This Week With Barack Obama, April 7-12, 2008

cross-posted @ Daily Kos & One Million Strong


barack in south bend, in

Democratic Debate
April 16, 2008 - Philadelphia, PA, ABC

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michelle in harrisburg, nc, april 8, 2008

Voting Registration Deadlines for the Following States and Early Voting Information

Indiana: Early Voting for Indiana is through noon, May 5, 2008. For information of your location for early voting, click here.

Kentucky: Deadline April 21st. All registration forms should be submitted to your county and received by April 21st. Download registration form here. List of counties to mail form here.

West Virginia: Deadline April 22nd. All registration forms must be submitted on and received by April 22nd. Download the registration form here. Forms must be mailed or hand delivered to your local county office, list of county offices here.

Oregon: Deadline April 29th. Registration form must be received by April 29th, the downloadable form and where to mail to your county is available here.

Montana: Deadline May 5th. Registration form must be received by May 5th. Registration form and your county address is available here. Additional information is here.

South Dakota: Deadline May 19th. Downloadable form here. Fill out the form on-line, print and send here. List of counties to mail your form is here.

Obama at the Helm
Family precedent: Obama's grandmother blazed trails
The Story of Barack Obama's Mother
Obama Calls on Parents to Help Students
Obama’s charisma may be the determining factor


barack in gary, indiana, roosevelt high school

Dem hopeful Obama says he wants to restore diplomacy to foreign policy

Democrat Barack Obama said he would pull U.S. combat troops out within 16 months under his plan to end American military involvement in Iraq.

“We will do it carefully ... I am talking about one to two brigades per month and that will take 16 months from the time I take office” if elected president, Obama told more than 2,000 people Friday evening in the gym at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.

“George Bush isn’t going to pull out more troops. That means we’re talking two years from now. This war has lasted longer than World War I, Word War II and the Civil War. continue

obama with senator casey's family

Audio/Video

NPR: Covering the Coverage of the 2008 Campaigns; NPR: The Obama Franchise: Harnessing Activists' Energy; NPR: What's with That Obama Poster?; New Pennsylvania Ads; Another Pennsylvania Ad; Town Hall Meeting in Malvern, PA; Radio Ad in PA called "Fill"; Obama in South Bend, IN; Town Hall in Gary, IN; NBC5 Interview with Obama; Barack in Lafayette, IN; Barack in Columbus, IN; Full video of Obama at the North Dakota Convention; Obama on the Today Show about Iraq; Obama questioning General Petraeus at Iraq Senate Hearings; Barack's Statement on American Idol

obama serving burgers at ball state university, muncie in

White women begin to turn away from Clinton
In The End, Superdelegates Will Vote Almost Unanimously For Obama
Ouster Opens Opportunity for Obama
Obama closing superdelegates gap
Obama denounces big corporate pay packages


obama addressing CWA in Washington, D.C., April 8, 2008

shoutouts:

Green Zone Under Attack - Again by Maureen; Al Gore by Steven D; Lessons Mark Penn Never Learned by Tracy Russo; Bitter and Angry in Rural Pennsylvania: Obama's Reality vs. Hillary's Fantasy by astral66; We Can't Afford The War Anymore by bonddad; time to take a stand by kid oakland; ABC: BUSH Says He APPROVED TORTURE. What About SEXUAL Torture? by Troutfishing; 'Out of Touch?' Obama Schools Clinton/McCain by turneresq; Don't Forget Tuzla by BooMan; The Clinton Campaign: Too Arrogant to Work for the Nomination by Bob Johnson; Congressional Republicans, Afraid of Obama, Throw Hail Mary Pass to Try to Keep Him From Nomination by DHinMI; Contemplating the Unity Bounce by poblano; "We don't have insurance." by StrangeAnimals; Dr. James Hansen: "A Guaranteed Disaster" Planned CO2 Cuts Too Little, Too Late by FishOutofWater; Report: Carter, Gore to endorse Obama, or ask Clinton to concede by poblano; Clinton to Rural Pennsylvanians: "You Can Be Victims, Too!" by The Field; Obama: Small Dollar Online Fundraising Akin to Public Financing by Jonathan Singer

obama everywhere

Obama's happy, drama-free appeal

In the days and weeks ahead, the Barack Obama campaign is going to pose a simple question to the undecided voters and undeclared superdelegates who will decide the Democratic nomination for president: If Hillary Clinton can’t run a good primary campaign, how is she ever going to run a good campaign against the Republicans?

And while she says she is ready from Day One to be president, she is at something like Day 430 into being a presidential candidate and her campaign seems to be going from bad to worse to train wreck.

Mark Penn, who just got booted as her chief strategist, is only the latest problem in a campaign that has been heavy on drama and light on results.

“None of these folks have ever run anything, other than Hillary running a health care task force,” David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist, told me Monday. “But these campaigns are big, complicated, pressure-filled enterprises, and it is an important proving ground.” continue

obama at the senate foreign relations hearings

Statement of Barack Obama on President Bush's Stay the Course Iraq Strategy

President Bush gave no answer to the most important question about the way forward in Iraq: how will we end this war that is not making us safer? After five years, over four thousand lives, and over half a trillion dollars, we have a blank check strategy in Iraq that is overstretching our military, distracting us from the other challenges we face, burdening our economy, and failing to pressure the Iraqi government to take responsibility for their future. We cannot press Iraq’s leaders to resolve their differences and spend their money if our plan is to stay in Iraq indefinitely. We cannot relieve the enormous strain on our military and our military families unless we restore adequate time at home for our troops – 12 month deployments represent a step forward, but we need to give our troops adequate dwell time at home. We cannot finish the fight in Afghanistan and focus on Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda’s core leadership unless we end this war that should’ve never been authorized. The decision to go to war in Iraq was an enormous strategic blunder, and President Bush is only adding to his disastrous legacy by refusing to show the American people any clear goal or any clear plan to end the war. When I am President, I will bring our combat brigades home in 16 months, engage in the direct diplomacy in the region that is necessary to stabilize Iraq, restore our military strength, and renew our security and standing in the world. Our heroic troops have accomplished every mission that we have given them in Iraq and they have done so brilliantly; it is time to bring them home, and to ask the Iraqis to take responsibility for their country.

obama @ little 500 women's bike race @ university of indiana, bloomington, in

Photo Diaries

On the ground in Philly -- canvassing and "Weekend of Women" by casperr; Obama in Lafayette, IN by Praxxus; Levittown Lovin’ Obama – Seriously by speck tater; Photo Diary of Obama in Malvern, PA by BooMan23; Bill Clinton "Estoy a favor" the Colombian Trade Deal by Billary Redux; Obama supporters bowl me over by Scott Kleeb

Obama Says Real-Life Experience Trumps Rivals’ Foreign Policy Credits
Obama: Repeal of 'Don't Ask' Possible
Pelosi: Democrats need unity
Obama rips McCain in Gary
Obama Speaks to Gay Community in "Advocate" Interview

Blogs and Websites

Greek Americans for Obama; Edwardiansforobama.com; Obama Cycle; One Million Strong; This Week With Barack Obama; Brown Iowa; The Populista Report; Relentless Liberal; Washington State; Obama Dallas; NYC4OBAMA; NewYork4Obama; Texans for Obama; Republicans for Obama; Vermont for Obama; Independents for Obama; Seattle for Obama; Idaho for Obama; Asians for Obama; Bay Area for Obama; Sacramento for Obama; Families for Obama; Irish Americans for Obama; D.C. for Obama; Obama NH; Obama News Vine; Black Women for Obama; Obama Santa Cruz; Think on These Things; Iowa Republicans for Obama; Another Democratic Woman for Obama; RENObama!; Go Barack Obama; Netroots for Obama; Economists for Obama; Why We Need Obama

Obama States A Truth, Media & RivalsTwist It by Maureen
The end is near by PsiFighter37
I'm Not Bitter - I'm Outraged One Pissed Off Liberal
Obama IS Fighting Back & He's Using his Best Weapon! by Muzikal203
Fox News: Are People Bitter in PA? ANSWER: Yes. by inthecolour
Hillary Clinton: I'm More American Than He Is by JedReport
The Cost of Letting This Go On...and On by BooMan
Obama earned my vote, Hillary lost it. by Janeo



obama at the sunrise cafe, south bend, in

Endorsements

Scranton Times Tribune Endorses Obama; Allentown Morning Call Endorses Obama ; Obama picks up a superdelegate in Minnesota; South Bend Mayor Stephen Luecke Endorses Obama; Obama Picks up Endorsement from Pennsylvania Politicians; Superdelegate Pickup from Utah; Two Former Oregon Governors Endorse Obama; The American Postal Workers Union Endorses Obama; Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette Endorses Obama; Portland Tribune Endorses Barack Obama; The Daily & Sunday Review (Towanda, PA) Endorses Obama

Deal Behind Sen. Klobuchar's Endorsement of Obama
What Went Wrong with the Clinton Campaign
Obama Confidante Jarrett Wields Clout of Campaign Inner Circle
Obama knows the way to young voters' hearts
Obama continues to enchant Americans
Poll suggests Canadians love Barack Obama despite NAFTA controversy
Obama Urges Bush to Boycott Beijing
Obama Poised To Turn Down Public Financing
The Broker: Vernon Jordan



signing the wall at nick's pub in bloomington, in

Michelle Obama talks couple's finances

It wasn't until Barack Obama wrote a pair of best-selling books that he and his wife escaped their student loan debt, an experience Michelle Obama said Tuesday helps the couple understand everyday challenges better than policymakers in Washington.

"We are not so far away from life that we don't understand and get it," said Michelle Obama, wife of the Democratic presidential candidate.

Obama met with a group of about 50 women at a town-hall meeting in Harrisburg, just north of Charlotte. It was part of a daylong tour of North Carolina ahead of the state's May 6 primary.

At the Tuesday morning forum, the women said increases in the cost of gas, education and health care — along with an unstable job market — have taken a toll. continue

icebergslim’s last word: bitterness and out of touch politicians

There has been a manufactured kerfuffle over the remarks Barack Obama made at a fundraiser in San Francisco last weekend. To start with, these events are restricted from media but one blogger from the Huffington Post recorded an answer from Obama to a contributor. Before getting into that, I think what the blogger did was wrong. Why? These events are restricted to politicians and donors, period. The politician is free to answer questions without the pressure of media. I personally think the blogger should have identified herself. Since she did not, the story is somewhat one-sided, but the remarks about Americans in small towns all over this country is bitter and the truth.

The story was posted on Huffington Post by the blogger named, Mayhill Fowler, the story can be read with the full transcript and audio from Fowler’s cell phone. The feign upset is to the following:

But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. So it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

If you read the whole transcript you understand what Obama is stating. But the mainstream media along with Hillary Clinton and John McCain now are stating Obama is “out of touch” and an “elitist”.

Let’s review who is really an elitist and who is really out of touch.

Hillary Rodham Clinton grew up in an upper middle class family in Park Ridge, Illinois a suburb of Chicago. Her family owned their own business. Hillary Rodham Clinton has had every advantage a person growing up in this type of family can provide. She graduated from Wellesley College, and received her law degree from Yale University. In fact one has to wonder if Hillary Clinton ever had to worry about repaying any college tuition debt. If so, she has never conveyed it in any of her stump speeches, which makes you wonder if she ever had to worry about any financial repayments or debt. In fact if you look over Hillary Rodham Clinton’s life she has lived a very elitist one. Most of her adult life she has lived in mansions from the governor’s mansion in Little Rock, Arkansas, to the White House mansion in Washington, D.C., to the D.C. mansion she now has while in the senate, along with her multi-million dollar home in New York State. Also, Hillary Rodham Clinton belongs to the most elitist club of all, it is called “former first lady club who is married to a former president of the United States”. How many folk are walking around this country belonging to this elitist club? Not many. And there is nothing wrong with it, but this club gives you all the advantages and perks any person in this country could just wish for. So, who is really the elitist here? Oh, we must not forget The Clintons 100 million dollar figure that they now maintain. They have truly entered the 100 Million Dollar Club. Hip-Hip-Hooray, for not being elite!!!

John Sidney McCain III comes from a privileged family one which includes a former father and grandfather who were 4 star admirals in the Navy. His name alone opens up any opportunity he could ever wish for. John McCain has served his country well, was a POW during the Vietnam War. He survived and has led an admirable military life, but privileged and elite none the less. He has lived the majority of his post military life in Washington, D.C. For anyone to believe that he is not mired in the Washington, D.C. ways are in for an eyeful. He started an affair with his current wife, Cindy McCain, while still married to his former wife. Nothing wrong with that, he is open about it, but his latter wife had much to offer the privileged McCain. Money. Cindy McCain is the Beer Queen who is worth upwards and possibly beyond 100 million dollars. There is nothing that Mrs. McCain has ever wanted monetarily, because she was always able to get it. This couple has lived the bulk of their lives with Washington, D.C. insiders and to even think they understand what it means to struggle is laughable at best.

Yet, these two out of touch politicians have the nerve to state that Barack Obama is out of touch with the average American because he stated the truth that many Americans are bitter???

Barack and Michelle Obama just paid off student loans due to Barack’s book sales. They only moved from a small condo into a home, due to his book sales, and if you looked at his tax returns he is no where near Clinton or McCain in personal wealth. Yet, The Obamas are talking about kitchen tables issues because they have been there and done that. They are not far off the mark in relating to the average American, in fact they are very much in tune. Which is why many Americans are listening to them and can relate to them.

For Hillary Clinton to play tag team with John McCain in feigns outrage is despicable in itself. Is she a Democrat or Republican? She surely has used the Republican playbook throughout this whole primary process with disastrous results. So, why can’t they understand the bitterness and frustration of the average American?

Let us look at a few things we are bitter about:

The Iraq War; The Bush Administrations handling and lies involved with The Iraq War; Alberto Gonzales, former Attorney General, who was not an Attorney General at all; Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense and his abysmal handling of The Iraq War; Abu Ghrab and the embarrassment and horror associated with it; NAFTA and how the Chinese have railroaded its goods in this country; Lead poison toys from China (and lead paint has been disbanded in the United States of America since the 1970s); Pet food from China that have killed our pets; Food from China which clearly makes one wonder WTF?; Goods from China, including clothes that don’t hold up, dinnerware like Pfalzgraff is now made entirely in China; The Educational System under the Bush Administration which now have drop-out rate at more than 50% in this country (yeah, and No Child Left Behind have and is leaving many behind); Gas prices, soon to be 4.00 a gallon, near you; Food prices are skyrocketing; College tuition is now for the rich and not for the lower and middle class kids; The crash of the housing market and millions who and will lose their homes; Lack of good paying jobs and lack of raises from most jobs, which can’t even match inflation; The corporate greed, example the bailing out of the sorry airline industry and now Bears Stearn; The lack of job security and many Americans working 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet; KATRINA, that name alone says much; and most of all lack of trust of government since they continually lie and take care of its own, also known as the elite ones.

So, if Hillary Clinton and John McCain cannot understand the entire above, why are they running for President of the United States? If you cannot understand the bitterness and frustration of the average American, only one conclusion is left, you are out of touch. Sad, but true.

Obama response to Clinton and McCain, along with CNN analyst response backing Obama and Bitter Voters for Obama08

note Obama is not backing down....

Campaign Appearances

April 15, 2008 - Community Event with Michelle Obama, York, PA
April 15, 2008 - Stand for Change Rally with Michell Obama, Havorford, PA

"feelin' the love for michelle @ north carolina state, raleigh, nc

see the folks are geared up to see michelle in raleigh!!! this event was sold out to over 5700 people and the word is that she was fantastic!! the obama campaign is truly people-powered from the grassroots, we own a piece of this campaign to make it the model of campaigning to come. please donate to the best run campaign this primary season, going into the general election, The Obama Campaign.

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