USA Presidential Politics - 2008

[roni]

This just in from my union's president

Dear Ronald,

With 10.5 million members from every walk of life, the AFL-CIO
has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president.

Barack Obama's record demonstrates he is a champion for working
families and his proposals will improve life for generations of
working people and our children. Barack Obama says, "Politics
didn't lead me to working folks; working folks led me to
politics." He was raised by a working mother and grandparents,
worked as a community organizer in a Chicago neighborhood
devastated by the closing of steel mills, fought for working
families in the Illinois State Senate and earned a 98 percent
AFL-CIO voting record as a U.S. senator. Barack Obama is not
someone who just talks the talk--he walks the walk with working
families, on picket lines, in organizing campaigns and in
bargaining for a better life.

Learn more about his record, proposals and background at
MeetObama08:
Meet Barack Obama

With his emphasis on what America once again can be, and his
commitment to lead for all rather than the few, Obama has
reinstilled hope for a better future and inspired millions of
new voters.

If ever working families needed change we can believe in, it is
now. Working families are struggling in an economy that works
for the few, not the many. We're squeezed by stagnant wages,
soaring costs for health care, gas and food and the sellout of
America's middle class.

With 80 percent of the public saying our country is headed in
the wrong direction, it's time to turn around America. And the
first step is electing Barack Obama.

Find out more and take action at MeetObama08:
Meet Barack Obama

This is a make-or-break election. We cannot afford to allow the
destructive politics and policies of the Bush administration to
continue. We need an economy that works for working
families--with health care, good jobs, fair rules for global
trade, a robust middle class and the opportunity for every
worker to join a union and bargain for a better life.

Barack Obama will lead the change we need.

In solidarity,

John J. Sweeney

P.S. Please forward this e-mail to people who should know more
about our next president, Barack Obama. Thank you.

[Just Lucky]

Originally Posted by melliedee

Has the national campaign gone negative already? An interesting piece in the Washington Post. Your thoughts?




washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines

I think that it is of little use to deflect the problems off of the media and onto the campaigns. I think the press in this country has been going down the tubes for some time. I blame much of it on the 24 hour news cycle.

After all, if they have footage or a pundit/columnist needs something to talk about, why not some simple statement which can be blown way out of proportion.

In an historically typical print news story in the past the statements being focused would have merited perhaps a sentence. Now the pundits and newspeople have to justify their existence much more than ever before. The blogs also run away with these stories.

[AndrewII]

Originally Posted by roni

This just in from my union's president

Dear Ronald,

With 10.5 million members from every walk of life, the AFL-CIO
has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president.

Barack Obama's record demonstrates he is a champion for working
families and his proposals will improve life for generations of
working people and our children. Barack Obama says, "Politics
didn't lead me to working folks; working folks led me to
politics." He was raised by a working mother and grandparents,
worked as a community organizer in a Chicago neighborhood
devastated by the closing of steel mills, fought for working
families in the Illinois State Senate and earned a 98 percent
AFL-CIO voting record as a U.S. senator. Barack Obama is not
someone who just talks the talk--he walks the walk with working
families, on picket lines, in organizing campaigns and in
bargaining for a better life.

Learn more about his record, proposals and background at
MeetObama08:
Meet Barack Obama

With his emphasis on what America once again can be, and his
commitment to lead for all rather than the few, Obama has
reinstilled hope for a better future and inspired millions of
new voters.

If ever working families needed change we can believe in, it is
now. Working families are struggling in an economy that works
for the few, not the many. We're squeezed by stagnant wages,
soaring costs for health care, gas and food and the sellout of
America's middle class.

With 80 percent of the public saying our country is headed in
the wrong direction, it's time to turn around America. And the
first step is electing Barack Obama.

Find out more and take action at MeetObama08:
Meet Barack Obama

This is a make-or-break election. We cannot afford to allow the
destructive politics and policies of the Bush administration to
continue. We need an economy that works for working
families--with health care, good jobs, fair rules for global
trade, a robust middle class and the opportunity for every
worker to join a union and bargain for a better life.

Barack Obama will lead the change we need.

In solidarity,

John J. Sweeney

P.S. Please forward this e-mail to people who should know more
about our next president, Barack Obama. Thank you.

He may be good for unions but he'll be bad for small business.

[roni]

Originally Posted by AndrewII

He may be good for unions but he'll be bad for small business.

I disagree with your assessment. The last time the economy flourished in the USA was under Bill Clinton's presidency.

Democrats are good for business, Republicans not so much

[Just Lucky]

Originally Posted by AndrewII

He may be good for unions but he'll be bad for small business.

I wonder why you think this? McCain is promising to continue the current administrations deficit spending. I believe the Bush administration's policies have favoured big business rather than small.

[birdman]

Originally Posted by roni

I disagree with your assessment. The last time the economy flourished in the USA was under Bill Clinton's presidency.

Democrats are good for business, Republicans not so much

I don't know about that.
I have owned & operated my own business (actaully 4 presently) for the past 35 years & seems to me like I always have more disposable income during the years the Reps. are in office than when the Dems are.
Maybe that cash they don't take in taxes, fees, licences ect makes a difference.
I am going to vote for Obama this election. I am ready to retire in a couple years so need good health insurance, more S.S, free medication & any other bribe they want to throw at me to get my vote.
I don't smoke, drink, or drive much so the increased taxes to support these idiot ideas won't bother me much, especially since I will be living in Mexico.

[Jacko]

I think this is insane...

Obama donates $4,600 to Clinton's debt relief

Here


Barack Obama announced Thursday that he will help pay off Hillary Rodham Clinton's more than $20 million debt, personally writing a check in a gesture meant to win over her top financial backers.

[Just Lucky]

Originally Posted by Jacko

I think this is insane...

Obama donates $4,600 to Clinton's debt relief

Here


Barack Obama announced Thursday that he will help pay off Hillary Rodham Clinton's more than $20 million debt, personally writing a check in a gesture meant to win over her top financial backers.

Why do you think it is insane? This has been SOP in both parties for some time. Maybe the media is just playing it up?

[ryberg]

Quinnipiac (in cohorts with the WSJ and Washington Post) says:

• Colorado: Obama leads McCain 49 - 44 percent, including 51 - 39 percent among independent voters;
• Michigan: Obama tops McCain 48 - 42 percent, with 46 - 38 percent among independents;
• Minnesota: Obama buries McCain 54 - 37 percent, and 54 - 33 percent with independents;
• Wisconsin: Obama leads McCain 52 - 39 percent, and 50 - 37 percent with independents. [source]

Like those independent numbers...

Steve

[roni]

Originally Posted by Jacko

I think this is insane...

Obama donates $4,600 to Clinton's debt relief

Here


Barack Obama announced Thursday that he will help pay off Hillary Rodham Clinton's more than $20 million debt, personally writing a check in a gesture meant to win over her top financial backers.

Is this the part that made you mad?

Hannah Simone, a Washington energy lobbyist and top Clinton donor, said she entered the meeting undecided but is now ready to help. She can't donate herself because Obama does not accept lobbyist's money, but she said she'll start raising from others.

That he will not take money from directly from a lobbyist, but will take money raised from others by lobbyists

Cause I sure cannot not see anything else in the article that could be upsetting.

[ryberg]

Why, this for some reason I can't quite put my finger on seems right up your alley, there, JL.

N.Y. millionaire gets 11 years in prison for enslaving workers

"In her arrogance, she treated [her two housekeepers] as less than people," Assistant U.S. Attorney Demetri Jones said.

Sigh...

You try and you try and you try, you know, not to just buy into the old stereotypes, and then somebody comes and does this to ya...

Steve

[Jacko]

Originally Posted by Just Lucky

Why do you think it is insane? This has been SOP in both parties for some time. Maybe the media is just playing it up?

I have always thought it insane.....

[Jacko]

Originally Posted by roni

Is this the part that made you mad?

Hannah Simone, a Washington energy lobbyist and top Clinton donor, said she entered the meeting undecided but is now ready to help. She can't donate herself because Obama does not accept lobbyist's money, but she said she'll start raising from others.

That he will not take money from directly from a lobbyist, but will take money raised from others by lobbyists

Cause I sure cannot not see anything else in the article that could be upsetting.

A large part of the problem imo is that ordinary people have become accustomed to the insane amount of money that is spent on campaigns in our country....they think it is fine because we have always done this..they are no longer outraged by the insanity of what we have allowed to happen.....while schools remain unbuilt, people in our country go hungry, and go without adequate medicine....our candidates spend this type of money paying media folks to get a message out to us on airwaves that we own....we can do this a better way...but to make the changes...we must first all understand the insanity of doing the way we are currently doing it....JMHO

[melliedee]

Originally Posted by Jacko

A large part of the problem imo is that ordinary people have become accustomed to the insane amount of money that is spent on campaigns in our country....they think it is fine because we have always done this..they are no longer outraged by the insanity of what we have allowed to happen.....while schools remain unbuilt, people in our country go hungry, and go without adequate medicine....our candidates spend this type of money paying media folks to get a message out to us on airwaves that we own....we can do this a better way...but to make the changes...we must first all understand the insanity of doing the way we are currently doing it....JMHO

I agree completely. Spending that much money on a presidential campaign, public or private funds, is a joke.

[roni]

Originally Posted by Jacko

A large part of the problem imo is that ordinary people have become accustomed to the insane amount of money that is spent on campaigns in our country....they think it is fine because we have always done this..they are no longer outraged by the insanity of what we have allowed to happen.....while schools remain unbuilt, people in our country go hungry, and go without adequate medicine....our candidates spend this type of money paying media folks to get a message out to us on airwaves that we own....we can do this a better way...but to make the changes...we must first all understand the insanity of doing the way we are currently doing it....JMHO

So your charge of insanity has to do with the amount of money spent on political campaigns rather than the fact that Obama is donating the max to Hillary?

To make the changes, we have to change the Constitution and do away with freedom of speech, since most of the challenges to political spending are based on the high level of protection to political speech given by our Constitution and the Courts.