Ready to Attack Obama, But Geez...NO MONEY

cross-posted @ Daily Kos



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see this guy above in the back, that is the infamous man who blackened willie horton to the world, to be the scary black man that dukakis set free...well he is waiting, with his son to attempt the same trick on barack obama...

The man is Floyd Brown who relished in the delight of sinking Michael Dukakis in 1988, by attaching him as the liberal governor that set Willie Horton free to rape amuck.

That visual effect is still with me today. Remembering a commercial or ad, with a black man, with purposely darkened skin, a reminder to be afraid, be very afraid.

Well, this man with his son operates exposeobama.com, a website waiting to jump in the 527 ad game, but the money is not coming his way.

We may have angered positions with Obama right now, but the Republican Party is shaking in its shoes. This is the party that knows how to muddy the waters and play the nasty game, no matter who it offends or take down; they know how to do it. But for some reason, this party is not raising the money fast enough to compete.

With Barack Obama opting out of receiving public financing funds, the game is different this election cycle. It is called, "I got the money, you don't have it, and I will do whatever the hell I want to up until November, and you can't."

Pretty Much.

Mr. Brown is back to his trade of bludgeoning a Democratic candidate for president, producing an innuendo-laden advertisement that is being televised this week in Michigan, albeit sparsely on cable, questioning Mr. Obama’s religious background.

The Obama campaign singled out Mr. Brown on Thursday as emblematic of the threat that independent groups on the right posed to him. On Friday, Mr. Obama, at a news conference in Jacksonville, Fla., again named Mr. Brown while defending his campaign’s rejection of public financing for the general election.

Barack Obama is showing his financial prowess by airing this ad in 18 states, which started yesterday. See he can do that because "he got 'financial' game, and McCain don't." Which brings us back to reality here, the 527s and negatives ads are coming, sooner than later, but right now they need something viable to make a dent, it is called MONEY.

Yet if Mr. Brown’s struggles are any indication — he has so far failed to raise much money — it is not clear that Republicans will be able to repeat their successes in 2004, when independent groups like the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth had a significant role in undermining Senator John Kerry’s campaign.

I agree here. The public's sentiment towards the Republicans is bad, period. I know die hard Republicans who will not, repeat not, vote Republican in the fall. They want change and if THEY feel that way towards their party, I know this feeling is all over the country. If you believe that MONEY DOES NOT MATTER IN ELECTIONS, think again. It does.

No major independent effort to help Senator John McCain’s campaign has materialized. Although Republican operatives say something will eventually develop, alarm has spread among many, especially after Mr. Obama’s announcement on Thursday on public financing, raising the prospect that he will wield an enormous financial advantage over Mr. McCain in the fall.

All the cable talking desk clerks have been jabbering away with "the democrats won't come together...the party is fractured...etc...", only to see repeated national and state polls to show that Barack Obama is shoring up our party and bringing it together, but McCain? Not so much.

Major donors are said to be uncertain of Mr. McCain’s chances as Republicans face a decidedly unfavorable climate in the fall....

Yes, they are uncertain, but since McCain has to take public financing money he is relying on these groups to do the dirty work, carry his water through the summer to the convention.

Steve Schmidt, a senior adviser to Mr. McCain, said Friday that although Mr. McCain had made clear his objections to such groups, he also recognized that a number of them were poised to work on Mr. Obama’s behalf. Mr. Schmidt said Mr. McCain understood that “people who want to participate in the process because of what’s going on the other side are going to participate in the process.”

“He’s not going to be a unilateral referee,” Mr. Schmidt added.

Yes, McCain is like Obama, don't like these groups, but need these groups because he cannot translate nor control his message because he is financially handicapped. He must depend on these groups because Obama will be running ads all summer, can he continue to have his poll numbers drop because he is virtually non-existent?

The RNC says Obama opting out will "energize" the base, but so far the base is not energized by Republicans at all.

This is why we are seeing McCain play the Clinton Primary Playbook. Rehashing attacks that Clinton had towards Obama during the primaries and virtually using her words verbatim. And we will add Cindy McCain to the mix, by keeping the perpetual controversy of the Michelle Obama patriotism alive with a dig on GMA Thursday.

The good news is the following: Barack Obama is CEO of Obama for America and is totally independent of any money from public financing. He can spend his money as he see fit with no issues. He can play in every state with no hassles. And he can raise as much money as he wants too, period.

The bad news is the following: John McCain is handcuffed to public financing and must rely on 527s to muddy up the waters for him. He cannot spend lavishly as Obama; he will have to be targeted and must wait until after the Republican Convention to start. The 527s are not raising the money so fast and many are not interested in them, this time around. The laws are stricter and Mr. Brown's group only have 40K in the bank, after the first quarter filing.

For conservatives hoping to repeat the Swift Boat effort, Federal Election Commission rulings after the 2004 election put such advertisements, which questioned a candidate’s character and fitness for office, off limits to 527s specifically.

Does this mean these groups won't be active? Of course not. This pathetic group has a web ad up lying about Obama being a Muslim, when he is a Christian.

But what one can hope is that he does not get the money needed to go full blown, but again, we are in election territory that is new to everyone involved and the old adage of "wait and see" is very applicable.

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Slo Mo....

Obama Raises 22M in May

Barack Obama ended with 43M COH (cash on hand), with 10M earmarked for the general election. Meanwhile, John McCain raised 21M in May.

Remember, John McCain accepted federal funding for the general election, so he is capped at what he can SPEND, until he receives the 84M to run his general election campaign. In other words, McCain Campaign will be quite dark this summer, while Obama Campaign live and active.

How is this? Well, since accepting federal funding you are prohibited from lavish spending. Much will be looked at and deducted, as so. Which is why John McCain is relying heavily on the 527s to do his heavy lifting against Barack Obama. Obama put up his new general election ad in 18 states, see here, expect the McCain Campaign to worry about this. He does not have the money to do this, thus expect the negative ads to SOONER than LATER.

Overall, since the presidential campaigns began last year, Obama has raised $287 million, former first lady Hillary Clinton has raised $209 million and McCain has raised $115 million.

But $10 million of Obama's available cash can only be spent in the fall after the party national conventions, leaving $33 million for the summer months. Obama's decision to bypass the general election's public finance system allows him to use left over primary money in the fall campaign.

Record-breaking numbers
His campaign has racked up record-breaking fundraising numbers in a presidential run that will be the most expensive in U.S. history.

It raised about $36 million in January, $55 million in February and more than $42 million in March.

Obama reported spending $26.6 million in May. His heaviest spending was on advertising — more than $4 million buying time for television commercials. Obama had the most expensive payroll, spending $3.5 million on his staff, more than twice what Clinton spent and more than six times what McCain spent on his payroll.

Obama is the first U.S. presidential candidate to bypass the public financing system since it was created after the Watergate scandal in the mid-1970s.

Notice McCain running the Clinton Campaign blueprint? They are taking notes, criticism, word-from-word of the Hillary Clinton Campaign to use against Barack Obama. I wrote about this earlier, so expect more of this forthcoming, even in 527 ads.

My take, Obama had a weak May in raising funds, period. He was still in the midst of a never ending democratic primary that should have ended in FEBRUARY, but lagged on. People are/was exhausted of the primary and chose to wait until after the dust settle to start donating to Obama. Now that this has settled, Clinton has pushed her fundraisers to Obama. Both, Clinton and Obama will campaign and fundraise together next week.

I expect from June to November for Obama to raise enough and more money to compete against McCain. Remember, his hands are not tied to the 527s, lobbyists, PACs as John McCain's and he can spend as much money needed without the feds looking over his shoulder and looking at his books. That is what happens when you accept public financing.

Lastly, there is nothing wrong with public financing, IF the 527s were not in the mix. We learned a hard lesson with John Kerry and the swiftboating of 2004. We know that the negative ads are coming, we know we will not like it, and we know we must fund our nominee, OURSELVES, Barack Obama.

Please give to the left. Thanks.

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Newsweek Poll

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Obama Add Women in Key Roles Going Forward

After taking primary season criticism over the number of women in its upper ranks, the campaign of Barack Obama has significantly ramped up its hiring of women in senior staff positions.

The move appeared aimed, in part, at reversing what one top aide said was a "bit of a bad rap" for running a male-dominated campaign organization.

Prominent women activists said that, through the primary season, they had taken note of a gender imbalance in the campaign’s top echelon, particularly when compared to that of Hillary Rodham Clinton's operation, but were pleased to see the presumptive Democratic nominee hiring more women.

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Ahhhhh, Maureen does it again, Italian Vogue......

....and that Michelle dress is still the rave....located here....



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Barack's stand on FISA is not being coveted by the Dems on the left....

...and have a great Saturday....

Evening Wrap Up...

barack and dnc chairman howard dean

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MoveOn.org is ceasing its 527 to follow Obama's lead

MoveOn.org announced today that it is dismantling its 527 group in response to Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy.

The MoveOn Voter Fund, which was able to take in unlimited donations, has been essentially dormant since 2004, when it brought in $20 million of the group’s $50 million-haul. MoveOn will rely instead on its political action committee, MoveOn Political Action which can take in up to $5,000 from an individual.

Mr. Obama, who announced yesterday that he would not take public financing for his general election campaign, has been critical of the influence of outside groups, especially the so-called 527 groups, seen by many as a soft-money loophole.

“The small-donor driven politics that built MoveOn and the progressive movement has helped to drive Barack Obama’s candidacy,” said Eli Pariser, executive director of the liberal advocacy group, in a statement. “We’ve always believed this new kind of politics can change our country and end the gridlock in D.C. And now is the time to let the voices of ordinary Americans be heard in this election.”

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Obama raised 22M for May.

OK, we need to pony up until the election. Click to donate on the left.

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Governor's Roundtable in Chicago, Illinois



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Newsweek Poll, Obama up 15 Points

Barack finally has his bounce. For weeks many political experts and pollsters have been wondering why the race between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain had stayed so tight, even after the Illinois senator wrested the nomination from Hillary Clinton. With numbers consistently showing rock-bottom approval ratings for President Bush and a large majority of Americans unhappy with the country's direction, the opposing-party candidate should, in the normal course, have attracted more disaffected voters. Now it looks as if Obama is doing just that. A new NEWSWEEK Poll shows that he has a substantial double-digit lead, 51 percent to 36 percent, over McCain among registered voters nationwide.

My take, an outlier. Is Obama ahead nationally? Yes, I believe so, but not by 15 points. We are just getting started and preparing for the groundgame. This campaign has a long time before the real polls matter which is usually two weeks out.

New poll from New Hampshire: Obama 50, McCain 39.



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Hagel says he'd consider VP offer from Obama

Personally, I don't think it will happen, but if you are a visionary this is plausible.

Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel said Friday he would consider serving as Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's running mate if asked, but he doesn't expect to be on any ticket.

Hagel's vocal criticism of the Bush administration since the 2003 invasion of Iraq has touched off speculation that if Obama were to pick a Republican running mate, it might be Hagel. Hagel said in an interview with The Associated Press that after devoting much of his life to his country — in the Senate and the U.S. Army — he would have to consider any offer.

"If it would occur, I would have to think about it," Hagel said. "I think anybody, anybody would have to consider it. Doesn't mean you'd do it, doesn't mean you'd accept it, could be too many gaps there, but you'd have to consider it, I mean, it's the only thing you could do. Why wouldn't you?"

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michelle speaks in dc

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Obama and the Southside of Chicago



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This Week with Barack Obama will be up on Sunday evening and have a great weekend. If you missed this morning break and that michelle dress, read it here.

Morning Break...and that Michelle dress...

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Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to campaign together on Friday, June 27, 2008.

Senator Barack Obama will be joined by his one-time rival, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, on the campaign trail on Friday June 27, his campaign announced.

A spokesman for Mr. Obama said more details would be announced soon.

The two Democrats had already agreed to appear together at a fund-raiser on June 26 at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel.

After a bruising primary fight, Mrs. Clinton suspended her campaign and endorsed Mr. Obama earlier this month, asking her supporters to join her “in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.”

And Hillary tell her top fundraisers to get behind Barack Obama.

On a private conference call moments ago, Hillary urged her top fundraisers in no uncertain terms to throw their weight behind Barack Obama, and directly asked them in surprisingly candid terms to give or raise money to help her pay off her campaign's debt.

At the same time, in a move that took some participants on the call by surprise, she also clarified that she was not asking their help in paying off her personal loans to the campaign.

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Did GOP Senator Fake An Ad Showing Him Cozy With Wife?


you decide, this is the ad for senator norm coleman (r-mn) and his absent wife, laurie

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Barack Obama poised to rake in about 500M for White House bid

Sen. Barack Obama's decision to forgo public financing for his presidential campaign clears the way for him to outspend Sen. John McCain by 3-to-1 or substantially more in the general election, a financial edge that dramatically rewrites the playbooks for both candidates.

With the possibility of spending perhaps $500 million just in the final two months of the campaign, Obama will be the first major-party candidate to enjoy a spending edge in the general election in more than 30 years. The comparison with the consistently cash-strapped McCain campaign could hardly be more stark.

John McCain has decided, or was forced, to accept public funding which is about 80M. Let us be clear, Barack Obama did say he would accept public funding if the Republican opponent did. Now, this was prior to Obama becoming a juggernaut on the internet. Will he have a hard time on this decision and label a flip-flopper? Yes. But this will be a short-term affect in my view and the truth is that the public is just not engaged about campaign financing, which we should be.

By Obama opting out of this opens up doors for the future of campaign financing.

But Mr. Obama’s decision to opt out of public financing — along with the ability of the Internet to let candidates raise large sums of money from small donors — may do more to shatter the system than all of the loopholes it has spawned.

As structured, each presidential candidate stands to receive $84 million in public money. This money is gained from the $3 check-off on federal taxpayer returns, which the major party candidates can use to run a general presidential campaign from the end of each party’s convention to the November election.

Each political party can also raise and spend money to support its candidate. Donors can give up to $28,500 to party committees, as well as often-unlimited amounts to 527s, nonprofits and a bevy of other committees that exist outside the formal party structure, to influence the election.

Yet even candidates with as many wealthy connections as George W. Bush or who are as adept at fund-raising as Bill Clinton took public money for their general presidential campaigns. Senator John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee, has said he would remain committed to the public finance system, but he may well be the last major candidate to do so.

My take, Obama did the right thing. Many of us, many first time donors became engaged in the Obama for America Campaign. Many of us volunteered, donated money reguarly, became advocates for the Obama for America Campaign.

It is only fair that Barack Obama opt out of public fianancing and let us, his small donor base fund and fuel this campaign. Let me be clear again, he has already raised over 272M just for the primaries and he depended on us. We know the mountain before us and we fully understand that from the degrading Fox News to the forthcoming 527 groups that negative ads are coming. These ads will not only attack Obama but the Obama Family. Accepting public financing, at this point, is only cutting the hand that feed you.

Barack Obama will shatter records in raising money to march to the White House and we are the ones who will put him there.

In the end, the documentation for this campaign from primary to the end of the general election will be the campaign model for many to use for the future.



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Yesterday, I wrote about the embarrassment of the Obama Campaign to ask two young Muslim women in their garb to not stand behind the stage that Obama would grace with former Vice President Al Gore. Basically, we don't want you in the television shot. That is what that was about.

Things happen on campaigns that the candidate are not aware about, this was one of them. Who ever the staff was that made that decision, I am sure have been reprimanded. The good thing is that Obama apologized directly to the young ladies and they accepted his apology.

At the rally for Senator Obama in Detroit on Monday, June 16, two volunteers denied us seating behind the stage the Senator would soon take. The volunteers informed us that we were not allowed to sit in that area due to the hijab, the headscarf that each of us was wearing.

This incident was unfortunate and extremely disappointing. Senator Obama has called us each to personally convey his deepest apologies and acknowledge that this was inexcusable. We both immensely appreciate the Senator's phone call and his commitment to remedy this issue. We commend him for displaying qualities befitting an effective President. We acknowledge that this injustice has been taken seriously and that Senator Obama does not tolerate discrimination against Arabs, Muslims or any community. We are assured that he and his staff are committed to upholding the principles of justice for all peoples and bringing about change we can believe in. The infringement on our rights occurred and has been addressed; now we are ready to move forward. We will continue to support Senator Obama in his campaign and wish him the best as the race continues.

and Obama's statement:

I reached out to Ms. Aref and Ms. Abdelfadeel this afternoon. I spoke with Ms. Abdelfadeel, and expressed my deepest apologies for the incident that occurred with volunteers at the event in Detroit. The actions of these volunteers were unacceptable and in no way reflect any policy of my campaign. I take deepest offense to and will continue to fight against discrimination against people of any religious group or background. Our campaign is about bringing people together, and I'm grateful that Ms. Abdelfadeel accepted our apology and I hope Ms. Aref and any who were offended accept my apology as well.

Barack Obama will be the President of the United States for all of us, not some of us.

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Georgia, it is all tied up there. No wonder the Obama Campaign has put this state on the map for a battleground state. Poll is here.

Indiana is in play.

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Now McCain is being questioned about loving his country. Yes, it came out of his mouth. Can we get off of Michelle now?



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They LOVE Michelle Obama's dress!!!!



You can get this dress at White House|Black Market for $148.00, a deal.

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Bloomberg defends Obama before Jewish group

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is urging Jewish voters to denounce the online whisper campaign that for months has pushed the false rumor that Democrat Barack Obama is secretly a Muslim.

Bloomberg is speaking to members of a Jewish group in Boca Raton, Fla. He's warning them that the attempt to portray Obama as a shadowy Muslim with a hidden agenda often targets Jewish voters online and with e-mails.

The mayor says the deceptive campaign against Obama, who is a Christian, threatens to undo the strides that Jews and Muslims have made together.

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Rise and Fall of Karl Rove


listen to this, especially about the author's take on john kerry

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And the Telecom Companies are spared that they spied on Americans. What is up with these damn democrats in charge? sigh, read it all here.

Oh, John McCain was asked NOT TO COME TO IOWA by the Governor.

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Missed yesterday's break? Read here.

And how is your day going?

Afternoon Break....with Michelle stuff

First General Election Ad

The release of this first general election ad — airing in Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Virginia — will also change the subject from campaign finance.

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michelle with the ladies of the view





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barack opts out of public financing....



good for barack, bad for mccain who is struggling to raise money....

John McCain's campaign treated the news of Barack Obama abandoning the public financing system with the expected disdain, calling it evidence that Obama is "just another typical politician who will do and say whatever is most expedient for Barack Obama."

But the comment may be tinged with more than a bit of envy.

McCain's fundraising has improved dramatically since he secured the nomination in early March. But unlike Obama, he's had to do it the very hard way, slogging through fundraiser after fundraiser, shaking hand after hand.

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Why Obama Should Visit Alaska?? And I mean visit it soon, especially with a now poll out from Rasmussen.

Nate a.k.a. poblano has the run down, here.

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Throughout the primary campaign no one can deny that Hillary Clinton brought out some zingers against Barack Obama.

She pushed and emphasized the "bitter comments"; then Clinton says that she and McCain have passed the commander in chief threshhold; she pounced on the Reverend Wright fiasco to Richard Mellon Scaife of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and on and on.

Much of the above is the reason I see that she will not be the vice-presidential candidate. Use your imagination and see the 527 ads if she is the candidate, or better yet see these ads come out ANYWAY with she and former President Clinton pounding Obama, using their video clips for negative ads. Yes, this is why she won't be on the ticket.

Well, when we have a young senator, new to the D.C. scene, don't have much for a voting record in the senate, what else would you expect the McCain to do? Just rehash all the Clinton attacks from the primary.

Voters thinking the Republican lines of attack against Sen. Barack Obama sound familiar aren't experiencing deja vu - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton previewed several of them during the primary campaign.

Democrats warned that the prolonged Obama-Clinton battle could give Republicans ammunition, and they have been proved right as Mrs. Clinton's harsher words resurface in campaign missives from Sen. John McCain and national, state and local Republicans.

He is naive and inexperienced on foreign policy, Mrs. Clinton suggested for months. Republicans have echoed the attacks.

Democrats now want to move past the nasty fight and Clinton backers are standing by Mr. Obama's side, but Republicans aren't eager to let the opposing party forget its warring.

Is the McCain Campaign in a good place? I don't think so. Will this work? Some things may, but many of us have heard all this and still many others have not.

Remember this, though many of us have followed the primary, etc., still many Americans know nothing about the Obamas. The majority of the people in this country will start to pay attention to this election after Labor Day, as we saw movement for the Democratic Primaries last year.

As we see Cindy McCain, back out on the beaten path of rehashing the Michelle Obama patriotism comments. It is peculiar this time around to see a wife of a presidential candidate to directly go against the other wife of the other presidential candidate. But carrying the dirty water, Cindy McCain did this morning on GMA (Good Morning America).



This coming from a woman with a laundry list of issues from her past. Remember, this is going to be personal assault on the Obamas from the GOP. It is just beginning.

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I like these videos of Michelle on The View, yesterday. Enjoy.


part one


part two


part three


part four


bonus

and if you loved Michelle's dress from the view, it is located here.

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I don't know if you know about this, but on Monday at the Detroit Rally for the Gore endorsement of Obama, two muslim women in their native garb were denied sitting behind Obama and Gore during the televised rally.

My sentiments, what a shame. This should not have happened, period. The Obama Campaign called the women and apologized, but there is an article in the New York Times of how the campaign is tightening its control of the image of Obama.

Here is the beginning and you can read the rest here.

The Obama campaign is vigilantly fighting erroneous information that has spread on the Internet that he is Muslim — he is, in fact, Christian — and emphasizing his patriotism and American story, with flags in abundance. In Washington on Wednesday, he invited photographers to his meeting with new members of his national security team and retired military officers supporting his candidacy.

The campaign on Monday barred cameras from a large gathering of African-American civic leaders Mr. Obama attended. It recently refused to provide names of religious figures with whom Mr. Obama met in Chicago and directed some of them to avoid reporters by using a special exit. And on Wednesday, the campaign orchestrated Michelle Obama’s appearance on the friendly set of “The View” and a flattering spread in the pages of Us Weekly.

“One of the challenges that we are confronting very directly is dealing with the rumors and the e-mails, the inaccurate information about Senator Obama and Michelle Obama,” Ms. Dunn said, “and we’re going to deal with that very aggressively through a number of mediums.”

While the strategy has won compliments from political professionals of both parties, who say Mr. Obama’s campaign is exhibiting a high level of discipline, it has also created some early turbulence for a candidate who has run on promises of openness and cultivated a grass-roots following and a cottage industry of homemade campaign videos, memorabilia and street murals.

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Huge fundraiser at the Kennedy Camp tonight. Walk in price, $28,500, per person. Expect a sellout crowd.

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obama ahead in the key states

So how is your day going????

Cindy McCain, Doing the Heavy Lifting Against Michelle Obama

We all know that Michelle was a smash on The View, today.

See below.



But when your campaign is tanking and you are in the weeds, what else do you do?

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You go after controversy, or keep the controversy in the light.

This is exactly what Cindy McCain is doing. Even though First Lady Laura Bush gave Michelle a pass.

"I don't know why she said what she said," Mrs. McCain explains in an interview with ABC News' Kate Snow airing on "Good Morning America" Thursday. "Everyone has their own experience. I don't know why she said what she said, all I know is that I have always been proud of my country."

She had to make this statement and elaborate more on what Michelle said "that for the first time in my life I am proud of my country" statement, which if you watch The View was explained and overblown from the get-go.

I find this sleazy. Why? Because the McCain Campaign can not be happy with the news today of the post Hillary Clinton polling. All of these battleground states, so far, are not whistling dixie for him, and it has shown the strength of Barack Obama going forward to the fall.

Cindy McCain does not understand what struggle is if you asked her to spell it. A woman who is a 100M Beer Heiress, or Beer Queen, who jets her husband all over the country is the last to be pointing any finger at patriotism.

What about her own story? Her drug addiction? Her stealing from her AVMT for her prescription drug use? What about that?

To make matters worse, McCain admitted, she had stolen the drugs from the American Voluntary Medical Team, her own charity, and had been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

What about Cindy McCain nee Hensley running around with a very married man with children? Is that respectable or acceptable behavior? I don't know about you, but my mother told me when I was single, if they are married, keep steppin'. Was there any empathy not only on Cindy's part but John McCain's for his wife Carol?

But when McCain returned to America in 1973 to a fanfare of publicity and a handshake from Richard Nixon, he discovered his wife had been disfigured in a terrible car crash three years earlier. Her car had skidded on icy roads into a telegraph pole on Christmas Eve, 1969. Her pelvis and one arm were shattered by the impact and she suffered massive internal injuries.

When Carol was discharged from hospital after six months of life-saving surgery, the prognosis was bleak. In order to save her legs, surgeons

had been forced to cut away huge sections of shattered bone, taking with it her tall, willowy figure. She was confined to a wheelchair and was forced to use a catheter.

Through sheer hard work, Carol learned to walk again. But when John McCain came home from Vietnam, she had gained a lot of weight and bore little resemblance to her old self.

Obviously, many feelings were put aside for selfish ones, and hey John McCain got what he wanted a "trophy wife".

And let us not step into Cindy's not so glamorous lie about baking cookies. I mean, I don't know about you, but does anyone even believe she knows a recipe for cookies? Sorry, she don't look the type.

So, now we have Cindy going on Good Morning America, tomorrow, to keep carrying the negative water.

In a rare move, Mrs. McCain also challenged Mrs. Obama's remark, saying as she introduced her husband at a rally shortly after Obama's remarks, "I'm proud of my country, I don't know if you heard those words earlier. I'm very proud of my country."

Well, I don't care for Cindy McCain, at all. I never thought much about going after family members, but this stinks of high heaven.

While she is busy pushing the Michelle controversy, she need to clean up her own house and tell her husband to stop calling her the "c" word. Yes, a youtube is blowing up and about to go viral as I type.

The clean version, click here.

In the end, what is good for the goose is good for the gander, and that is politics in a nutshell. And if Cindy McCain want to continue to carry the negative water against Michelle Obama, let her answer those questions about her judgment and choices she made in her life. After all, it is relevant to being the next First Lady of this land.

Morning Break....

Back Together......

Barack and Hillary joining up for a joint appearance next week.

Hillary Clinton will join Barack Obama for a joint appearance in Washington next week to persuade her donors to begin giving to the Democrats' nominee, the Daily News has learned.

It's the first known plan to bring together the victor and vanquished from the Democrat primary race and put their pledges of unity for the fall campaign into action.

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Reintroducing Michelle

Barack and Michelle Obama is on the cover of US Magazine. A launch of reintroducing Barack, but moreso, Michelle to the general public.

A vicious internet smear is now assaulting Michelle Obama. We already know about Barack, but now it is Michelle. Which is why it is important for us to correct any smears by pointing folks in the correct direction. "Fight the Smears".

Conservative columnists accuse her of being unpatriotic and say she simmers with undigested racial anger. A blogger who supported Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton circulates unfounded claims that Mrs. Obama gave an accusatory speech in her church about the sins of “whitey.” Mrs. Obama shakes her head.

“You are amazed sometimes at how deep the lies can be,” she says in an interview. Referring to a character in a 1970s sitcom, she adds: “I mean, ‘whitey’? That’s something that George Jefferson would say. Anyone who says that doesn’t know me. They don’t know the life I’ve lived. They don’t know anything about me.”

Now her husband’s presidential campaign is giving her image a subtle makeover, with a new speech in the works to emphasize her humble roots and a tough new chief of staff. On Wednesday, Mrs. Obama will do a guest turn on “The View,” the daytime talk show on ABC, with an eye toward softening her reputation.

Michelle is referring to the awful 'whitey' smear thanks to Larry Johnson, that is being passed along on the internet, but no tape exists and all these people know it. The rundown on this smear, here.

My take on this, I am glad, AGAIN, that the Obama Campaign is taking these smears seriously. I have been out in the field and it is INCREDIBLE what people believe that comes in the inbox of their email. This takes up a lot of time to explain and debunk these smears. Now, as the canvass season is upon us, I will just make some copies of the information of the website and give it to people who ask questions about this.

Always remember John McCain has A LOT in his closet, still undisclosed including calling his wife the "C" word. And yes, that is true, it is documented, and it was WITNESSED by people who saw him and heard him call his wife that. Will Cindy McCain the 100M Beer Queen be a target?

The working-class credentials of McCain, 71, the son and grandson of Navy admirals, are also thin. McCain's wife, Cindy, who inherited Anheuser-Busch Cos. distributor Hensley & Co., is worth about $100 million.

Not from the Obama Campaign, but as this campaign is unwinding expect some negative emails coming to you SOON.

Make no mistake about this, it will get WORSE before BETTER. When you are the GOP and have a piss-poor record of leadership in this country, what else can you do? Go negative and attack character.

We all have a responsibility to debunk this crap, and debunk it we must.

p.s. Michelle is on 'The View' today....fyi....

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New Polls and Obama is up in Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio

Quinnipiac Poll was released this morning and has Obama up in Florida 47-43 over McCain.

Gets better, Obama 48, McCain 42 in Ohio

And Obama 52, McCain 40 in Pennsylvania!!!

Yes, this reads great, but remember this is early and the fall has not hit yet. Expect serious negative campaigning from the GOP and expect us to work like crazy this summer and fall.

But am I smiling? Yes. But only for a minute. Read the poll, here.

Also, Obama ahead 47, McCain 42 in Reuters Poll.

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Bush echos McCain for drilling off shore.

President Bush plans to make a renewed push Wednesday to get Congress to end a long-standing ban on offshore oil and gas drilling, echoing a call by GOP presidential candidate John McCain.

Congressional Democrats have opposed lifting the prohibitions on energy development on nearly all federal Outer Continental Shelf waters for more than a quarter-century, including waters along both the East and West coasts.

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Cindy McCain, we know you as the 100M Beer Queen, yet you claim to baking cookies?? Please we know that you don't bake your own cookies, yet alone even have recipes for any. But here we go again, 'recipegate' another lifting of recipes to call it 'your own'. Read it here.

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Obama Expresses Disappointment in McCain's Silence on Wife Attacks, see video here.

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DNC calls for investigating McCain for Election Law Violations

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Obama on Solis-Doyle

"Patti Solis Doyle I think is a terrific experienced campaign hand. She's from Chicago. Her brother and I organized on the southeast side of Chicago when I first moved to Chicago as a community organizer, so I've known the family for a very long time. I think that she will bring not only a set of skills that we're gonna need as we put our ticket together but shes going to be a terrific adviser and offer insight and judgment that will help us."

Missed Evening Wrapup...here.

So, how is your morning going?

Evening Wrapup.......

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IOWA'S KATRINA



The Midwest Flooding is going down in history.

In fact, our great President George W. Bush had the gall to state the following:

"I, unfortunately, have been to too many disasters as president," Bush said after a briefing on the flooding.

Can we all agree that the only disaster has been George W. Bush, himself!!!!

But Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) stated the following on Bush:

"President Bush has asserted that investing in America's needs is somehow 'wasteful' and his budget, which does not add one thin dime for a boost in levee funding, reflects this sentiment," Byrd said.

One word, "AMEN". And I don't think anyone will disagree. After Katrina, Bush STILL did not get it or understand the strain of the infrastructure in this country.

Now the Mississippi River has started its break:

The rising Mississippi River broke through a levee Tuesday, forcing authorities to rescue about a half-dozen people by helicopter, boat and four-wheeler as floodwaters moved south into Illinois and Missouri.

But even as the water jeopardized scores of additional homes and businesses, officials said the damage could have been worse if the federal government had not taken steps to clear flood-prone land after historic floods in 1993.

George W. Bush has been an absent president during these DISASTERS, as he was an absent president when the bridge in Minneapolis, MN just collapsed in the middle of the day.

The cries of federal help from states on infrastructure has gone in one ear and out the other from this president and this administration. But boy, bring a bill for Iraq and need more money, they are ready to sign that bill in a hot second. Bring this administration a bill for maintenance and infrastructure needed in these states and they are told the MONEY IS CUT.


Coralville, Iowa just floating away. But our government is too busy with money in IRAQ but not enough for the good folks of Iowa.


Crops are destroyed. Get ready for record food prices coming to a grocery store, near YOU.

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The battleground states, per pocketnines (AKA, Sean at 538)

1. Virginia, 0.2%
2. Missouri, 0.3%
3. Nevada, 0.6%
4. New Hampshire, 1.0%
5. Michigan, 1.5%
6. Ohio, 1.6%
7. Indiana, 1.7%
8. North Carolina, 3.3%
9. North Dakota, 3.8%
10. Florida, 4.0%
11. Montana, 4.5%

Read his take, here.

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That lil' old war called Iraq, over 50 killed in a car bomb today. Wow, real progress!!!

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And the GOP tries to criticize Obama on terrorism? Here is Obama's response:

"These are the same guys who helped to engineer the distraction of the war in Iraq at a time when we could have pinned down the people who actually committed 9/11," the presumed nominee told reporters aboard his campaign plane. "This is the same kind of fear-mongering that got us into Iraq ... and it's exactly that failed foreign policy I want to reverse."

And McCain, "flip-flops" on off-shore drilling. This is the McCain who has been going around the country trying to become the best friend of the environmentalists, but now has done an about face and favor drilling in California and OMG, Florida!!!

Governor Crist is all for it, ummm, must want that VP slot. I would be shocked he gets it. Got to past the "vetting test" and that includes "personal vetting", anyway be sure that the "Guvernator Ahnold" of California will not be so ready to jump on that drilling "bandwagon".

The Washington Post wrote that the push by McCain to deep-six the ban as part of the response to raising gasoline prices and let each affected state decide the exploration issue "is sure to annoy two key Republican allies," California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Crist. Both have opposed coastal drilling.

In both states, support for the moratorium has been a given for most politicians (for more on how the issue plays in Florida, see this posting on the Chicago Tribune's Swamp blog).

MSNBC's First Read posting this morning noted the following: "No Republicans in Florida have gotten elected statewide without endorsing the moratorium on off-shore oil drilling, so McCain's decision is going to get its share of criticism even from VP wannabe" Crist.

But the item added that if "Crist tries to rationalize the McCain decision then we'll really find out just how much he wants on the ticket."

Apparently, very much.

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Folks, Gay Marriage is here to stay. At least in California....



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If you missed this new youtube sensation....watch and laugh your "you know what off"...



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And Coming to a Checkout Counter Near You....



and if you missed the Afternoon Break, read it here.

Afternoon Break...with Gore stuff....

Well, last night Al Gore joined Barack Obama, first at a fundraiser then a rally at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan to a packed house to announce his formal endorsement for Barack Obama.

What does this mean? A lot. Gore wrote on his blog, "I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected President of the United States."

During his speech, Gore took jabs at the failed Administration that is called Bush:

"After eight years of incompetence, neglect and failure, we need change," Gore said. "After eight years when our Constitution has been dishonored and disrespected, we need changes."

He gave a very good speech; hit all the points, but my favorite line is below:

...even our dogs and cats learned elections matter....yes, al gore is back.....

Watch the video below, which was a zinger for sure.



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The cable desk clerks are chirping away about the move of the Obama Campaign to install former Clinton Campaign Manager, Patti Solis-Doyle to be Chief of Staff of the VP Nominee (to be selected).

We all know how this works. The Clinton forces got their surrogates hopping and whining on cable television, insinuating this is a 'dis'. But something else occurred to me, via my strategist friend.

This was bait for Clinton.

Bait you say? Why?

What is Barack's number one demand from the conception of his campaign? NO DRAMA.

So, what does the campaign do? They released a pr (press release), but this pr was a staffing list. This list had about 10 names on it. It listed other positions that have been absorbed by current staff members, newly created positions by bringing other staff members from other campaigns in, and Solis-Doyle's name somewhere in the middle.

Well, if this was a test, the Clinton folks got a big fat "F". Instead of being quiet and taking it the surrogates were running their mouths amuck.

This reminds me of the whole Clinton snafu of not conceding WHEN SHE SHOULD HAVE on that Tuesday Night. Instead, all her surrogates were running around teevee, screaming that she should be the VP pick, some like "Lanny Davis" even starting a website for petitions to put her on the ticket and that dreadful "Bob Johnson" trying to press the CBC (Congressional Black Caucus) to put pressure on Obama for Clinton.

Well, that was major blowback for Clinton and failed. Especially when Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA) a Clinton backer said:

“There’s no bargaining," he told Dominic Carter, according to a transcript from NY1. "You don't bargain with the Presidential nominee. Even if you're Hillary Clinton and you have 18 million votes, you don't bargain.”

We all know what happened after this, Clinton recoiled, recanted and stated that she is not seeking the VP spot, though she said she would be interested.

I think this was a test. A test of how one would handle potentially bad news or even confusing news and look what has happened. The bulldogs were sent out; barking on the teevee screen and everyone is saying, basically, "so what".

This is Obama's choice. And since when does a presidential candidate have to get permission to hire a former colleague and absorb them in the campaign? He does not have to get a checkmark by the name from Hillary Clinton or anyone else. If the Clinton Camp has not learned anything, they need to absorb this; Barack Obama is stubborn and will not flinch. We have seen this repeatedly throughout this campaign and if Hillary Clinton has not FINALLY realized this, of course, she won't be tapped for the VP nod.

Finally, Solis-Doyle was born and raised in Chicago. She is friends and worked with David Axelrod, Mayor Daley. Her brother is a city councilman and powerful ward chief in this city. Of course, she is brought aboard. This has been floating around since March and no one should be surprised at this. Least of all the Clintons.

Simple as that. Oh, read Al G's take on it from The Field, here.

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Obama returns Chicago to center stage. Yippee!!! Sorry, I am from Chicago so I am patting myself on the back....._:)

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For Blacks in France, Obama’s Rise Is Reason to Rejoice, and to Hope

Interesting piece in the NYT about how folks are viewing this election abroad. I have been following how Obama is playing internationally and this is THE ELECTION that the world is watching. Pure fascination, but it would send a message internationally how the United States of America will be viewed, post George W. Bush years, which have sunk our value to an all time low.

When Youssoupha, a black rapper here, was asked the other day what was on his mind, a grin spread across his face. “Barack Obama,” he said. “Obama tells us everything is possible.”

A new black consciousness is emerging in France, lately hastened by, of all things, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States. An article in Le Monde a few days ago described how Mr. Obama is “stirring up high hopes” among blacks here. Even seeing the word “noir” (“black”) in a French newspaper was an occasion for surprise until recently.

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Washington Post/ABC Poll

The skinny is that Obama is leading by 6 points, but the cable desk clerks are chirping, "Why isn't the lead larger?"

Let me 'splain this again, as I was chirping this line in June of 2007.

IT IS EARLY. PERIOD.

Remember, who lead all of 2007 in the polls? It sure was not anyone with the name of Obama?

People are not paying attention to this stuff. They are not. It is early, the summer is here, folks are fishing, kids are out of school, etc. Again, the only ones watching this are political junkies, us. When Labor Day comes and goes, the kids back in school, fall approaches, you will see movement and folks paying attention to Obama and McCain.

For me, Obama is doing what he need to. Bringing the party together, getting the DNC funded, preparing for the Convention in August, stumping in the swing states, but more importantly getting ready for post Labor Day when the country will be engaged.

One nugget in this poll is this. 84% of the people believe the country is going in the wrong direction. If you were John McCain and have not made a dent or movement in shifting this number, I would be VERY AFRAID for NOVEMBER.

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Catching up with the polls.....

Oh, My, Obama is Leading in Ohio.....

PPP (Public Policy Poll) has Obama 50, McCain 39

Again, early, one poll, not a pollster, but visit Nate @ 538 to my left. He is the poll god. No kidding.

Looks as if Wisconsin is Obamaland...Obama 50, McCain 37.....

Virginia is tight....

Oregon is Obama 46, McCain 38......

Obama 37, McCain 47 in Kansas....still early.....

And kos says that women are going for Obama. As in polling....

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The moveon.org ad...."Not Alex"



and the talking heads...



and Chuck Todd....



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And if you missed Frank Rich's column titled, "Angry Clinton Women ♥ McCain?" It is a must read. Here is a tidbit and click on the link to finish it out:

TEN years ago John McCain had to apologize for regaling a Republican audience with a crude sexual joke about Hillary and Chelsea Clinton and Janet Reno. Last year he had to explain why he didn’t so much as flinch when a supporter asked him on camera, “How do we beat the bitch?” But these days Mr. McCain just loves the women.

In his televised address on Barack Obama’s victory night of June 3, he dismissed Mr. Obama in a single patronizing line but devoted four fulsome sentences to praising Mrs. Clinton for “inspiring millions of women.” The McCain Web site is showcasing a new blogger who crooned of the “genuine affection” for Mrs. Clinton “here at McCain HQ” after she lost. One of the few visible women in the McCain campaign hierarchy, Carly Fiorina, has declared herself “enormously proud” of Mrs. Clinton and is barnstorming to win over Democratic women to her guy’s cause.

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If you missed This Week With Barack Obama, click here.

And hope you are having a great day.....

This Week With Barack Obama, The Presumptive Democratic Nominee, June 8-15, 2008

cross-posted @ Daily Kos


barack at apostolic church of god in chicago, il

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father's day speech, june 15, 2008

polls

Obama Up 50% to 44% per RasmussenObama Leading McCain in New York; Obama leads in the NBC/WSJ Poll; Obama Gains Among Women After Clinton Exit; Wisconsin Poll; McCain Bleeding Support In Iowa;Putting NC in play; Dems satisfied with Obama, Republicans McCain, not so much; SUSA WA: Obama Blowing McCain Away (O 56, M 39); Obama Takes Lead In MICHIGAN; Obama Surges Ahead!

McCain playing catch up to Obama's Wis. operation
Obama Camp Reaches Out To Clinton Fundraisers
McCain wastes no time in turning negative
Obama sends N.C. message
Democratic Party: Obama can win Virginia
Barack Obama is $100M man





A Delegator, Obama Picks When to Take Reins

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Experts see black churches as key in November election
Obama's victory contains a lesson for Britain
Obama vs. McCain: Study in contrasts
Presidential Race Boils Down to 15 States
Obama Meets with Conservative and Progressive Religious Leaders


michelle with barack in columbus, ohio

Republicans Gird for Big Losses in Congress

Republicans are bracing for double-digit losses in the House and the prospect of four or five losses in the Senate, as they fight to hold a wide range of districts and states normally seen as safe for them, from Alaska and Colorado to Mississippi and North Carolina.

The feared setback for Republicans, coming two years after their 2006 drubbing, is unusual for several reasons. It is rare for a party to lose two election cycles in a row. And many expect losses even if their presidential candidate, John McCain, captures the White House.

Democrats already hold majorities in the Senate and House. Democrats hold 49 seats in the Senate, and they often have the votes of the chamber's two independents. In the House, Democrats have 235 seats compared with 199 for Republicans.

But a wider margin of control in both chambers would give the party a more workable majority, a change that would let it push more ambitious agendas on health care, energy policy and tax issues. While Democrats are already able to pass much of their agenda through the House, many of those bills currently get stuck in the Senate. A handful more seats in that chamber would give Democrats a better chance of overcoming filibusters, which require 60 votes to break. WSJ

obama shadowing a nurse in a st. louis, mo hospital

McCain and Obama: The odd candidates
Campaigns gear up for Michigan battle
Latinos will vote for Obama
Inside Obama's 50-State Fight


barack and sasha on father's day

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Learning to be Michelle Obama
Candidates Focus on Economy......as Gas Prices Soar
Barack Obama recruits team to tackle web smears
McCain, Obama Matchup Puts New States in Play



barack in raleigh, nc


icebergslim’s last word: smears or just say lies

The Obama Campaign has unleashed a website called “Fight the Smears”. This was prompted due to a reporter asking Barack about the non-existent tape in which Michelle Obama was supposed to call someone “whitey”, and for the record it does not exist.

This is what I call an about time moment.

We have had to deal with is Barack a Muslim, a real U.S. citizen, the Reverend Wright mess, is he patriotic, etc. It has gotten so that now Barack Obama’s birth certificate is available for all to view.

The GOP is gearing up early to try to smear the Obamas. Why? Well, look at the state of this country under GOP rule for most of the past 8 years. This country is bankrupt by the Iraq War, unable to pay our own bills and assist the citizens here, and the rich have became super rich gods under George W. Bush. The most important part of this is the fraction in the GOP who don’t like their own party, hate what it has become, unenthusiastic for McCain, and will either stay home or secretly vote Obama.

If you knew all this, you would create rumors too.

Will it work? I don’t think so. I had some people at work who asked me about some of these rumors. I immediately directed them to the Obama website, Fight the Smears, and then asked why is this crap out there? Easy, we are in a different campaign age.

Campaigns now must fight on two fronts, the traditional media and the internet. It is easy to prop up a website, write false stories, source doctored information and call it fact. It is up to each and every one of us to push back and make sure the story is correct. As, I told one gentleman at work who was all worked up on Reverend Wright, but then stated Obama is a Muslim. I said, “How can he be both Christian and Muslim? Does that make any sense to you?” Well, he shut up because he sounded like an idiot, but it did make him think.

This campaign will get far nastier as the days wind down. Once the McCain campaign find out in the hard numbers that they cannot win, they will assault the Obama Campaign by personal attacks and the 527s will do it hard. It is up to us to have our response ready and rapid with facts.

Power is something many don’t want to relinquish, but after George W. Bush, relinquish the power the Republicans must.


change that works for you: flint, michigan

audio/video

Barack Obama Chides Absentee Fathers; Obama helps with flood relief in Quincy, IL; Change That Works for You: Columbus, OH; Change that Works for You: Kaukauna, WI; Change that Works for You: Raleigh, NC; Barack Obama in St. Louis, MO;

McCain, Obama present different views on taxes
Obama begins general campaign in low-key style
Chicago having its moment with Obama and baseball
Women favor Obama
Johnson resigns from Obama's veep vetting team
Michelle Obama: Is she fair game?



well, much is going on. barack is out on the stump, reguarly, as well as michelle. this week, is much shorter due to a family emergency that has taken up most of my time lately. if you don't see this weekly on sundays, expect it on monday. keep the faith, get involved, and remember to focus on obama and not the drama...

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Tip the Obama Jar, Here
Get Involved Here
For Inspiration: Yes.We.Can!!!

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icebergslim1047 (at) gmail (dot) com
This Week With Barack Obama