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Obama Gets Specific
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This year I am captivated by the Presidential Primaries more than I have ever been. It is evident that the American people are waking up from a seven year slumber from democracy. Democratic voters are outnumbering Republicans by nearly 2 to 1 in almost every state, and if the pattern continues, McCain is in for a slaughter this November in 'red' and 'blue' states, alike.
Democratic voters are clearly mobilized to effect change this year, and set our nation back on the Democratic path. If the difference in turnout continues, Democrats will finally have clear majorities in both houses of Congress, and have the opportunity to show the American people and the world why our nation is that 'shining city upon the hill.' No matter which Democratic candidate is nominated, it appears clear that that person will be elected.
Barack Obama took the delegate lead this week, and almost immediately McCain and Clinton turned their ire upon him. In true political fashion, they both chose the same tactic: making false statements, repeating them, and hoping that people are too ignorant to know the difference. CNN chose to highlight these tactics on today's on-line front page.
Both McCain and Clinton chose to attack Obama on the issues, saying, respectively, that he is "lacking in specifics," and, "I am in the solutions business. (Obama) is in the promises business..." Apparently, John McCain has failed to compare his website that is meager on specifics, and heavy on pointing to perceived problems, with that of Obama's that is full of very specific and exacting plans for the future. In addition, similar to her lack of ability to read legislation she votes on, Clinton makes the same claim. However, when you look at her website for how she stands on issues like Iraq, where she intends on relying solely on her advisers, one can see that Obama clearly has the most detailed plans for the future.
I am not saying that McCain and Clinton's strategies are bad...rather it is very clever. As the campaigning began months ago, I would have tended to ignorantly go along with their assertion. In fact, my thought was, "...Obama sure is an incredibly inspirational speaker, but I just don't know what he truly stands for and how he will get it done." After doing some simple research and finding out for myself how they each stood on the issues, and their specific plans to accomplish their goals, it was clear that Obama is very specific, detailed, and exacting. Clinton is fairly specific also, but not nearly as so as Obama...and forget about McCain, who just has no real plan to accomplish anything at all.
So I put the links to each of the candidate issue pages above, so you don't take my word for it, but see for yourself. Obama is probably the most inspirational political figure and orator that I have seen in my adult lifetime. He brings people together, reaches across party lines, and still sticks to his principles while doing it. He appears to be a great leader, and has somewhat Progressive goals, ideals, and specific plans to accomplish them.
Clinton has some good ideas, but her 'experience' has just led her to compromise away those ideals she once held so dear. Her Universal Health plan of the '90's was inspired and as Progressive as you could get. Her health plan today is, comparitively, legalized extortion to ensure insurance companies make more money on the backs of the American taxpayer...somewhere along the line, Hillary lost herself in the political game and compromised away what is good for the American people. I would have been a whole-hearted supporter of the 1990's Hillary, but the 2000's Hillary is just plain Republican-Lite. Again...don't take my word for it, take a look at her plans, yourself.
Forget about McCain...have fun trying discern any real plan from him other than to cut taxes and go bankrupt from military spending.
Soooooo...the next time you hear Clinton or McCain talking about Obama's 'lack of specifics,' go visit his website and get the truth. The next time you hear one of Obama's inspirational speeches, follow up by reading how he plans on accomplishing those 'lofty ideals...' you might find that his specifics are even more inspirational than his speeches!
Greetings from Hong Kong, bloggers ! I'm really only now starting to shift into being an Obama supporter, so the specifics mean a lot to me at the moment. But the thing I think is so compelling about Obama is that he's perfectly comfortable bringing out deep emotions and aspirations in the people who hear him speak. And for many people, that's where their interest is first garnered. Then they check out how he stands on the issues -- it may not be the way most of us frame our decisions, but I think his approach has gone an immensely long way towards bringing new people into politics. First they hear about the hope and then they see what his 'specifics are, then they are hooked.
And super kewl Dems Abroad allowed us to vote in the primary ONLINE (yes -- for REAL delegates) and we got a RECEIPT!!! Wonderful stuff!
Glad to see this community still going strong and still debating respectfully,
Hypatia
weird commenting situation...Michael really was first. This was posted at 9:25PM HKG time (8:25PM eastern US).
uh...make that 8:29AM eastern...sorry
A Baltimore woman, all set to vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's Patapsco Drainage Basin Primary - because Clinton is a woman and because she is older and more experienced in government than Barack Obama - switched and voted for Obama because "he's very positive about everything."
And there it is.
And imagine that - the power of positive thinking and speaking, the audacity of hope, delivered with a straight face by a politician over and over again - and no one giggling or mocking the concept, except maybe Rush Limbaugh. The cynics be damned.
...
But there's something profound going on here, and while it's hard to get a handle on the thing, it goes something like this: A new class of voter is emerging in America - independent and skeptical, more green than blue or red, and not yet jaded by the recent political and culture wars. This voter is tired, not only of the current president - and either did not vote for George Bush or regrets having supported him - but also weary of all the partisan and personal bickering that has gone on for years, in Congress and on talk radio, at the expense of smart, progressive government and healthier citizens and communities.
This voter craves the president who thinks in the ideal and believes - and persuades other to believe - that anything is possible if we work together
...
8:35 AM EST
If you think there's Obamania stateside, try one town in Japan instead:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080214/ap_on_re_as/japan_obama_s_town_1
Shown is an 'I Love Obama' illustration released Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008, by an unofficial Barack Obama support association, led by Seijii Fujiwara, in Obama city, central Japan. The illustration was created by Naoki Adachi, one of the group members. ...(AP Photo/Naoki Adachi)
Obama a hit in Japanese town
By JUNJI KUROKAWA, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 44 minutes ago
OBAMA, Japan - Barack Obama has never been to this port town on Japan's snowy west coast, and residents only know him from news reports on his faraway campaign for the U.S. presidency.
No matter, Obama the town is nuts about Obama the man.
...
BREAKING: CLINTON HAS DOUBLE DIGIT LEADS IN OH AND PA
Why?
Obama hasn't campaigned in those states yet.
Watermelon Sugar is first Mike, right along with Howard Dean.
RASMUSSEN National Poll at 11 AM: Obama Takes Double Digit Lead: Obama 49% to Clinton 37%; Obama leads among women 46% to 41%
Hypatia the blog is going through one of those phases of not working right and HQ's seems paralized so those odd comments last night were fun little curses put on the blog gremlins and their minders started by puddle and joined into for fun.
curse the darkness with a little humor once in a while
Hypatia Kingsley
Thu, 02/14/08
____________________________________________________________________________
Only you and David Stevenson I would ever relinquish my "first" status to..............my Dad spnet much of his youth in Hong Kong with the Royal Navy circa 1930s.............
Its 9.24am
Last Updated: Thursday, 14 February 2008, 11:20 GMT 
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version Putin repeats threat on missiles 
Mr Putin spoke of 'retargeting our missiles' at any US missile shieldRussian President Vladimir Putin has repeated his threat to target missiles at neighbouring states if they site parts of the planned US missile shield.
Which of the two candidates will dismantle the Bush "missle shield" in eastern Europe?
E-mail this to a friend Printable version Ahmadinejad to make visit to Iraq 
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has already hosted Iraqi leaders in TehranMahmoud Ahmadinejad is due in Baghdad next month for the first visit by an Iranian president to Iraq, government officials in Iraq have said. Mr Ahmadinejad is expected to meet Iraq's President Jalal Talabani and PM Nouri Maliki during his two-day visit, which is scheduled to begin on 2 March. Iran and Iraq fought a devastating war between 1980 and 1988 in which about one million people died.
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had to show that picture of little Nixon in case any of the candidates were tempted to use that pose after a primary victory
9:49 AM EST
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2008/02/14/JohnBrummett/345314.html
Beware of Hillary now
Thursday, Feb 14, 2008
By John Brummett
Never underestimate the Clintons.
...
The true colors of the Clinton machine will be clear for all to see in the next 30 days and in the end the "vast right wing conspiracy" will end up being right about these two. Think of the gall to try and seat delegates from Michigan where she was the only name on the ballot. It is like an old election in the USSR. I have warned on here repeatedly, they believe this is their right and they will not go peacefully into the night. They will burn the house down only to be king and queen of the foundation and rubble. This is the definition of "power hungry"
CHEERY VIEW OF THE ECONOMY FROM JIM KUNSTLER
We're burning down the house and kidding ourselves that there is a remedy for it. All the rate cuts and loans to big banks and bank-like corporate organisms, and "monoline" bond insurers, and mortgage mills amount to little more than a final desperate shell game to conceal the radioactive pea of aggregate loss. The losses are everywhere, and when you add up seven billion here and eleven billion there they probably amount to something like a trillion dollars in sheer capital evaporation -- not counting the abstract "positions" that the capital was leveraged onto by the playerz and boyz who mistook algorithms for productive activity.
The shell game may run a few more weeks but personally I believe the timbers are burning. The losses are no longer "contained" or concealable. A consensus has now formed that we're in for a "recession." The idea is that, yes, this seems to be the low arc of the business cycle. Fewer Hamptons villas will be redecorated in the interim. We'll gird our loins and get through the bad weather and when the sun shines again, we'll be ready with new algorithms for new sport-with-capital.
Uh-uh. Think again. This is not so much financial bad weather as financial climate change. Something is happenin' Mr Jones, and you don't know what it is, do ya? There has been too much misbehavior and it can no longer be mitigated. We're not heading into a recession but a major depression, worse than the fabled trauma of the 1930s. That one occurred against the background of a society that had plenty of everything except money. Back then, we had plenty of mineral resources, lots of trained-and-regimented manpower, millions of productive family farms, factories that were practically new, and more than 90 percent left of the greatest petroleum reserve anywhere in the world. It took a world war to get all that stuff humming cooperatively again, and once it did, we devoted its productive capacity to building an empire of happy motoring leisure. (Tragic choice there.)
This new depression, which I call The Long Emergency, will play out against the background of a society that has pissed away its oil endowment, bulldozed its factories, arbitraged its productive labor, destroyed both family farms and the commercial infrastructure of main street, and trained its population to become overfed diabetic TV zombie "consumers" of other peoples' productivity, paid for by "money" they haven't earned.
Great quotes from rdrogan piece above:
"Two upcoming debates are huge. Obama needs to be advised to bring protective gear.
He's about to get Tom McRae-ed, by which I refer to the late Arkansas Democratic gubernatorial candidate who thought he was having a fine news conference in 1990 until ambushed with the shrill interruptions of the wife of the Arkansas governor against whom he thought he was running.
Hillary's situation calls for meanness. She has an aptitude and an inclination.
There's this recurring theme with the Clintons. It's that they always face dramas, be they personal or political. Their political obituaries have been written too many times to count. They live by fourth-and-long, and they always convert.
Am I really buying all of this about Hillary's lurking revival? Or am I merely fearing it - girding myself, that is, should it happen, considering that my recent columns ought to make clear that I don't want it to happen, and that I find Obama to be the far superior candidate and wish the Clintons would do us all the kind gesture of fading away?
It's both. I expect it. And I sure do dread it."
Throw the bucket of water on her!! Now!!
I think the Republican adherence to tax cuts is a hold-over from the day when the role of public officials was seen primarily as doling out various benefits such as the whole amalgam of "rights"
fishing rights
hunting rights
development rights
trading rights
mineral rights
etc.
Now that all of those have been effectively given away, the only "sweetener" for supporters is a share of the money that's collected.
You could call it a form of objective bribery in the sense that it's not based on personal fealty.
Privatization was an elaboration in the sense that as more functions were formally assigned to the agents of government, corporations were seen as a venue for spreading the honey around to a broader constituency, but not the population as a whole. Serving the population as a whole is to be avoided because there's no personal benefit to be derived--neither graft nor glory.
What distinguished Republicans and Democrats for a long time was simply a slightly different constituency. Republicans catered to the business class while Democrats catered to the organized working class. Neither wanted to be responsive to the demands of the population as a whole, much less the common man or woman.
At what point the Republican party shifted from its emphasis on resource allocation I'm not clear. Perhaps when the resources having become scarce, they were confronted with a demand for re-distribution? If there wasn't going to be enough to go around, they decided that they would make the allocation on the basis of deserts? Is that the function the moralizing serves? If so, did they then discover that moralizing was really preferable, when you came right down to it, because no resources would have to be allocated at all?
Something to ponder. If the above is accurate, then what McCain wants is to go back to the day when public officials didn't have to give anything to anyone but their friends and didn't have to do anything but lock the unfriendlies up, if they dared to object or otherwise didn't behave themselves.
Good morning all!
Gosh, the arrogance from the Clinton camp is astonishing (or maybe not so astonishing depending on your point of view). Did ya'all know that all those states (and it's voters) that Obama won don't count? Yes, only the BIG states and their people count.
Had a weird dream last night that Edwards said *no* to endorsing Clinton because she wants the election decided by superdelegates and not the people.
BLACK AGENDA ON THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN
http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=529&Itemid=1
The presidential campaign of Barack Obama has become a media parade on its way to a coronation. Journalists and leading Democrats have done shockingly little to pin Obama down, to hold him specifically responsible for anything beyond his slogans of "yes we can" and "change we can believe in". Prominent Black Democrats, many ministers and the traditional Black leadership class are doing less than anybody to hold Obama accountable, peddling instead a supposed racial obligation among African Americans to support this second coming of Joshua and his campaign as "the movement" itself. What would holding Barack Obama accountable on war and peace, on social security, health care and other issues look like, and is it possible to hold a political "rock star" accountable at all?
OMG that poor disabled woman in Bucks county PA who died in her bed (it was on fire) because 911 put her on hold and took too long to help her.
Incompetency everywhere, this time fatal.
Just watching Hoekstra on the House floor and realized what the Republican problem is. Having accepted the intent for the act, they are now obligated to respond to every expression of intent, as if it were an act.
Hoekstra is going down a list of what all sorts of people (al Qaeda, Russians, others) want and seems totally incapable of recognizing that there's a difference between what people want and what they get or can get.
What a way to have to live, believing that every hair-brained scheme is a good as done when it's not even close to hatching.
Off to work - have a lovely Valentine's Day everyone
Fix the blog or may you get all dark chocolate covered orange peels
(I know some of you may like them) :)
xoxoox
Some people apparently have a flawed understanding of "accountability" despite the fact that it's a pretty basic word having to do with counting. Otherwise, they would know that you can't count what you don't have and you can't report on acts you haven't taken.
Why would you ask a presidential candidate to come up with a detailed health care plan that's not his job to formulate by himself (not even as a Senator) and not be satisfied that when one is developed, he'd be ready, willing, and able to implement it--unlike the current holder of the office who seems incapable of doing anything but saying "no" or "I'd prefer not to?"
I freely admit that's been my position all along.
The media want specific proposals, preferably laid out in a speech, so they don't have to read too much or do research, so that later on they can spin off storied about how the reality is different from what they were led to believe. This is not a trick Obama needs to fall for.
Mark McKinnon, a senior aide to McCain said he'll quit the campaign if Obama is the Dem nominee. This is interesting.
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2008/0...
This new depression, which I call The Long Emergency, will play out against the background of a society that has pissed away its oil endowment, bulldozed its factories, arbitraged its productive labor, destroyed both family farms and the commercial infrastructure of main street, and trained its population to become overfed diabetic TV zombie "consumers" of other peoples' productivity, paid for by "money" they haven't earned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
most people earn their paycheck
a days work for a days pay is still being done by most of the workforce, the problem is in currency backed by the full faith and credit of the Chinese
and you can bet when they take over Taiwan they will remind us who is in charge of our economy
we are the richest greatest third world colony ever
10:35 AM EST
"don't mess with Texas" ?:
http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/2008/02/14/dont-mess-with-texas-voters/
Don't Mess with Texas VotersPosted Feb 14th 2008 8:00AM by Faye Anderson
...
The battle for the Democratic presidential nomination is moving into the final stretch.
...
All eyes will be on Texas on March 4, but early voting actually begins on Tuesday.
The Democratic primary campaign has triggered a record turnout of African Americans and young voters. To ensure that pattern continues and with memories of past efforts to deny them the right to vote, students at Prairie View A&M University got busy.
They joined forces with Black Youth Vote and community leaders and filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice over plans to eliminate six early voting locations in Waller County, Tex. The move would require Prairie View students to drive or walk nearly eight miles to vote in the nearest early voting location.
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sent a strongly worded letter to the Justice Department protesting the county's action. The matter is now under review, a process that could take 60 days. So, the students held a press conference to announce a march and again call for federal protection.
"Early voting in Texas starts on February 19," said Christina Sanders, Black Youth Vote Texas coordinator. "The students don't have sixty days to wait for a response so we are going forward with the march to keep the pressure on the DOJ."
Waller County officials are feeling the heat. They have now agreed to open three additional early polling locations. Still, they refuse to locate a polling place on campus. So, the March for Voting Justice is on.
And it will be held with the full support of the university administration which has already excused students to participate in the march which will be held on the first day of early voting on Feb. 19.
For more information about the march against student disenfranchisement
...
10:47 AM EST
http://www.ncbcp.org/byv/calendar.html
March Against Student Voter Disenfranchisement
Prarie View A&M University - Student Center
Prarie View, Texas to Hempstead, Texas (Waller County)
February 19 2008, 9:00 am
Four years ago, 5,000 students marched seven miles from their Prairie View AMU campus to the Waller County Courthouse to demand the right to vote without intimation, and to ask the State of Texas to intervene in the matter. In the 2006 election, hundreds of newly registered students were turned away from the polls and forced to vote with provisional ballots because their names were never added to the Waller County voter registration rolls.
Recently the Waller County Commission decided to eliminate six early voting locations in the county including the one adjacent to campus. Presently, the United States Department of Justice has failed to reject the County's polling elimination change, thus requiring PVAMU students to drive or walk 7.3 miles to vote in an adjacent town, Hempstead, TX. Waller County covers 525 square miles and has only 1 polling site for early voting this year.
Thousands are expected to participate in this historic march against student voter disenfranchisement. Students have a right to vote, and students will fight for that right!
The March and Rally is sponsored by the PVAMU Student Government Association and Black Youth Vote! Texas. Organizers are inviting community organizers, and students from other colleges, universities, and high schools to join in supporting PVAMU student efforts to stop intimidation and disenfranchisement of young voters.
JOIN US!
For more information on how you can participate feel free to contact Christina Sanders at christinadsanders@gmail.com or via phone at 713.899.0737.
...
If everytime someone curses the government it is the "intent" for a terrorist act Monica this war will last a lot more than 100 years
"home grown terrorists" ... you bet lol
don't worry Monica they can always swipe the payroll taxes of working stiffs and shovel it to their special friends like they did with the Bush tax cuts (and fund their politics with the kickback)
The media want specific proposals, preferably laid out in a speech, so they don't have to read too much or do research, so that later on they can spin off storied about how the reality is different from what they were led to believe. This is not a trick Obama needs to fall for
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
National goals that we are going to achieve with the correct leadership is another matter.
Monica wrote "The media want specific proposals, preferably laid out in a speech, so they don't have to read too much or do research, so that later on they can spin off storied about how the reality is different from what they were led to believe. This is not a trick Obama needs to fall for."
Are you trying to say that John should resist posting weekly excerpts from the Black Agenda Report?
-------
new thread
ttp://www.blogforamerica.com/view/23885#comment-1169060
---------
Interesting thread. Dave,
While you and I will go to his website and read all his position papers, most people will not do so. And Obama has furthered the perception that he lacks substance through speeches that are mainly inspirational but lacking in much substance.
That, I believe, is a strategy to remain an inspiring "empty vessel" for others to fill up with their own hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, it has opened up to legitimate criticism that most people don't know what he will do. When you ask someone for details who supports Obama, they generally respond with a message of hope and optimism and change.
That isn't good enough. I am happy to see Obama begin to define himself more clearly in his stump speech, and to go into some depth on issues in recent days. So even he recognizes this has been a fair criticism of his campaign up to this point.
As far as criticizing Clinton's health care plan, how do you feel about Obama's? Not having requirements is a sure way not to reduce premiums and drive up the cost of gov't. subsidies necessary to make insurance affordable. You simply can't criticize Clinton's plan as not going far enough and not open Obama's up to scrutiny.
Monica Smith
Thu, 02/14/08
Accountability isn't always expressed in numbers. there is qualitative accountability and an entire field is devoted to it. It is commonly done in the social sciences.
I think it's fair to expect Obama to lay out his goals and some specifics to all of his view. That complements a "vision". It also is important to challenge people who tend to put their own views on a candidate which has little relation to what that candidate has said.
There is a substantial difference between Obama's and Clinton's plan. Some people are attracted to the fact it won't require them to get insurance up front. It does require them to pay for it (back premiums, too) IF they should ever need it due to inability to pay their bills. This is true accountability. No free riders and no cost shifting driving up premiums to those who are responsible.
I prefer to have it up front and clear. It is everyone's obligation to help fund it and everyone benefits from being covered, it is portable and no preexisting conditions are excluded.
I fully expect Obama and any candidate to have to alter their specific plans as pragmatism dictates. But then, I am one to accept change in a person's view as legitimate as long as they are sincere.
Obama may have to go back on his objection to requiring everyone to sign up for benefits (let's drop the word mandates -- it's a right-wing term). The fact that small businesses can out from under requirements is a huge loophole in Clinton's plan as well which will leave millions without insurance.
So there will be much work to do to see that we get a truly universal AND AFFORDABLE plan whether Clinton or Obama is elected.
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