organizations made the mistake (intentional?) of calling him Osama. Fox ranks at the top of the list of news organizations to commit this HUGE mistake. Fox even connected Obama to the axis of evil.


Even CNN got it wrong, proving the sad state of journalism today.



I cannot say whether most Americans are still confused, as I could not find any more recent polls. If people are still confused, they have either been living in a hole, or, I hate to say it, they’re just that naive.

Character Debate

Obama comes in second to Clinton on character, according to a new poll. However, voters choose him over Clinton for his experience. Ironic.

A new Associated Press-Ipsos poll says 55 percent of those surveyed consider honesty, integrity and other values of character the most important qualities they look for in a presidential candidate.

Just one-third look first to candidates' stances on issues; even fewer focus foremost on leadership traits, experience or intelligence.

The AP-Ipsos poll of 1,001 adults, conducted Monday through Wednesday, found honesty was by far the most popular single trait -- volunteered by 41 percent of voters in open-ended questioning.

Among Republican and GOP -leaning voters, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani leads Arizona Sen. John McCain 35 percent to 22 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had 11 percent, followed in the single digits by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas.

Giuliani leads the pack among voters who look first to a candidate's character, issues and leadership qualities. The only area when McCain pulls even to Giuliani is among voters who cite experience as the most important quality or characteristic in a president.

Among Democrats, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York leads with 38 percent, followed by Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois at 21 percent. Former Vice President Al Gore is at 14 percent and 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards is at 10 percent. The rest of the field is in single digits.

More Tough Questions

Since my post on March 7, I've done some more digging on Obama's stock portfolio. Was I too hard on my "boy" the other day? Some of my readers thought so.

Obama disclosed documentation on one of the two stocks, but it is the other stock that still raises some questions. The news has covered the fact that he actually lost $13,000 by selling SkyTerra stock when he realized the conflict, but it's the AVI stock for a company developing a vaccine for the avian flu that still is a bit suspicious. What most news organizations have left out of their reports is that he gained 28 percent from that stock.

And the "quasi-blind trust" for buying and selling stocks was signed three months after the purchase of the stocks, not before.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not jumping ship on Obama, but I do think this is a temporary set back in his campaign as the media has spent days reporting on this, and it's not going away just yet. Other politicans have done way worse, much of which probably goes unnoticed, but Obama is the poster boy for ethical reform.

I do have to question the fact that the New York Times was the first to unearth this story. Maybe Rudy's supporters fed this to the media. Who knows. Either way, it has once again deflected attention from Obama's platform to personal quandries.

Ethical Conundrum

This is the first time that I raise my eyebrows at what Obama has done. He first admitted making a "boneheaded mistake" late last year when he bought an adjacent parcel of land, and on the same day, as Democratic fundraiser Tony Rezko. Today, the New York Times reports that shortly after arriving in the Senate, Obama bought stock in two companies whose investors included several major donors to his campaign.

Obama claims he was not involved in the purchase, which was made for him by a stockbrocker, and he immediately sold the stock at a loss of $13,000 when he was made aware of the conflict in interest.

While neither are problems in themselves, possibly even combined. But running on an ethical campaign message and working with McCain on a campaign contribution limit, this could become a bigger issue if the New York Times begins to raise doubts in voter's minds as to other choices Obama may have made in the past.

Rat Race

According to a recent ABC News / Washington Post poll, a whopping 65 percent of Americans are closely following the race -- and the primaries are still nearly a year away. There is hope for a strong voter turn out. Let's hope the interest continues, yet the candidates need to start talking about the issues and stop the he said, she said.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton crossed campaign paths for the first time Sunday as they paid homage to civil rights activists who they said helped give them the chance to break barriers to the White House.

If it hasn't been for Selma, I wouldn't be here," Obama said. "This is the site of my conception. I am the fruits of your labor. I am the offspring of the movement. When people ask me whether I've been to Selma before, I tell them I'm coming home."

But the former president stole the show from the two candidates. The audience cheered loudest for him when the three took the stage at the end of the march and the crowd mobbed him as he tried to make it to his limousine, delaying his departure.

Speaking at his induction, Clinton said the 2008 campaign features "a rainbow coalition running for president."

"I'm here because somebody marched for our freedom," Obama, who would become the first black president, said from the Brown Chapel AME Church where the march began on March 7, 1965. "I'm here because you all sacrificed for me. I stand on the shoulders of giants."

The crowd in and around Obama's appearance was decidedly larger -- his audience included 15 members of Congress, compared with four who went to hear Clinton.

Watch Obama's speech at the Brown Chapel AME Church.

Black Enough?

This SNL skit portrays how truly ridiculous the continuing "Is he black enough?" debate is. I know you've heard it and seen the "experts" weighing in on the "level" of Obama's "blackness". He's been asked, and we know what he thinks. I thought this would go away, but it hasn't after three weeks of being tossed around in the news. C'mon, does it really matter how "black" he is?! It'd be nice if the media would ask him some substantial questions about important issues.

Campaign Finance Reform- For Real?

This seems like it could be a response to Hillary Clinton's demand that Obama return $1.3 million in campaign funds raised by Geffen at a Hollywood fundraiser. (See earlier post for details.) However, this has been in the works since before Clinton's demand to return the money. Now, the big question is whether Clinton will jump on this bandwagon of pledging not to exceed $85 million and returning money if necessary....This remains to be seen.

Senator John McCain joined Senator Barack Obama on Thursday in promising to accept a novel fund-raising truce if each man wins his party's presidential nomination.

In every election since Watergate, candidates have received limited sums of taxpayer money on the condition that they abstain from raising or spending any more. But this year, the leading candidates are all sidestepping the system in a competition to raise far more in private donations, more than $500 million each, according to most projections, compared with $150 million in potential public financing.

McCain said that he would take up Obama on a proposal for an accord between the two major party nominees to rely just on public financing for the general election.

Such a pact would eliminate any financial edge one candidate might have and limit each campaign to $85 million for the general election. The two candidates would have to return any private donations that they had raised for that period.

Obama laid out his proposal last month to the Federal Election Commission, seeking an opinion on its legality. The commissioners formally approved it on Thursday. Obama would "aggressively pursue an agreement" with whoever was his opponent.

McCain and Obama have backed changing campaign finances.

Campaigning Hollywood Style: Worthy of an Oscar

It's no surprise that Hillary Clinton is calling for Obama to return $1.3 million in campaign funds when the organizer of the gala event was a past support of Bill Clinton. Yet, Clinton must realize movie mogual David Geffen was a supporter of her husband, not her.

Geffen commented to a New York Times reporter that "Everyone in politics lies, but they do it with such ease, it's troubling." He called Clinton unelectable and raised questions about both Clintons' ethics and trustworthiness.

Instead of leaving it there, Clinton's people had to come back fighting, calling on Obama to both denounce the comments and return the money. Are you serious?! Would Clinton do likewise if the situation were reversed?! No way.

Geffen can say whatever he wants about any of the candidates. If Clinton weren't counting on him to once again raise a lot of money for her, the comments would go unnoticed.

One Step Closer

The presidential campaign already has one casualty: Tom Vilsack. Obama needs to capitalize on those Iowa votes, and a rally in the state last week can't have hurt his case.

Even Republicans Like Him

When Obama visited Iowa, he attracted crowds larger than the state's own governor and presidential hopeful, Tom Vilsack, was able to muster. Iowans are typically late to pick favorites, but even some registered Republicans have succumbed.

Monica Green voted for George Bush last time. But at the town hall session, she was volunteering for Obama. She even contributed $250 to his campaign. She has never done that before, not even for a Republican. "I trust him when he says he wants to transform politics," she says. "Just call me a Republican voting for Barack Obama."