Friday, February 8, 2008

Washington State Governor Gregoire Endorses Obama

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire is a white female. To many people, these two words that define her gender and race should/could matter in who she would endorse for Democratic nominee the day before her state's primary vote. Hillary Clinton fits both of these designations but it seems Gregoire has decided to endorse Obama. This should give Obama a huge boost in tomorrow's election.

Pro-Life and Pro-Obama?

One of the biggest issues in many people's decision on who to vote for in the presidential race, or any political race for that matter, is abortion. Pro-life and pro-choice are the two extremes and most candidates side with one or the other. This bias quickly makes a decision very clear for many voters. If they agree with the candidate's stance on abortion, it is possible a vote of support will be cast at the ballot. But, disagreement on the issue of abortion is usually a deal breaker. The lines is typically that many conservatives are pro-life and liberals are pro-choice. Therefore, most Republicans are pro-life and Democrats are pro-choice. Could someone that was pro-life vote for a candidate that was pro-choice? Fundamentally, no but this is 2008 and Barack Obama is running for President.

Frank Schaeffer's father, evangelical leader Francis Schaeffer, wrote the book Whatever Happened to the Human Race. This book and corresponding marketing created the pro-life movement and the evangelicals followed closely behind. Mike Huckabee was quoted recently as saying that if he had to take one book besides the Bible to a desert island, it would be this Schaeffer's. Schaeffer senior and junior are both pro-life, always have been and probably always will be. Frank's most recent book is entitled "CRAZY FOR GOD -- How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It Back." This is not a book whose author you would typically think would vote for a pro-choice candidate like Obama. But as Schaeffer illustrates in his most recent article, he is pro-life and pro-Obama. Things have obviously changed and Schaeffer does a great job stating his position on how they have changed and why Obama is the best choice for the President of the United States. Even for Pro-Life Voters!

And as Hayley most recently wrote, Republicans are starting to jump across party lines to campaign and vote for Obama. This wouldn't be so bad if he was a moderate candidate or say, the 16th most liberal senator in the US congress (aka Hillary Clinton), but Obama was voted the MOST liberal senator in 2007. Obama is the best candidate and this election may just go to show, as Schaeffer points out, that there is a difference in thinking about WE versus ME when voiting for president.

Kennedy Speech Writer Helping Obama















Remember this phrase:

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
It was crafted by Theodore "Ted" Sorensen, the adviser for John F. Kennedy and he has "given them a phrase or suggestion or two," Sorensen admits. The them in that quote is the Obama campaign. He has also become great friends with the speech writers for Obama and states that he probably started any comparisons between JFK and Obama. More info at ABCnews. Also looks that a Time Poll states that Clinton is more beatable than Obama.

Obama Recommends Will.I.Am 'Yes We Can' Video to Reporters

We reported a couple of days ago, about the Will.I.Am viral video that has been passed around the web and is set to Obama's New Hampshire primary speech. It was only a matter of time before Obama's opinion was heard. More from EURweb.

"According to the Associated Press, Obama is a fan of the video and recommended it to reporters on his campaign plane after he watched it Saturday for the first time. The clip is now on Obama's Web site with a form so people can share it, and the video was played before supporters Sunday at a UCLA rally headlined by Oprah Winfrey."

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Barack Obama Turns Republicans Into Swingers



Con.serv.a.tive
(adjective) disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change
Con.serv.a.tive (noun) a person who is conservative in principles, actions, habits, etc.

I have a confession to make: Some of my favorite people are rich, white, and Republican. It’s true. Although, I’m not sure if this was so much a conscious decision as a survival mechanism. Finding someone that isn’t privileged, Caucasian, and conservative in the world of Charlotte private schools is no easy task. My mom was the only one with a Clinton/Gore sticker on her Volvo in the car pool lane. Don’t get me wrong; there were a few other kids who voted Democrat on Kids Voting Day. But, for the most part, political debates were dominated by kids whose parents all had a picture of themselves and a Bush (take your pick: 41, 43, Barbara, or if not so fortunate, Jeb) sitting on their desks at the bank, law firm, or hospital where they worked. So what in the hell is going on? In the past few months, I have been noticing a truly disturbing trend: Life long, die hard Republicans actually considering their options outside of the let’s say, lackluster candidates that the Republican primary race has offered them. More specifically, these conservatives are considering voting for a black guy with little experience, a strong anti-war record, and a name that would automatically make Homeland Security’s “No Fly” list. How bad have things gotten in America where our freedom lovin’, tax hatin’, terrorist huntin’ constituents are quietly deciding to vote for Barack Obama?

Is he just that good? Is Barack Obama the great unifier we have been looking for? Or is it just a combination of a poor candidate pool and a venomous hatred of Hillary Clinton? And the bigger question: Does it really matter? Perhaps my conservative friends and family aren’t voting for Obama for the reasons I wish they would. Maybe they truly don’t believe universal health care would work and still think that global warming is a myth and for these reasons alone, we should be scared of these people. But the fact that that they are still willing to elect Obama anyway tells me that this is a man who is capable of bringing together a truly motley crew, no matter what the circumstances are that lead us to him.

Gore Endorsement Rumor AGAIN!












I speculated a week or so ago about a
Gore Endorsement rumor surfacing. Well, looks like it is back and " It is a rumor apparently spreading like wildfire through the Clinton campaign." Nevertheless, John Edwards, Al Gore and Bill Richardson could play a big role. But what kind of role would they play? From Alernet.

"A well-placed spouse of a Clinton campaign insider just told me that a rumor is spreading like wild fire that Al Gore is going to endorse Barack Obama.

My source emphasizes that this is rumor and may just be paranoia and hyperventilation of the campaign, but it's important to know that this rumor is out there. Another source of mine inside Obamaland has told me that they have been working very hard to secure Gore's public support and trying numerous avenues to "encourage" him."

Could Florida and Michigan Matter After All?

The total delegate count needed to secure the Democratic nomination is 2,025. Obama's campaign has put together a scenario that predicts Obama finishing with 1,806 and Clinton finishing with 1,789. Do the math and you see that is short of the total number needed. Put Michigan and Florida's numbers in there and Clinton wins. Clinton is fighting these delegates, even though none of of her competitors campaigned in the states and were barely, if at all, on the ballot. Could these numbers come back into play? Bloomberg states the following:

"Under the current rules, there are only two ways Michigan and Florida could get convention delegates. The states could resubmit a selection plan that is consistent with DNC rules. That could include holding another primary or a party run caucus, for example.

The states could also appeal to a DNC panel that deals with convention credentials. Neither state has done so, DNC spokesman Damien LaVera said."

Obama Raises $7.2 million in 36 hours - Let's Help!

Hi, guys!


Our current election system demands candidates have lots and lots of money to compete in arguably the most important election in our country. Supporters of Barack Obama know this is a reality and have decided to support their candidate by knocking on doors, making calls, posting on blogs and by making donations. Since Super Tuesday, Obama has raised $7.2 million! We are an active electorate and should be proud of ourselves! The time has come for us all to reach in our pockets and help put a new face in the White House.

Today, I am urging you all to donate $10.00 (or more!) to help fund one of the most important and inspiring campaigns in our history. Below you will find a link to his website where you can make an online donation.

Click Here to Donate

If you are not yet in the Obama camp, take a look at his website, read 'Audacity of Hope', or talk to a supporter. You might just change your mind.

"I'm asking you to believe, not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington…I'm asking you to believe in yours." - Barack Obama

Obama has a 57.8% Chance of Winning Now














Wanna bet on who will win the race for the president? Well according to Intrade Prediction Market, your money would be best spent on Obama, which is a vast increase according to The Huffington Post. It is the first time since the New Hampsire primary that Obama has been higher than Clinton, who yesterday hovered over 60%.

Now There's the Cult Spin















These characters have to be kidding. Anything to spin what seems to be a good thing, like masses flocking to a candidate with lots of allure, into a bad thing. Kinda like all those notions that Apple is a cult. Don't we have better things to report on? Excerpts of this article below.


Describing various encounters with Obama supporters, she writes, "Excuse me, but this sounds more like a cult than a political campaign. The language used here is the language of evangelical Christianity – the Obama volunteers speak of 'coming to Obama' in the same way born-again Christians talk about 'coming to Jesus.'...So I say, we should all get a grip, stop all this unseemly mooning over Barack, see him and the political landscape he is a part of in a cooler, clearer, and more realistic light, and get to work."

and


Joe Klien, writing at Time, notes "something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism" he sees in Obama's Super Tuesday speech.

"We are the ones we've been waiting for," Obama said. "This time can be different because this campaign for the presidency of the United States of America is different. It's different not because of me. It's different because of you."

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Clinton Digs Into Own Pocket for Support

As mentioned earlier today, Clinton is digging in her own pocket for Campaign support. $5 million dollars to be exact. Since the polls closed on Feb. 5th, Obama supporters have given $5.1 million dollars already, but for some reason Clinton feels the need to reach into her own pocket rather than get support from America. She's says it payed off in the national primary, I say it's dishonorable (see Romney's entire campaign). As well, many of her staffers are voluntarily working without pay to overcome the Obama "Moolay Factory."

Ben Smith over at Politico is leading the charge.

Obama Keeps on About Clinton Being Frontrunner



Obama,


Ya gotta stop this buddy... You did it yesterday too. I can't decide if it'll hurt you or not, but confidence is key in this run for President, man.

Good luck,

Jed

Campaign Money...Is Clinton Diggin into Her Own Pocket

Obama raised $32 million in January, while Clinton raised only $13m. This means that Obama has a bit of an advantage going into the post Super Tuesday road to The White House. The Guardian is reporting that most of Obama's are from online, small donors and therefore has resources on tap. Clinton, on the other hand is reaching her limits and didn't deny that they may have to reach into their own pockets to support the Clinton campaign. Very telling.

Drudge has more on this as well as the popular votes numbers, which were unthinkable until a couple of weeks ago:

Total Votes Cast
Clinton: 50.2% (7, 347, 971)
Obama: 49.8% (7, 294, 851)

Yes We Can

While I'm not a fan of The Black Eyed Peas or Will.I.Am, this is All Things Obama and therefore this video must be linked here. It seems Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas created this video after being inspired by the speech Barack Obama gave during the New Hampshire primary. It seems to attempt to parallel his speech with Martin Luther King's in power. Nevertheless, it's great PR for Obama and gets the thumbs up from ATO.

Obama Claims Delegate Lead

What a night. Back and forth and back and forth. Clinton won many of the big states, but Obama picked up many delegates in them all. He also won the most states and has now claimed the delegate lead (908 to 884) via Politico. But CNN has them at 783 to 709, with Clinton in the lead. One thing is for sure, in all the analysis, Obama has the popular vote and Clinton has the money (super-delegate) vote.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Obama votes for self, says Hillary still favorite

“It was close but in the end I went for Obama.” Obama said as he left the polls, but followed with “I still think that Senator Clinton is the favorite. She had 20- to 30-point leads in many of these states. We’ve been closing some ground and my guess is that we’ll have a good night and we’ll probably end up having to split this.”
Time magazine is reporting.

American Apparel Backs Obama











American Apparel has a nice slideshow on their homepage with their endorsements for both Democrats and Republicans in today's primaries. One of Obama flashes up which looks to be from his college years, leather jacket with collar popped. Images of McCain and Clinton also pop up from their early adulthood. Check it out here.

What's Good for American Appareal is good for America.

We urge voters to consider Obama on the Democratic side.

We urge the voters to consider McCain on the Republican side.

Why? Because of their honesty on the issue of immigration, the most significant civil rights concern the country has faced in 50 years.
It goes on to say Why not Clinton? with a paragraph of explanations and finishes with Legalize LA, their stance on immigration.

Grateful Dead Endorse Obama

Following the fact that MoveOn.org endorsed a Democratic Candidate for the first time in a primary, comes that fact that The Grateful Dead have performed for the first time "on behalf of a presidential candidate." The remaining members of the Dead have endorsed Obama at a concert of about 2,400 people. "Every few generations a guy like this comes along," drummer Mickey Hart told reportes in San Francisco on Monday.

Maybe there should be a Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream flavor named after Obama. There was Cherry Garcia. What about Obama? There is Marsha Marsha Marshmallow, which could be changed to Obamallow. What else?

Garrison Keillor Endorses Obama

Everyone's favorite Saturday and Sunday radio talkie host has also signed on board for the Obama train. Garrison Keillor, host of "A Prairie Home Campanion" has said that Obama's candidacy is "full or promise for our country."I wonder what Guy Noir thinks?

If only the residents of Lake Wobegon could vote.

Shriver Backs Obama, Arnie Backs McCain?

How strange. Not only has this famous couple endorsed two different candidates in the Presidential Primary, but the two candidates are in two different parties. The end times are truly here. Arnold endorsed McCain about a week ago and now California first lady Maria Shriver has endorsed Obama for president, calling him "inspirational and a natural leader." I couldn't agree more. Most of the Kennedy's are now on board. Let's hope America is.

Daily Kos links to Obama Dads

So I started Obamadads.com and obamadads.blogspot.com about a week ago. It was based on this Daily Kos article. Now Daily Kos has linked back to obamadads.blogspot in a recent article here. I have moved the Obama Dads blog to this site just today (for various reasons), the same day I found the above link.

Nevertheless, my priorities are still the same, all things Obama until he becomes President in November 2008.

Super Tuesday Viewer's Guide



















The Wall Street Journal have published their own hour by hour "What to Look for as Results Begin Rolling In This Evening from the Closest Thing Ever to a National Nominating Primary" Viewer's Guide. It is thick but you can view it here. (click above image for larger printable version)

Obama Running Mate?

BestandWorst.com have a poll going of who would be the best running mate for Obama. Looks like Edwards is in the lead. Click image below for larger version and Vote HERE

Why I'm Voting for Obama

A Concerned Citizen has his/her thorough list of reasons of why they are voting for Obama HERE.

Electability

Our number one priority as Democrats should be to make sure that a Republican does not win in November. Obama is our best chance of making sure this doesn't happen.

There has been record turnout in every primary and caucus thus far, and while Obama certainly can't take all the credit, a big reason so many people are showing up is because they're excited about what he represents. Presidents aren't elected by Democrats or Republicans, they're elected by the independents, and the majority of independents and Republicans who are voting in the Democratic primaries are voting for Obama. He is bringing people together, he is getting them fired up about politics, and he is literally expanding the party.

Good Night and Good Luck: Clooney Backs Obama

Chalk another Hollywood endorsement up for Obama. George Clooney says Good Night and Good Luck to Obama.


"I've been an Obama guy for a year and a half and I'm very excited by his campaign," Clooney said. "It just seems that the more time he's out there, his numbers keep growing. So I'm very, very encouraged."

Clooney, one of a growing list of celebrities who have endorsed Obama, also said he believes the Democratic contest may extend well beyond Super Tuesday.

Obama Takes California Lead

California is probably the most crucial state in the Super Tuesday race today and guess who just took the lead in the preliminary polls!? OBAMA

In California, which alone provides more than one-fifth of the Democratic delegates needed for the nomination, Obama led Clinton by 49 percent to 36 percent, the poll found. The margin of error was 3.3 percentage points.
Poll numbers here

Super Tuesday's First Votes

Super Tuesday's First Votes go to Obama.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama won the first battle of the Super Tuesday showdown when Democratic Party voters in Indonesia -- where Obama spent four years of his childhood -- picked him over Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Obama Girl

I have heard all about this video for months, but have never watched it until a friend sent it to me today. So silly....

Goodfellas for Obama!

A bit of a strange endorsement statement HERE, but looks like DeNiro is the latest to rally the crowds for Obama.

Goodfellas at Giants Stadium [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

Robert DeNiro took down the house a minute ago at the Obama rally I’m attending at the Meadowlands. He announced that “Barack Obama isn’t experienced enough to be president.” As he ran down a litany that included his opposition to the war in Iraq, DeNiro said: “The kind of inexperience I can get use to. That’s the kind of inexperience our country deserves. If our next president were based on the quantity of experience, Dick Cheney would be president.”

Well… let’s just say the arena didn’t break out in Cheney 2008 … I don’t think I’m the target audience.

La Opinion Endorses Obama

The Democratic choice is Barack Obama is the title of an editorial released this weekend by La Opinion, the nation's largest Spanish language newspaper. Viva la Revolution!

One more day_