It's Close as Can Be in Texas

To the person who wrote:

"Emotional rhetoric and the word 'unite' are not going to fix foreclosures or our healthcare system, and neither is Obama. "

Actually, I would beg to differ. The fundamental problems with our country (health care, social security, foreclosures, etc, etc) aren't going to be solved with 50 percent plus 1 of the vote. I think we learned that with the health care debacle during the 90s when the Clintons not only had the White House but also comfortable majorities in both houses of Congress.

For anything of great consequence to be done in this day and age, you need to assemble a broad coalition, which is to say the people need someone who can be a unifying force in this country. Is Obama that person? I don't know; decades of partisan rancor have so poisoned the body politic that I'm not sure anyone could. But, at least he's trying.

Clinton, on the other hand, has run a campaign based largely on the premise that she's the most ready to fight the opposition tooth and nail on day one. That's fine, except that, given a choice, I'd rather not fight the opposition; I would rather try to persuade and co-opt them to my side--or at least the reasonable members of them. I'm tired of the fear-mongering, the demonization of one's political enemies, the arbitrary distinction about who is "significant" and who isn't, and most of all, the endless finger pointing.

The Clintonites tell me this is how it is, how it's always been, and how it always will be. Maybe. Certainly, I've accepted that in all the past elections that I've participated in, but I see where it's gotten us.

Obama is relatively new to the national political scene, but he's smart, has shown a remarkable learning curve, has shown mastery of the ability to blunt cheap attacks, has managed the most impressive and effective campaign operation that I've seen in my lifetime, and substantively shares 90% or more of the policy positions of all the mainline Democratic contenders from Clinton to Biden to Edwards.

But, his approach is something different, "naive" as the Clintonites suggest. So I say, if Obama is indeed a "roll of the dice," then let them roll!

HT of CA 3:35PM February 29, 2008

There is a common fact in politics...that if you want to know what will command, motivate, stimulate and ultimately direct a candidate...just follow the money...! If by comparision any of you faith/hope/basket-waiving fans of Barack, ever wish to peek into a future look of our nation? Please take the time to study the corporate "backers" of Barack. Can you spell N-U-C-L-E-A-R???? Illinois has the largest number of nuclear plants in the entire nation and with Barack's help we will be a nation whose enemies "beg" to provide these obvious targets for future attacks-nuclear plants! Barack has received Millions of Dollars from the Nuclear Power Corporations. FACT-not-FICTION!!!

Wake up kids...this can be a fatal decision for all!!!!

FYI...John McCain has also recieved a substantial amount from these same donors!!!

Hillary refused their endorsement!

C.Gonzalez of CA 3:09AM February 29, 2008

For those of you advocating that Senator Clinton should drop out of the race, I have a question for you: If you were behind 3.5% in the voting, and behind by the same margin in the delegate count, as Senator Clinton is, would you drop out of the race at this point?

Let me answer that question for you: No, you wouldn't. And anyone suggesting she should is...well...an idiot.

For those of you Obama kool-aid drinkers out there who can't fathom why anyone wouldn't be in love with the patron saint of hope and change, let me explain it to you in simple English: Barack Obama is a duplicitous liar and a fraud.

He campaigns as the candidate of hope and change. He states regularly that he doesn't take money from registered federal lobbyists. I've got some bad news Senator Obama; we are not illiterate. The LA Times reported last year that BO takes plenty of money from lobbyists. He's just found clever ways of doing it while maintaining the pose of purity. For those of you who don't believe me you can read all about it here:

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/22/681/

Oh, and lest we forget, the Change Messiah is also going back on his pledge to accept public financing for his presidential campaign (should we be unfortunate enough to see him nominated). So much for taking on the lobbyists.

Let's move on shall we?

Let's talk about Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. Senator Hope received Farrakhan's endorsement this past week. But the Great Unifier has refused to condemn him as the racist Jew hater that he is. He refused to condemn the Nation of Islam as a racist, and anti-semitic organization; even as he panders to American Jews telling them he is a firm supporter of Israel (which he is not...more on that in a moment), and that they having nothing to worry about concerning Mr. Farrakhan (who referred to Judaism as a "gutter religion").

Senator Change has been a member of a church for 20 years that is led by a man who named Louis Farrakhan his man of the year. Did Senator Obama make a firm statement against this? Did he demonstrate his disgust for this show of support to a known bigot by leaving the congregation? No, he just agreed to disagree. The Great Unifier would rather not alienate the NOI racists, and their supporters because he needs their votes. Rather than condemn racism, as was done by his supposed role model, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (whom Obama has likened his message to), he tacitly supports it.

BTW Jane from OH, I don't accuse Farrakhan of being anti-semitic. I've seen him speak; he IS anti-semitic.

But the pandering is not left solely for the NOI. Prior to running for the Senate, BO was very much anti-Israel, and supported the Palestinian cause to the point of sacrificing Israel's security. But when he ran for the Senate he realized that American Jews are a larger, and wealthier voting block than Palestinian Americans. So he abandoned them and now calls Israel's security, "sacrosanct." Any Jew who believes Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, and has already voted for Obama, ought to have a deep feeling of buyer's remorse right about now.

Now I will concede that all the candidates lie about something. All the candidates pander. All the candidates take money from the special interests. What makes Obama worse than the others is that he's sold you a bill of goods called, "Change you can believe in." He says he's different. He says going to change Washington, when in fact he is playing the same dirty, lying games. The difference is that he's found a new way to do it. That must be the change he is referring to in his speeches.

But there is an alternative. If you want real change, if you want a candidate who really doesn't take special interest money, who believes America's greatest days are ahead and not behind then look no further than Chester Hopewell. Everything's going to be fine.

http://chesterhopewell08.blogspot.com/

Shtuey of NC 11:52PM February 28, 2008

We just returned from an awesome Town Hall Meeting in Duncanville, TX with Obama and he was magnificent! I actually love Bill Clinton and Hillary but think it will be next to impossible for her to win against McCain. I'm sure that the Republicans have already arrange for Swift Boat-type ads against Hillary on everything from Whitewater to Monica to distract the voting public from the important issues we are facing. It would be very hard for Hillary to keep on message while defending Bill and the Past. Bill was a GREAT President in our opinion, but the times today demand a new face and a new perspective. Today's problems are a result of George Bush's terrible policies, educational ignorance, and just plain bad judgment. We need an inspirational, intelligent, and educated leader who has no past baggage to overcome! Barack Obama is that person and we hope he will be our nominee and that he will win the Presidency! VOTE OBAMA!

Bruce and Becky Carr of TX 10:23PM February 27, 2008