Former McCain Supporter: McCain is "Unleashing the Monster of American Prejudice"

• http://www.alternet.org/module/feed/mobile/?storyID=102837&type=blog

Pretty sad when people that supported you find you behavior abhorrent.

Be One Of The 50,000 New Donors For Obama By Friday

Want a look inside our strategy to win the battleground states?

I recorded a video on my laptop yesterday to brief you on the plan -- including details that haven't been shared publicly before.

Our fight in the battleground states is going to be tougher than a lot of you may think. Take Florida, where George Bush won by just 381,000 votes in 2004. The campaign we're running there is going to cost more than $39 million.

That can only come from supporters like you -- unlike John McCain, we don't take money from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs.

To reach our goal, we need 50,000 new donors by Friday at midnight.

And if you make your first online donation today, your gift will go twice as far. A previous donor has promised to match every dollar you donate.

A matched donation of $5 becomes $10, a donation of $25 becomes $50, and a donation of $50 will become $100. Watch the video and double your impact today.

This race has come down to a matter of weeks, and it could pivot on a few tremendously important swing states.

Supporters like you are strengthening this campaign in amazing ways -- voter registration efforts, organizing in your communities, and bringing folks into the political process like never before.

Barack and Joe can't win this without you.

Make a donation of $5 or more right now to provide the resources we'll need to make victory a reality:

https://donate.barackobama.com/match

This campaign is committed to winning in every state we can. But it's the support of folks like you that will decide this election.

Thanks for everything you're doing,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Take A Trip To Nevada For Obama

Dear guy --



There are less than 50 days to go before November 4th, and Californians have a major role to play as we gear up for Election Day.

Supporters like you have stepped up at office openings and events across the state to declare your support for Barack and take an active role in the campaign. But to win this November, we must continue building our organization across California and keep bringing folks into our grassroots movement -- not just here, but all over the country.

That's why we need your help. As an Obama supporter in California, you can make a huge impact by traveling to Nevada to talk with voters about why Barack Obama and Joe Biden will bring the change we need.

We have a real shot to win in our neighbor state Nevada, but the race is extremely close and you could make the difference.

We are organizing a special trip for Californians travel to Nevada and grow our movement there. Will you take a short trip to Nevada to make a big difference for Barack?

John McCain has made it clear that he intends to continue George W. Bush's failed policies. Just yesterday, he repeated his belief that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong."

Here in California, we know that's not the case. It shows how out of touch McCain is from what's going on in the lives of ordinary Americans.

The past eight years have been devastating for families in Nevada, California, and across the country, and it's time for us to say: Enough.

That's why we're going to be counting on supporters like you to take a leadership role and travel to Nevada, a crucial battleground, to spread Barack's message of change.

Face-to-face contact with undecided voters is the single most effective way to grow this movement. No experience is required, and we'll help you make the trip as easily as possible with either housing in Nevada or discounted group rates at an area hotel.

Sign up for a Drive for Change in Nevada and make a short trip to make a big difference:

http://ca.barackobama.com/CAdrivetoNV

Thanks,

Mary Jane

Mary Jane Stevenson
California Field Director
Obama for America

P.S. -- Camp Obama is a special opportunity for dedicated supporters to learn how they can play a bigger role in our campaign. If you're interested in learning the tools and tactics that could help Barack win this November, join us at a Camp Obama training session near you:

http://ca.barackobama.com/CampObamaCA

Visit: CA.BarackObama.com | Email: California@BarackObama.com

McCain-Palin : The Lies Continue

The press is getting fed up with the McCain-Palin lies...

A Message From Obama Regarding The RNC Wednesday Night

guy --

Why would the Republicans spend a whole night of their convention attacking ordinary people?

With the nation watching, the Republicans mocked, dismissed, and actually laughed out loud at Americans who engage in community service and organizing.

Our convention was different. We gave the stage to everyday Americans who hunger for change and stepped up to make phone calls, knock on doors, and raise money in small amounts in their communities.

You may have missed it, but we also showed the country a video with the faces and voices of those organizers, volunteers, and donors from every corner of the country.

Watch the video and make a donation of $5 or more now to show that in this election, ordinary people will make their voices heard.

https://donate.barackobama.com/changevideo

What you didn't hear from the Republicans at their convention is a single new idea about how to make the healthcare system work, get our economy moving for the middle class, or improve education.

Just attacks -- on me, and on you.

But what the McCain attack squad doesn't understand is that people like you -- who devote part of their busy lives to organizing and building their communities -- have the power to change this country.

With your help, that's exactly what we're going to do.

Thank you,

Barack

-----Original Message-----
From: David Plouffe
Subject: What you just saw

guy --

I wasn't planning on sending you something tonight. But if you saw what I saw from the Republican convention, you know that it demands a response.

I saw John McCain's attack squad of negative, cynical politicians. They lied about Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and they attacked you for being a part of this campaign.

But worst of all -- and this deserves to be noted -- they insulted the very idea that ordinary people have a role to play in our political process.

You know that despite what John McCain and his attack squad say, everyday people have the power to build something extraordinary when we come together. Make a donation of $5 or more right now to remind them?

Both Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin specifically mocked Barack's experience as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago more than two decades ago, where he worked with people who had lost jobs and been left behind when the local steel plants closed.

Let's clarify something for them right now.

Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies.

And it's no surprise that, after eight years of George Bush, millions of people have found that by coming together in their local communities they can change the course of history. That promise is what our campaign has been about from the beginning.

Throughout our history, ordinary people have made good on America's promise by organizing for change from the bottom up. Community organizing is the foundation of the civil rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, labor rights, and the 40-hour workweek. And it's happening today in church basements and community centers and living rooms across America.

Meanwhile, we still haven't gotten a single idea during the entire Republican convention about the economy and how to lift a middle class so harmed by the Bush-McCain policies.

It's now clear that John McCain's campaign has decided that desperate lies and personal attacks -- on Barack Obama and on you -- are the only way they can earn a third term for the Bush policies that McCain has supported more than 90 percent of the time.

But you can send a crystal clear message.

Enough is enough. Make your voice heard loud and clear by making a $5 donation right now:

https://donate.barackobama.com/changevideo

Thank you for joining more than 2 million ordinary Americans who refuse to be silenced.

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

John McCain Is Not Ready To Lead

This is a great article on why John McCain is NOT ready to lead this country, Or his own state for that matter...

Why McCain would be a mediocre president

Commentary: It's not a given that Republican candidate has the right stuff

By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch
Last Update: 3:53 PM ET Aug 7, 2008

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- In his frivolous Paris and Britney ad, Sen. John McCain has asked the right question: Is Barack Obama ready to lead this country?

Since last January, Sen. Obama's fitness for the presidency has been the only question that matters in American politics. The pollsters and pundits agree that if Obama can show the voters that he's up to the job, he'll win. If not, he won't.

But that begs another question: Is McCain fit to lead America?

That question hasn't been asked, nor has it been answered.

The assumption seems to be that McCain's years of experience in the military and in Congress of course give him the background and tools he'd need in the White House. As Britney might say, "Duh! For sure he's qualified!!! He's Mac!!!"

But is that true? Does McCain have the right stuff?

A careful look at McCain's biography shows that he isn't prepared for the job. His resume is much thinner than most people think.

Here are some reasons why McCain would be a mediocre president.

Lack of accomplishments

Like the current occupant of the White House, McCain got his first career breaks from the connections and money of his family, not from hard work.

The son and grandson of Navy admirals, he attended Annapolis where he did poorly. Nevertheless, he was commissioned as a pilot, where he performed poorly, crashing three planes before he failed to evade a North Vietnamese missile that destroyed his plane. McCain spent more than five years in a prison camp.

After his release, McCain knew his weak military record meant he'd never make admiral, so he turned his sights to a career in politics. With the help of his new wife's wealth, his new father-in-law's business connections and some powerful friends had made as a lobbyist for the Navy, he was elected in 1982 to a Congress in a district that he didn't reside in until the day the seat opened up. A few years later, he succeeded Barry Goldwater as a senator.

McCain hasn't accomplished much in the Senate. Even his own campaign doesn't trumpet his successes, probably because the few victories he's had still rankle Republicans.

His campaign finance law failed to significantly reduce the role of money in politics. He failed to get a big tobacco bill through the Senate. He's failed to change the way Congress spends money; his bill to give the president a line-item veto was declared unconstitutional, and the system of pork and earmarks continues unabated. He failed to reform the immigration system.

Every senator who runs for president misses votes back in Washington, so it's no surprise that McCain and all the others who ran in the primaries have missed a lot of votes in the past year. But between the beginning of 2005 and mid-2007, no senator missed more roll-call votes than McCain did, except Tim Johnson, who was recovering from a near-fatal brain aneurysm.

Shallow

McCain says he doesn't understand the economy. He's demonstrated that he doesn't understand the workings of Social Security, or the political history of the Middle East. He doesn't know who our enemies are. He says he wants to reduce global warming, but then proposes ideas that would stimulate -- not reduce -- demand for fossil fuels.

McCain has done one thing well -- self promotion. Instead of working on legislation or boning up on the issues, he's been on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" more than any other guest. He's been on the Sunday talk shows more than any other guest in the past 10 years. He's hosted "Saturday Night Live" and even announced his candidacy in 2007 on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

McCain has not articulated any lofty goals. So far, his campaign theme has mostly been "McCain: He's None of the Above."

In the primaries, he campaigned on "I'm not that robotic businessman, I'm not that sanctimonious hick, I'm not that crazy libertarian, I'm not that washed-up actor, I'm not that delusional 9/11 guy." In the general election, he's emphasized that he's not that treasonous dreamer.

No leadership

McCain has frequently taken on near-impossible missions that go against the grain of his party. It's the basis of his reputation as a maverick. But McCain has never been able to bring more than a handful of Republicans along with him on issues such as campaign finance reform or immigration. Democrats on the Hill have accepted McCain's help on some issues, but except for a few exceptions (John Kerry and Joe Lieberman), they've never warmed to him.

To achieve anything as president, McCain would have to win over two hostile parties: The Democrats and the Republicans.

Living in the Sixties

McCain is still fighting the Vietnam War. But he's not fighting the real historic war, which taught us the folly of injecting ourselves into a civil war that was none of our business. We learned that, in a world where even peasants have guns, explosives and radios, a determined and popular guerrilla force can defeat a modern army equipped with the mightiest technology if that army has no vital national interest to protect.

Instead, McCain is fighting an imaginary Vietnam War, where a sure victory could have been achieved with just a little more bombing, just a little more "pacification," just a little more will to win at home. This fantasy clouds McCain's judgment on foreign policy.

Most of the other high-profile politicians who fought in Vietnam -- Colin Powell, Chuck Hegel, John Kerry, and Jim Webb -- aren't stuck in the past, and they don't view the Iraq War as a chance to get Vietnam right.

No principles

After years of honing a reputation as a guy who'll say the truth regardless of the political consequences, McCain has crashed the Straight Talk Express. On almost every issue where he took a principled stand against the Republican line -- taxes, immigration, oil drilling, the Religious Right -- he's changed his views.

We ought to like politicians who change their mind when the facts change; it shows maturity, judgment and flexibility. But politicians who change their mind to suit the prevailing winds show the opposite.

The bottom line

Successful presidents come from two molds: visionaries, or mechanics. The visionaries -- think Reagan or FDR -- see what others can't and say 'Why not?" to inspire the country. The mechanics -- think LBJ or Eisenhower -- know the ins and outs of government and are able to harness the power of millions of humans to accomplish great things, or at least keep the wheels from coming off.

McCain fits neither style. He's neither a dreamer, nor a detail guy. His major accomplishment, in Vietnam and in the Senate, has been merely to survive.

Just surviving doesn't make you're a hero, or a decent president. America needs to do more than survive the next four years.

Rex Nutting is Washington bureau chief of MarketWatch.

Big Oil Gives Big To McCain For Supporting Drilling

$1.5 million reported thus far.

Iraq's Prime Minister Supports Obama's Withdrawl Timetable

So today I woke up to this good news from the Prime Minister of Iraq...

When asked in and interview with SPIEGEL when he thinks US troops should leave Iraq, Maliki responded "as soon as possible, as far as we are concerned." He then continued: "US presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."

Maliki was careful to back away from outright support for Obama. "Of course, this is by no means an election endorsement. Who they choose as their president is the Americans' business," he said. But then, apparently referring to Republican candidate John McCain's more open-ended Iraq policy, Maliki said: "Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq today are being more realistic. Artificially prolonging the tenure of US troops in Iraq would cause problems."

I wonder how John McCain and the White House will try and spin this one? Is McCain now going to say he can get the troops out in 12 months? I'm sure the Prime Minister will be getting a phone call from the White House soon demanding answers. Most likely after some pressure there will be a retraction or claims of a misquote, that is until the next one. Maybe this is politics to gain more leverage with the White House in their current U.S. troop status agreements. Maybe he is being serious. I think he is being serious, and the pressure from the White House did come because he is now claiming he was "misquoted", unlikely, his statement seemed real clear to me.

So this brings about a great question why do the Republicans want to keep staying there? I mean if the "surge" worked so well and things are so great and the Prime Minister and the people want us gone, Why are we trying to stay? Oil, Permanent Bases I think are the reasons why and the whole purpose of this new status agreement. To lock the next President in just in case he doesn't share bush's crazed ideology. We have not locked up the oil yet. I guarantee as soon as our companies have the oil locked up and there is a few permanent bases there. The Republicans will finally want to leave. But at what costs? How many deaths should we accept for oil before we finally put our foot down?

The Countdown Recap : Iraq Wants A Deadline & Obama Sets It Straight

That time again for The Countdown Recap. Tonight we have Iraq, Obama, and John McCain.

Iraq wants a deadline for troop withdrawal...


More John McCain Ad's...


John McCain's campaign turns away 60 year old Librarian with sign...


Meet the Obama's...

Chuck Todd For Host Of "Meet The Press" Campaign

Chuck Todd For Host Of "Meet The Press" Campaign

I guess if people really wanted Chuck Todd to be the new host, they could start something like this. Have people contact MSNBC Here and voice their preference for Chuck Todd as host. This is something that could be done, Don't you think?

Just Sayin...

If this sounds like a good thing tell them ... Here

If they were thinking about him, viewer feedback could give him a boost. I just want to see Tim Russert's work continued in the same fashion or as close too it as is possible.

Update : So Tom Brokaw will be the temp. moderator during the election. I kind of disagree, I think Chuck Todd would be even better during this period (and beyond) especially since besides Tim Russert, Chuck Todd understands this election better than anyone. I know NBC wants to take their time. But I think the choice is clear now, why wait.... Chuck Todd for Moderator!