Op-Ed Columnist
Willie Sutton Wept
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: February 17, 2011
There are three things you need to know about the current budget debate. First, it’s essentially fraudulent. Second, most people posing as deficit hawks are faking it. Third, while President Obama hasn’t fully avoided the fraudulence, he’s less bad than his opponents — and he deserves much more credit for fiscal responsibility than he’s getting.
About the fraudulence: Last month, Howard Gleckman of the Tax Policy Center described the president as the “anti-Willie Sutton,” after the holdup artist who reputedly said he robbed banks because that’s where the money is. Indeed, Mr. Obama has lately been going where the money isn’t, making a big deal out of a freeze on nonsecurity discretionary spending, which accounts for only 12 percent of the budget.
But that’s what everyone does. House Republicans talk big about spending cuts — but focus solely on that same small budget sliver.
And by proposing sharp spending cuts right away, Republicans aren’t just going where the money isn’t, they’re also going when the money isn’t. Slashing spending while the economy is still deeply depressed is a recipe for slower economic growth, which means lower tax receipts — so any deficit reduction from G.O.P. cuts would be at least partly offset by lower revenue.
The whole budget debate, then, is a sham. House Republicans, in particular, are literally stealing food from the mouths of babes — nutritional aid to pregnant women and very young children is one of the items on their cutting block — so they can pose, falsely, as deficit hawks.
What would a serious approach to our fiscal problems involve? I can summarize it in seven words: health care, health care, health care, revenue.
Notice that I said “health care,” not “entitlements.” People in Washington often talk as if there were a program called Socialsecuritymedicareandmedicaid, then focus on things like raising the retirement age. But that’s more anti-Willie Suttonism. Long-run projections suggest that spending on the major entitlement programs will rise sharply over the decades ahead, but the great bulk of that rise will come from the health insurance programs, not Social Security.
So anyone who is really serious about the budget should be focusing mainly on health care. And by focusing, I don’t mean writing down a number and expecting someone else to make that number happen — a dodge known in the trade as a “magic asterisk.” I mean getting behind specific actions to rein in costs.
By that standard, the Simpson-Bowles deficit commission, whose work is now being treated as if it were the gold standard of fiscal seriousness, was in fact deeply unserious. Its report “was one big magic asterisk,” Bob Greenstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities told The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein. So is the much-hyped proposal by Paul Ryan, the G.O.P.’s supposed deep thinker du jour, to replace Medicare with vouchers whose value would systematically lag behind health care costs. What’s supposed to happen when seniors find that they can’t afford insurance?
What would real action on health look like? Well, it might include things like giving an independent commission the power to ensure that Medicare only pays for procedures with real medical value; rewarding health care providers for delivering quality care rather than simply paying a fixed sum for every procedure; limiting the tax deductibility of private insurance plans; and so on.
And what do these things have in common? They’re all in last year’s health reform bill.
That’s why I say that Mr. Obama gets too little credit. He has done more to rein in long-run deficits than any previous president. And if his opponents were serious about those deficits, they’d be backing his actions and calling for more; instead, they’ve been screaming about death panels.
Now, even if we manage to rein in health costs, we’ll still have a long-run deficit problem — a fundamental gap between the government’s spending and the amount it collects in taxes. So what should be done?
This brings me to the seventh word of my summary of the real fiscal issues: if you’re serious about the deficit, you should be willing to consider closing at least part of this gap with higher taxes. True, higher taxes aren’t popular, but neither are cuts in government programs. So we should add to the roster of fundamentally unserious people anyone who talks about the deficit — as most of our prominent deficit scolds do — as if it were purely a spending issue.
The bottom line, then, is that while the budget is all over the news, we’re not having a real debate; it’s all sound, fury, and posturing, telling us a lot about the cynicism of politicians but signifying nothing in terms of actual deficit reduction. And we shouldn’t indulge those politicians by pretending otherwise.
Showing posts with label obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label obama. Show all posts
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Obama's Health Care Mistake?
(c) 2009 F. Bruce Abel
A discussion in the New York Times today with this title. Pretty good. It highlights some of my thoughts, such as What is his health care plan? (There isn't any yet. He's letting Congress define the battle before formally stepping in, although behind the scenes you can be sure Rahm Emanual is active toward ... something.)
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/obamas-health-care-mistake/
I did sign a petition urging the administration to keep supporting the Single Payer System.
A discussion in the New York Times today with this title. Pretty good. It highlights some of my thoughts, such as What is his health care plan? (There isn't any yet. He's letting Congress define the battle before formally stepping in, although behind the scenes you can be sure Rahm Emanual is active toward ... something.)
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/obamas-health-care-mistake/
I did sign a petition urging the administration to keep supporting the Single Payer System.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Brooks Loves Obama
Remember the third grade when girls' notes would be passed around "Bruce loves Nancy," etc.
Well, "Brooks loves Obama."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/opinion/22brooks.html
What a difference from first grade when David Brooks was unabashedly praising Bush. (Actually, in a way he still is -- just not Cheney).
Well, "Brooks loves Obama."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/opinion/22brooks.html
What a difference from first grade when David Brooks was unabashedly praising Bush. (Actually, in a way he still is -- just not Cheney).
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Rich: Enough With the "100 Days" Already
Somewhat akin to Herbert's great piece, blogged here. The dangers of operating with only one credible party:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/opinion/03rich.html?_r=1
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Reich Says We're Not Even at the End of the Beginning
Let alone the beginning of the end.
http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-were-not-at-beginning-of-end-and.html
http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-were-not-at-beginning-of-end-and.html
Monday, March 30, 2009
Now This is an Article!
Listen up. Something vast has happened between the government and GM:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/business/31assess.html?hp
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/business/31assess.html?hp
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Herbert -- Yes!
Get Started No, thanks
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Miracles Take Time
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By BOB HERBERT
Published: March 6, 2009
Barack Obama has only been president for six weeks, but there is a surprising amount of ire, anger, even outrage that he hasn’t yet solved the problems of the U.S. economy, that he hasn’t saved us from the increasingly tragic devastation wrought by the clownish ideas of right-wing conservatives and the many long years of radical Republican misrule.
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Bob Herbert
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This intense, impatient, often self-righteous, frequently wrongheaded and at times willfully destructive criticism has come in waves, and not just from the right. Mr. Obama is as legitimate a target for criticism as any president. But there is a weird hysterical quality to some of the recent attacks that suggests an underlying fear or barely suppressed rage. It’s a quality that seems not just unhelpful but unhealthy.
Mr. Obama is being hammered — depending on the point of view of the critics — for the continuing collapse of the stock market, for not moving fast enough to revive the suicidal financial industry, for trying to stem the flood tide of home foreclosures, for trying to bring health insurance coverage to some of the millions of Americans who don’t have any, for running up huge budget deficits as he tries to fend off the worst economic emergency since World War II and for not taking time out from all of the above to deal with — get this — earmarks.
Earmarks.
More than 4.4 million jobs have been lost since this monster recession officially got under way in December 2007, and we’ve got people wigging out over earmarks. Folks, get a grip. Some earmarks are good, some are not, but collectively they account for a tiny, tiny portion of the national budget — less than 1 percent.
Freaking out over earmarks is like watching a neighborhood that is being consumed by flames and complaining that there is crabgrass on some of the lawns.
In the midst of the craziness, conservatives are busy trying to blame this epic economic catastrophe — a conflagration of their own making — on the new president. Forget Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush and George Herbert Hoover Bush and the Heritage Foundation and the Club for Growth and Phil Gramm and Newt Gingrich and all the rest. The right-wingers would have you believe this is Obama’s downturn.
The bear market would no doubt have magically turned around by now, and those failing geniuses at the helm of our flat-lined megacorporations would no doubt be busy manufacturing new profits and putting people back to work — if only Mr. Obama had solved the banking crisis, had lowered taxes on the rich, had refused to consider running up those giant deficits (a difficult thing to do at the same time that you are saving banks and lowering taxes), and had abandoned any inclination that he might have had to reform health care and make it a little easier for ordinary American kids to get a better education.
As the columnist Charles Krauthammer was kind enough to inform us: “The markets’ recent precipitous decline is a reaction not just to the absence of any plausible bank rescue plan, but also to the suspicion that Obama sees the continuing financial crisis as usefully creating the psychological conditions — the sense of crisis bordering on fear-itself panic — for enacting his ‘big-bang’ agenda to federalize and/or socialize health care, education and energy, the commanding heights of post-industrial society.”
That’s a more genteel version of the sentiment expressed a couple of weeks ago by the perpetually hysterical Alan Keyes, a Republican who was beaten by Mr. Obama in the Illinois Senate race in 2004. “Obama is a radical communist,” said Mr. Keyes, “and I think it is becoming clear. That is what I told people in Illinois, and now everybody realizes it’s true.”
I don’t know whether President Obama’s ultimate rescue plan for the financial industry will work. He is a thoughtful man running a thoughtful administration and the plan, a staggeringly complex and difficult work in progress, hasn’t been revealed yet.
What I know is that the renegade clowns who ruined this economy, the Republican right in alliance with big business and a fair number of feckless Democrats — all working in opposition to the interests of working families — have no credible basis for waging war against serious efforts to get us out of their mess.
Maybe the markets are down because demand has dried up, because many of the nation’s biggest firms have imploded and because Americans are losing their jobs and their homes by the millions. Maybe a dose of reality is in order, as opposed to the childish desire for yet another stock market bubble.
Maybe the nuns in grammar school were right when they counseled that patience is a virtue. The man has been president for six weeks.
Past Coverage
'Socialism!' Boo, Hiss, Repeat (March 1, 2009)
Jobless Angry At Possibility Of Losing Out On Benefits (February 27, 2009)
Nation's Governors See a Dismal Economic Outlook and a Slow Recovery (February 22, 2009)
Obama Gains G.O.P. Support From Governors (February 17, 2009)
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United States Economy Get E-Mail Alerts
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Subprime Mortgage Crisis Get E-Mail Alerts
Herbert, Bob Get E-Mail Alerts
Next Article in Opinion (3 of 27) »
Judith Warner: Being and Mindfulness
Recipes for Health: Barley Soup With Mushrooms and Kale
Paul Krugman: The Big Dither
David Brooks: When Obamatons Respond
Job Losses Hint at Vast Remaking of Economy
Sounds of Silence on Cape Cod
Riding the Rails
Piecemeal Layoffs Avoid Warning Laws
Proof: Moderation and the Modern Mom
Art Review 'Cézanne and Beyond': Maverick, You Cast a Giant Shadow Go to Complete List »
The Big Dither
Brazil: 9-Year-Old Has Abortion Despite Church's Objections
651,000 Jobs Reported Lost in February
When Obamatons Respond
G.M., in Filing, Raise Doubts About Its Viability
One France Is Enough
Obama Taps Clinton Ideas but Not Clinton Herself
Undisclosed Losses at Merrill Lynch Lead to a Trading Inquiry
Future Dim for Nuclear Waste Repository
Airstrikes in Gaza Kill 4 Militants Go to Complete List »
obama
march 1, 2009
joe nocera
china
krugman
Welcome to Ti
Welcome to TimesPeople
What’s this?Latest Activity
Latest Activity
Op-Ed Columnist
Miracles Take Time
comments
By BOB HERBERT
Published: March 6, 2009
Barack Obama has only been president for six weeks, but there is a surprising amount of ire, anger, even outrage that he hasn’t yet solved the problems of the U.S. economy, that he hasn’t saved us from the increasingly tragic devastation wrought by the clownish ideas of right-wing conservatives and the many long years of radical Republican misrule.
Skip to next paragraph
Bob Herbert
Post a Comment »
This intense, impatient, often self-righteous, frequently wrongheaded and at times willfully destructive criticism has come in waves, and not just from the right. Mr. Obama is as legitimate a target for criticism as any president. But there is a weird hysterical quality to some of the recent attacks that suggests an underlying fear or barely suppressed rage. It’s a quality that seems not just unhelpful but unhealthy.
Mr. Obama is being hammered — depending on the point of view of the critics — for the continuing collapse of the stock market, for not moving fast enough to revive the suicidal financial industry, for trying to stem the flood tide of home foreclosures, for trying to bring health insurance coverage to some of the millions of Americans who don’t have any, for running up huge budget deficits as he tries to fend off the worst economic emergency since World War II and for not taking time out from all of the above to deal with — get this — earmarks.
Earmarks.
More than 4.4 million jobs have been lost since this monster recession officially got under way in December 2007, and we’ve got people wigging out over earmarks. Folks, get a grip. Some earmarks are good, some are not, but collectively they account for a tiny, tiny portion of the national budget — less than 1 percent.
Freaking out over earmarks is like watching a neighborhood that is being consumed by flames and complaining that there is crabgrass on some of the lawns.
In the midst of the craziness, conservatives are busy trying to blame this epic economic catastrophe — a conflagration of their own making — on the new president. Forget Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush and George Herbert Hoover Bush and the Heritage Foundation and the Club for Growth and Phil Gramm and Newt Gingrich and all the rest. The right-wingers would have you believe this is Obama’s downturn.
The bear market would no doubt have magically turned around by now, and those failing geniuses at the helm of our flat-lined megacorporations would no doubt be busy manufacturing new profits and putting people back to work — if only Mr. Obama had solved the banking crisis, had lowered taxes on the rich, had refused to consider running up those giant deficits (a difficult thing to do at the same time that you are saving banks and lowering taxes), and had abandoned any inclination that he might have had to reform health care and make it a little easier for ordinary American kids to get a better education.
As the columnist Charles Krauthammer was kind enough to inform us: “The markets’ recent precipitous decline is a reaction not just to the absence of any plausible bank rescue plan, but also to the suspicion that Obama sees the continuing financial crisis as usefully creating the psychological conditions — the sense of crisis bordering on fear-itself panic — for enacting his ‘big-bang’ agenda to federalize and/or socialize health care, education and energy, the commanding heights of post-industrial society.”
That’s a more genteel version of the sentiment expressed a couple of weeks ago by the perpetually hysterical Alan Keyes, a Republican who was beaten by Mr. Obama in the Illinois Senate race in 2004. “Obama is a radical communist,” said Mr. Keyes, “and I think it is becoming clear. That is what I told people in Illinois, and now everybody realizes it’s true.”
I don’t know whether President Obama’s ultimate rescue plan for the financial industry will work. He is a thoughtful man running a thoughtful administration and the plan, a staggeringly complex and difficult work in progress, hasn’t been revealed yet.
What I know is that the renegade clowns who ruined this economy, the Republican right in alliance with big business and a fair number of feckless Democrats — all working in opposition to the interests of working families — have no credible basis for waging war against serious efforts to get us out of their mess.
Maybe the markets are down because demand has dried up, because many of the nation’s biggest firms have imploded and because Americans are losing their jobs and their homes by the millions. Maybe a dose of reality is in order, as opposed to the childish desire for yet another stock market bubble.
Maybe the nuns in grammar school were right when they counseled that patience is a virtue. The man has been president for six weeks.
Past Coverage
'Socialism!' Boo, Hiss, Repeat (March 1, 2009)
Jobless Angry At Possibility Of Losing Out On Benefits (February 27, 2009)
Nation's Governors See a Dismal Economic Outlook and a Slow Recovery (February 22, 2009)
Obama Gains G.O.P. Support From Governors (February 17, 2009)
Related Searches
United States Economy Get E-Mail Alerts
Republican Party Get E-Mail Alerts
Subprime Mortgage Crisis Get E-Mail Alerts
Herbert, Bob Get E-Mail Alerts
Next Article in Opinion (3 of 27) »
Judith Warner: Being and Mindfulness
Recipes for Health: Barley Soup With Mushrooms and Kale
Paul Krugman: The Big Dither
David Brooks: When Obamatons Respond
Job Losses Hint at Vast Remaking of Economy
Sounds of Silence on Cape Cod
Riding the Rails
Piecemeal Layoffs Avoid Warning Laws
Proof: Moderation and the Modern Mom
Art Review 'Cézanne and Beyond': Maverick, You Cast a Giant Shadow Go to Complete List »
The Big Dither
Brazil: 9-Year-Old Has Abortion Despite Church's Objections
651,000 Jobs Reported Lost in February
When Obamatons Respond
G.M., in Filing, Raise Doubts About Its Viability
One France Is Enough
Obama Taps Clinton Ideas but Not Clinton Herself
Undisclosed Losses at Merrill Lynch Lead to a Trading Inquiry
Future Dim for Nuclear Waste Repository
Airstrikes in Gaza Kill 4 Militants Go to Complete List »
obama
march 1, 2009
joe nocera
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krugman
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Obama at Nippert
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CLIFTON - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama made his final swing through Ohio on Sunday, hitting packed crowds in Columbus and Cleveland, and culminating with a rally at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium.
Standing at a podium amid a throng of cheering supporters, Obama greeted the crowd at one of his last campaign events before Election Day.
“Ohio, I have just two words for you: two days,” he said, and the crowd went wild, waving signs and chanting, “Yes, we can.”
“Ohio, after decades of broken politics in Washington, after eight years of failed policies from George Bush, after 21 months … of a campaign that has taken us from the rocky coast of Maine to the sunshine of California, we are two days away from bringing change to America,” Obama said.
Behind him, two giant American flags and an Ohio flag hung beside a banner that said “Change,” the theme Obama has pummeled into the minds of voters over the last year.
Above him, the Bearcat “C” flashed red, white and blue stars and stripes as a blue Obama-Biden sign illuminated the scoreboard. Obama, who wore a black jacket on the chilly but clear evening, gave a 34-minute speech, promising not to raise taxes for anyone making less than $250,000 and to bring health care to every American. Mostly though, he sought to inspire the crowd with his larger theme of bringing change to Washington.“I ask you to believe – not so much in my ability to bring about change, but in yours."The Obama campaign estimated the crowd at 27,000.Two days before Election Day, this was Obama’s last push in Ohio. The state’s 20 electoral votes could make the difference. In 2004, Ohio gave President Bush his victory. This time, things could be different. A Columbus Dispatch poll out Sunday showed Obama with a 52-46 percent lead over GOP presidential contender John McCain, who held a rally at the same time in another battleground, Florida."Don’t believe for a second this election is over," Obama warned, issuing a challenge to those at the rally. "In these last couple of days, I need you to knock on some doors for me, and make some calls for me. … If you are willing to stand with me, if you are willing to struggle with me, if you are willing to vote for me, then I promise you this – we will not just win Ohio, we will not just win this election, but together, we will change this country and we will change the world."Kim Harris, 45, of Colerain Township, wearing a blue T-shirt that said, "I’m an Obama Mama." said the speech was excellent."It wasn’t just a speech," she said. "It was him, it was real."Randi Moore, 24, of Clifton said she was glad to hear Obama rebut information put out by the McCain camp about how Obama will raise taxes. "It hit all the important points," she said. "He talked about what people were worried about."Exuberant crowds wearing Obama T-shirts, hats, buttons and stickers plastered to their clothes waited in lines that snaked for more than a mile around the stadium and down the streets for the chance to see him.“I haven’t been this excited about a someone since I was a teenager and Bobby Kennedy was running,” said Carrol Mitchell, 58, of Maineville, who waited since 1:30 p.m.
Beverly Ferguson, 63, came to the stadium by herself at 2 p.m. to brave the crowds. She spoke to Obama when he was at UC in March and wanted to see him one last time before Election Day.
"We're giving him a sendoff to his presidency," she said. Howard Levy, 44, of Blue Ash, brought his three children ages 10 to 15 to the Obama rally, wanting them to see the political process. "Hopefully they will remember this the rest of their lives," Levy said.
Obama will head to Jacksonville, Fla., today, followed by stops in Charlotte, N.C., and Manassas, Va., before heading to his hometown of Chicago to await results.
Election fun
Text of Obama's prepared remarks
Ohio, I have just two words for you: two days. After decades of broken politics in Washington, eight years of failed policies from George Bush, and twenty-one months of a campaign that has taken us from the rocky coast of Maine to the sunshine of California, we are two days away from change in America. In two days, you can turn the page on policies that have put the greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street before the hard work and sacrifice of folks on Main Street. In two days, you can choose policies that invest in our middle-class, create new jobs, and grow this economy so that everyone has a chance to succeed; from the CEO to the secretary and the janitor; from the factory owner to the men and women who work on its floor. In two days, you can put an end to the politics that would divide a nation just to win an election; that tries to pit region against region, city against town, Republican against Democrat; that asks us to fear at a time when we need hope. In two days, at this defining moment in history, you can give this country the change we need. We began this journey in the depths of winter nearly two years ago, on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Back then, we didn’t have much money or many endorsements. We weren’t given much of a chance by the polls or the pundits. We knew how steep our climb would be. But I also knew this. I knew that the size of our challenges had outgrown the smallness of our politics. I believed that Democrats and Republicans and Americans of every political stripe were hungry for new ideas, new leadership, and a new kind of politics – one that favors common sense over ideology; one that focuses on those values and ideals we hold in common as Americans. Most of all, I knew the American people were a decent, generous people willing to work hard and sacrifice for future generations. I was convinced that when we come together, our voices are more powerful than the most entrenched lobbyists, or the most vicious political attacks, or the full force of a status quo in Washington that wants to keep things just the way they are. Twenty-one months later, my faith in the American people has been vindicated. That’s how we’ve come so far and so close – because of you. That’s how we’ll change this country – with your help. And that’s why we can’t afford to slow down, sit back, or let up for one day, one minute, or one second in these last few days. Not now. Not when so much is at stake. We are in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. 760,000 workers have lost their jobs this year. Businesses and families can’t get credit. Home values are falling. Pensions are disappearing. It’s gotten harder and harder to make the mortgage, or fill up your gas tank, or even keep the electricity on at the end of the month. At a moment like this, the last thing we can afford is four more years of the tired, old theory that says we should give more to billionaires and big corporations and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. The last thing we can afford is four more years where no one in Washington is watching anyone on Wall Street because politicians and lobbyists killed common-sense regulations. Those are the theories that got us into this mess. They haven’t worked, and it’s time for change. That’s why I’m running for President of the United States.Now, Senator McCain has served this country honorably. And he can point to a few moments over the past eight years where he has broken from George Bush. But when it comes to the economy – when it comes to the central issue of this election – the plain truth is that John McCain has stood with this President every step of the way. Voting for the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy that he once opposed. Voting for the Bush budgets that spent us into debt. Calling for less regulation twenty-one times just this year. Those are the facts. After twenty-one months and three debates, Senator McCain still has not been able to tell the American people a single major thing he’d do differently from George Bush when it comes to the economy. When John McCain wants to give a $700,000 tax cut to the average Fortune 500 CEO, that’s not change. It’s not change when he wants to give $200 billion to the biggest corporations or $4 billion to the oil companies or $300 billion to the same Wall Street banks that got us into this mess. It’s not change when he comes up with a tax plan that doesn’t give a penny of relief to more than 100 million middle-class Americans. President Bush is sitting out the last few days before the election. But yesterday, Dick Cheney came out of his undisclosed location and hit the campaign trail. He said that he is, and I quote, “delighted to support John McCain.” I’d like to congratulate Senator McCain on this endorsement because he really earned it. That endorsement didn’t come easy. Senator McCain had to vote 90 percent of the time with George Bush and Dick Cheney to get it. He served as Washington’s biggest cheerleader for going to war in Iraq, and supports economic policies that are no different from the last eight years. So Senator McCain worked hard to get Dick Cheney’s support. But here’s my question for you, Ohio: do you think Dick Cheney is delighted to support John McCain because he thinks John McCain’s going to bring change? Do you think John McCain and Dick Cheney have been talking about how to shake things up, and get rid of the lobbyists and the old boys club in Washington?Ohio, we know better. After all, it was just a week ago that Senator McCain said that he and President Bush share a “common philosophy.” And we know that when it comes to foreign policy, John McCain and Dick Cheney share a common philosophy that thinks that empty bluster from Washington will fix all of our problems, and a war without end in Iraq is the way to defeat Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorists who are in Afghanistan and Pakistan. So George Bush may be in an undisclosed location, but Dick Cheney’s out there on the campaign trail because he’d be delighted to pass the baton to John McCain. He knows that with John McCain you get a twofer: George Bush’s economic policy and Dick Cheney’s foreign policy – but that’s a risk we cannot afford to take. It’s time for change, and that’s why I’m running for President of the United States. We’ve tried it John McCain’s way. We’ve tried it George Bush and Dick Cheney’s way. Deep down, Senator McCain knows that, which is why his campaign said that “if we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.” That’s why I’m talking about the economy. That’s why he’s spent these last weeks calling me every name in the book. Because that’s how you play the game in Washington. When you can’t win on the strength of your ideas, you make a big election about small things.So I expect we’re going to see a lot more of that over the next few days. More of the slash and burn, say-anything, do-anything politics that’s calculated to divide and distract; to tear us apart instead of bringing us together. Well, that’s not the kind of politics the American people need right now. Ohio, at this moment, in this election, we have the chance to do more than just beat back this kind of politics in the short-term. We can end it once and for all. We can prove that the one thing more powerful than the politics of anything goes is the will and determination of the American people. We can change this country. Yes we can. We can prove that we are not as divided as our politics would suggest, that we are more than a collection of Red States and Blue States – we are the United States of America. We can steer ourselves out of this crisis – with a new politics for a new time. We can build the future we know is possible – as one people, as one nation. That’s why I’m running for President of the United States of America.Ohio, I know these are difficult times. But I also know that we have faced difficult times before. The American story has never been about things coming easy – it’s been about rising to the moment when the moment was hard. It’s about rejecting fear and division for unity of purpose. That’s how we’ve overcome war and depression. That’s how we’ve won great struggles for civil rights and women’s rights and workers’ rights. And that’s how we’ll write the next great chapter in the American story. Understand, if we want to meet the challenges of this moment, we need to get beyond the old ideological debates and divides between left and right. We don’t need bigger government or smaller government. We need a better government – a more competent government – a government that upholds the values we hold in common as Americans. The choice in this election isn’t between tax cuts and no tax cuts. It’s about whether you believe we should only reward wealth, or whether we should also reward the work and workers who create it. I will give a tax break to 95% of Americans who work every day and get taxes taken out of their paychecks every week. And I’ll help pay for this by asking the folks who are making more than $250,000 a year to go back to the tax rate they were paying in the 1990s. No matter what Senator McCain may claim, here are the facts – if you make under $250,000, you will not see your taxes increase by a single dime – not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes, not your capital gains taxes. Nothing. Because the last thing we should do in this economy is raise taxes on the middle-class. When it comes to jobs, the choice in this election is not between putting up a wall around America or standing by and doing nothing. The truth is, we won’t be able to bring back every job that we’ve lost, but that doesn’t mean we should follow John McCain’s plan to keep giving tax breaks to corporations that send American jobs overseas and promoting unfair trade agreements. I will end those breaks as President, and give them to companies that create jobs here in the United States of America. We’ll create two million new jobs by rebuilding our crumbling roads, and bridges, and schools. And I will invest $15 billion a year in renewable sources of energy to create five million new energy jobs over the next decade – jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced. When it comes to health care, we don’t have to choose between a government-run health care system and the unaffordable one we have now. If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change under my plan is that we will lower premiums. If you don’t have health insurance you’ll be able to get the same kind of health insurance that Members of Congress get for themselves. And as someone who watched his own mother spend the final months of her life arguing with insurance companies because they claimed her cancer was a pre-existing condition and didn’t want to pay for treatment, I will stop insurance companies from discriminating against those who are sick and need care most. That’s the change we need. That’s why I’m running for President of the United States. When it comes to giving every child a world-class education, the choice is not between more money and more reform – because our schools need both. As President, I will recruit an army of new teachers, pay them more, and give them more support. But I will also demand higher standards and more accountability from our teachers and our schools. And I will make a deal with every American who has the drive and the will but not the money to go to college: if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford your tuition. And when it comes to keeping this country safe, we don’t have to choose between retreating from the world and fighting a war without end in Iraq. It’s time to stop spending $10 billion a month in Iraq while the Iraqi government sits on a huge surplus. As President, I will end this war. I will ask the Iraqi government to step up for their future, and I will finally finish the fight against bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. I will never hesitate to defend this nation. And I will make sure our servicemen and women have the best training and equipment when they deploy into combat, and the care and benefits they have earned when they come home. That’s what we owe our veterans. That’s what I’ll do as President. I won’t stand here and pretend that any of this will be easy – especially now. The cost of this economic crisis, and the cost of the war in Iraq, means that Washington will have to tighten its belt and put off spending on things we don’t need. As President, I will go through the federal budget, line-by-line, ending programs that we don’t need and making the ones we do need work better and cost less. But as I’ve said from the day we began this journey, the change we need won’t come from government alone. It will come from each of us doing our part in our own lives and our own communities. It will come from each of us looking after ourselves, our families, and our fellow citizens. Yes, government must lead the way on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and our businesses more efficient. Yes, we must put more money into our schools, but government can’t be that parent who turns off the TV and makes a child do their homework. We need a return to responsibility and a return to civility. Yes, we can argue and debate our positions passionately, but all of us must summon the strength and grace to bridge our differences and unite in common effort – black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American; Democrat and Republican, young and old, rich and poor, gay and straight, disabled or not. In this election, we cannot afford the same political games and tactics that are being used to pit us against one another and make us afraid of one another. Despite what our opponents may claim, there are no real or fake parts of this country. There is no city or town that is more pro-America than anywhere else – we are one nation, all of us proud, all of us patriots. The men and women who serve on our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America – they have served the United States of America.It won’t be easy, Ohio. It won’t be quick. But you and I know that it is time to come together and change this country. Some of you may be cynical and fed up with politics. You have every right to be. But despite all of this, I ask of you what has been asked of Americans throughout our history. I ask you to believe – not just in my ability to bring about change, but in yours.I know this change is possible. Because I have seen it over the last twenty-one months. Because in this campaign, I have had the privilege to witness what is best in America. I’ve seen it in the faces of the men and women I’ve met at countless rallies and town halls across the country, men and women who speak of their struggles but also of their hopes and dreams.I still remember the email that a woman named Robyn sent me after I met her in Ft. Lauderdale. Sometime after our event, her son nearly went into cardiac arrest, and was diagnosed with a heart condition that could only be treated with a procedure that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Her insurance company refused to pay, and their family just didn’t have that kind of money. In her email, Robyn wrote, “I ask only this of you – on the days where you feel so tired you can’t think of uttering another word to the people, think of us. When those who oppose you have you down, reach deep and fight back harder.”Ohio, that’s what hope is. That’s what kept some of our parents and grandparents going when times were tough. What led them to say, “Maybe I can’t go to college, but if I save a little bit each week, my child can. Maybe I can’t have my own business but if I work really hard my child can open up one of her own. It’s what led those who could not vote to say “if I march and organize, maybe my child or grandchild can run for President someday.”That’s what hope is—that thing inside that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that there are better days ahead. If we’re willing to work for it. If we’re willing to shed our fears. If we’re willing to reach deep inside ourselves when we’re tired, and come back fighting harder.Don’t believe for a second this election is over. Don’t think for a minute that power concedes. We have to work like our future depends on it in these last few days, because it does.But I know this, Ohio, the time for change has come. We have a righteous wind at our back.And in these last couple of days, I need you to knock on some doors for me, and make some calls for me, and go to barackobama.com and find out where to vote – and remember, you can vote early here in Ohio. If you will stand with me, and fight by my side, and cast your ballot for me, then I promise you this – we will not just win Ohio, we will not just win this election, but together, we will change this country and we will change the world. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless America.
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arbustus wrote:
She is dumb! First the fake French phone call now this?Obama’s “bankrupting coal” comments are another Republican fake, like Joe The Plumber. ONE DAY before the election these allegations come out in critical swing states, that also just happen to be coal states? Funny how the United Mineworkers in West Virginia are endorsing Obama. http://www.umwa.org/“The Republican National Committee and apparently even GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin fell for completely fabricated news from a shady website called Newsbusters today suggesting the San Francisco Chronicle has ''hidden'' audio with Sen. Barack Obama regarding his statements on coal. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/sso_detail?blogid=14&entry_id=32228The entire interview has been in the public domain, available on line to the public -- and to the McCain campaign -- since early January. Listen: http://cdn.sfgate.com/blogs/sounds/sfgate/chroncast/2008/01/17/20080117-obama-interview.mp311/3/2008 3:40:59 AM She is dumb! First the fake French phone call now this?
Obama’s “bankrupting coal” comments are another Republican fake, like Joe The Plumber. ONE DAY before the election these allegations come out in critical swing states, that also just happen to be coal states? Funny how the United Mineworkers in West Virginia are endorsing Obama. http://www.umwa.org/
“The Republican National Committee and apparently even GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin fell for completely fabricated news from a shady website called Newsbusters today suggesting the San Francisco Chronicle has ''hidden'' audio with Sen. Barack Obama regarding his statements on coal. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/sso_detail?blogid=14&entry_id=32228
The entire interview has been in the public domain, available on line to the public -- and to the McCain campaign -- since early January. Listen: http://cdn.sfgate.com/blogs/sounds/sfgate/chroncast/2008/01/17/20080117-obama-interview.mp3
arbustus
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ALEnstein wrote:
Please, do yourselves and your country a BIG favor and vote for the 2 smart guys this time!! President Obama sounds soooo good!! Get ready, OOOOO~ high~ OOOOO. Pres. Obama is happen' on Tues. Nov. 4th. KY, you, too (-:11/3/2008 3:23:48 AM Please, do yourselves and your country a BIG favor and vote for the 2 smart guys this time!! President Obama sounds soooo good!! Get ready, OOOOO~ high~ OOOOO. Pres. Obama is happen' on Tues. Nov. 4th. KY, you, too (-: ALEnstein
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MrWhipLash wrote:
Gotta say this:CRETINA Person that is: brainless, stupid, child-like, and full of pointless information that makes no sense and appeals only to other cretins. They can be found in abundance in every single populated internet forum, where they race to post as many mind-numbing messages as possible in a single session.11/3/2008 2:56:50 AM Gotta say this:
CRETIN
A Person that is: brainless, stupid, child-like, and full of pointless information that makes no sense and appeals only to other cretins. They can be found in abundance in every single populated internet forum, where they race to post as many mind-numbing messages as possible in a single session. MrWhipLash
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exitBxC wrote:
Replying to storm113:
YOU THINK PALIN IS STUPID I HAVE A DVD. Obama said said he has campaigned in 57 of the 59 states in america. He couldn't make Alaska or Hawaii what on idiot!L_I_E-this was a guy mentioning how he has been to 57 states during a certain window of time. Yes....he hit some twice! WOW!Yeah, the President of the Harvard Law Review doesn't know how many states there are? Take your DVD back to Wal-Mart and exchange it for some IQ points.11/3/2008 2:29:49 AM
L_I_E
-this was a guy mentioning how he has been to 57 states during a certain window of time. Yes....he hit some twice! WOW!
Yeah, the President of the Harvard Law Review doesn't know how many states there are? Take your DVD back to Wal-Mart and exchange it for some IQ points. exitBxC
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JimGalt wrote:
Spread our Liberty, not our Wealth!11/3/2008 2:17:51 AM Spread our Liberty, not our Wealth! JimGalt
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CLIFTON - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama made his final swing through Ohio on Sunday, hitting packed crowds in Columbus and Cleveland, and culminating with a rally at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium.
Standing at a podium amid a throng of cheering supporters, Obama greeted the crowd at one of his last campaign events before Election Day.
“Ohio, I have just two words for you: two days,” he said, and the crowd went wild, waving signs and chanting, “Yes, we can.”
“Ohio, after decades of broken politics in Washington, after eight years of failed policies from George Bush, after 21 months … of a campaign that has taken us from the rocky coast of Maine to the sunshine of California, we are two days away from bringing change to America,” Obama said.
Behind him, two giant American flags and an Ohio flag hung beside a banner that said “Change,” the theme Obama has pummeled into the minds of voters over the last year.
Above him, the Bearcat “C” flashed red, white and blue stars and stripes as a blue Obama-Biden sign illuminated the scoreboard. Obama, who wore a black jacket on the chilly but clear evening, gave a 34-minute speech, promising not to raise taxes for anyone making less than $250,000 and to bring health care to every American. Mostly though, he sought to inspire the crowd with his larger theme of bringing change to Washington.“I ask you to believe – not so much in my ability to bring about change, but in yours."The Obama campaign estimated the crowd at 27,000.Two days before Election Day, this was Obama’s last push in Ohio. The state’s 20 electoral votes could make the difference. In 2004, Ohio gave President Bush his victory. This time, things could be different. A Columbus Dispatch poll out Sunday showed Obama with a 52-46 percent lead over GOP presidential contender John McCain, who held a rally at the same time in another battleground, Florida."Don’t believe for a second this election is over," Obama warned, issuing a challenge to those at the rally. "In these last couple of days, I need you to knock on some doors for me, and make some calls for me. … If you are willing to stand with me, if you are willing to struggle with me, if you are willing to vote for me, then I promise you this – we will not just win Ohio, we will not just win this election, but together, we will change this country and we will change the world."Kim Harris, 45, of Colerain Township, wearing a blue T-shirt that said, "I’m an Obama Mama." said the speech was excellent."It wasn’t just a speech," she said. "It was him, it was real."Randi Moore, 24, of Clifton said she was glad to hear Obama rebut information put out by the McCain camp about how Obama will raise taxes. "It hit all the important points," she said. "He talked about what people were worried about."Exuberant crowds wearing Obama T-shirts, hats, buttons and stickers plastered to their clothes waited in lines that snaked for more than a mile around the stadium and down the streets for the chance to see him.“I haven’t been this excited about a someone since I was a teenager and Bobby Kennedy was running,” said Carrol Mitchell, 58, of Maineville, who waited since 1:30 p.m.
Beverly Ferguson, 63, came to the stadium by herself at 2 p.m. to brave the crowds. She spoke to Obama when he was at UC in March and wanted to see him one last time before Election Day.
"We're giving him a sendoff to his presidency," she said. Howard Levy, 44, of Blue Ash, brought his three children ages 10 to 15 to the Obama rally, wanting them to see the political process. "Hopefully they will remember this the rest of their lives," Levy said.
Obama will head to Jacksonville, Fla., today, followed by stops in Charlotte, N.C., and Manassas, Va., before heading to his hometown of Chicago to await results.
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Text of Obama's prepared remarks
Ohio, I have just two words for you: two days. After decades of broken politics in Washington, eight years of failed policies from George Bush, and twenty-one months of a campaign that has taken us from the rocky coast of Maine to the sunshine of California, we are two days away from change in America. In two days, you can turn the page on policies that have put the greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street before the hard work and sacrifice of folks on Main Street. In two days, you can choose policies that invest in our middle-class, create new jobs, and grow this economy so that everyone has a chance to succeed; from the CEO to the secretary and the janitor; from the factory owner to the men and women who work on its floor. In two days, you can put an end to the politics that would divide a nation just to win an election; that tries to pit region against region, city against town, Republican against Democrat; that asks us to fear at a time when we need hope. In two days, at this defining moment in history, you can give this country the change we need. We began this journey in the depths of winter nearly two years ago, on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Back then, we didn’t have much money or many endorsements. We weren’t given much of a chance by the polls or the pundits. We knew how steep our climb would be. But I also knew this. I knew that the size of our challenges had outgrown the smallness of our politics. I believed that Democrats and Republicans and Americans of every political stripe were hungry for new ideas, new leadership, and a new kind of politics – one that favors common sense over ideology; one that focuses on those values and ideals we hold in common as Americans. Most of all, I knew the American people were a decent, generous people willing to work hard and sacrifice for future generations. I was convinced that when we come together, our voices are more powerful than the most entrenched lobbyists, or the most vicious political attacks, or the full force of a status quo in Washington that wants to keep things just the way they are. Twenty-one months later, my faith in the American people has been vindicated. That’s how we’ve come so far and so close – because of you. That’s how we’ll change this country – with your help. And that’s why we can’t afford to slow down, sit back, or let up for one day, one minute, or one second in these last few days. Not now. Not when so much is at stake. We are in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. 760,000 workers have lost their jobs this year. Businesses and families can’t get credit. Home values are falling. Pensions are disappearing. It’s gotten harder and harder to make the mortgage, or fill up your gas tank, or even keep the electricity on at the end of the month. At a moment like this, the last thing we can afford is four more years of the tired, old theory that says we should give more to billionaires and big corporations and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. The last thing we can afford is four more years where no one in Washington is watching anyone on Wall Street because politicians and lobbyists killed common-sense regulations. Those are the theories that got us into this mess. They haven’t worked, and it’s time for change. That’s why I’m running for President of the United States.Now, Senator McCain has served this country honorably. And he can point to a few moments over the past eight years where he has broken from George Bush. But when it comes to the economy – when it comes to the central issue of this election – the plain truth is that John McCain has stood with this President every step of the way. Voting for the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy that he once opposed. Voting for the Bush budgets that spent us into debt. Calling for less regulation twenty-one times just this year. Those are the facts. After twenty-one months and three debates, Senator McCain still has not been able to tell the American people a single major thing he’d do differently from George Bush when it comes to the economy. When John McCain wants to give a $700,000 tax cut to the average Fortune 500 CEO, that’s not change. It’s not change when he wants to give $200 billion to the biggest corporations or $4 billion to the oil companies or $300 billion to the same Wall Street banks that got us into this mess. It’s not change when he comes up with a tax plan that doesn’t give a penny of relief to more than 100 million middle-class Americans. President Bush is sitting out the last few days before the election. But yesterday, Dick Cheney came out of his undisclosed location and hit the campaign trail. He said that he is, and I quote, “delighted to support John McCain.” I’d like to congratulate Senator McCain on this endorsement because he really earned it. That endorsement didn’t come easy. Senator McCain had to vote 90 percent of the time with George Bush and Dick Cheney to get it. He served as Washington’s biggest cheerleader for going to war in Iraq, and supports economic policies that are no different from the last eight years. So Senator McCain worked hard to get Dick Cheney’s support. But here’s my question for you, Ohio: do you think Dick Cheney is delighted to support John McCain because he thinks John McCain’s going to bring change? Do you think John McCain and Dick Cheney have been talking about how to shake things up, and get rid of the lobbyists and the old boys club in Washington?Ohio, we know better. After all, it was just a week ago that Senator McCain said that he and President Bush share a “common philosophy.” And we know that when it comes to foreign policy, John McCain and Dick Cheney share a common philosophy that thinks that empty bluster from Washington will fix all of our problems, and a war without end in Iraq is the way to defeat Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorists who are in Afghanistan and Pakistan. So George Bush may be in an undisclosed location, but Dick Cheney’s out there on the campaign trail because he’d be delighted to pass the baton to John McCain. He knows that with John McCain you get a twofer: George Bush’s economic policy and Dick Cheney’s foreign policy – but that’s a risk we cannot afford to take. It’s time for change, and that’s why I’m running for President of the United States. We’ve tried it John McCain’s way. We’ve tried it George Bush and Dick Cheney’s way. Deep down, Senator McCain knows that, which is why his campaign said that “if we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.” That’s why I’m talking about the economy. That’s why he’s spent these last weeks calling me every name in the book. Because that’s how you play the game in Washington. When you can’t win on the strength of your ideas, you make a big election about small things.So I expect we’re going to see a lot more of that over the next few days. More of the slash and burn, say-anything, do-anything politics that’s calculated to divide and distract; to tear us apart instead of bringing us together. Well, that’s not the kind of politics the American people need right now. Ohio, at this moment, in this election, we have the chance to do more than just beat back this kind of politics in the short-term. We can end it once and for all. We can prove that the one thing more powerful than the politics of anything goes is the will and determination of the American people. We can change this country. Yes we can. We can prove that we are not as divided as our politics would suggest, that we are more than a collection of Red States and Blue States – we are the United States of America. We can steer ourselves out of this crisis – with a new politics for a new time. We can build the future we know is possible – as one people, as one nation. That’s why I’m running for President of the United States of America.Ohio, I know these are difficult times. But I also know that we have faced difficult times before. The American story has never been about things coming easy – it’s been about rising to the moment when the moment was hard. It’s about rejecting fear and division for unity of purpose. That’s how we’ve overcome war and depression. That’s how we’ve won great struggles for civil rights and women’s rights and workers’ rights. And that’s how we’ll write the next great chapter in the American story. Understand, if we want to meet the challenges of this moment, we need to get beyond the old ideological debates and divides between left and right. We don’t need bigger government or smaller government. We need a better government – a more competent government – a government that upholds the values we hold in common as Americans. The choice in this election isn’t between tax cuts and no tax cuts. It’s about whether you believe we should only reward wealth, or whether we should also reward the work and workers who create it. I will give a tax break to 95% of Americans who work every day and get taxes taken out of their paychecks every week. And I’ll help pay for this by asking the folks who are making more than $250,000 a year to go back to the tax rate they were paying in the 1990s. No matter what Senator McCain may claim, here are the facts – if you make under $250,000, you will not see your taxes increase by a single dime – not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes, not your capital gains taxes. Nothing. Because the last thing we should do in this economy is raise taxes on the middle-class. When it comes to jobs, the choice in this election is not between putting up a wall around America or standing by and doing nothing. The truth is, we won’t be able to bring back every job that we’ve lost, but that doesn’t mean we should follow John McCain’s plan to keep giving tax breaks to corporations that send American jobs overseas and promoting unfair trade agreements. I will end those breaks as President, and give them to companies that create jobs here in the United States of America. We’ll create two million new jobs by rebuilding our crumbling roads, and bridges, and schools. And I will invest $15 billion a year in renewable sources of energy to create five million new energy jobs over the next decade – jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced. When it comes to health care, we don’t have to choose between a government-run health care system and the unaffordable one we have now. If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change under my plan is that we will lower premiums. If you don’t have health insurance you’ll be able to get the same kind of health insurance that Members of Congress get for themselves. And as someone who watched his own mother spend the final months of her life arguing with insurance companies because they claimed her cancer was a pre-existing condition and didn’t want to pay for treatment, I will stop insurance companies from discriminating against those who are sick and need care most. That’s the change we need. That’s why I’m running for President of the United States. When it comes to giving every child a world-class education, the choice is not between more money and more reform – because our schools need both. As President, I will recruit an army of new teachers, pay them more, and give them more support. But I will also demand higher standards and more accountability from our teachers and our schools. And I will make a deal with every American who has the drive and the will but not the money to go to college: if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford your tuition. And when it comes to keeping this country safe, we don’t have to choose between retreating from the world and fighting a war without end in Iraq. It’s time to stop spending $10 billion a month in Iraq while the Iraqi government sits on a huge surplus. As President, I will end this war. I will ask the Iraqi government to step up for their future, and I will finally finish the fight against bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. I will never hesitate to defend this nation. And I will make sure our servicemen and women have the best training and equipment when they deploy into combat, and the care and benefits they have earned when they come home. That’s what we owe our veterans. That’s what I’ll do as President. I won’t stand here and pretend that any of this will be easy – especially now. The cost of this economic crisis, and the cost of the war in Iraq, means that Washington will have to tighten its belt and put off spending on things we don’t need. As President, I will go through the federal budget, line-by-line, ending programs that we don’t need and making the ones we do need work better and cost less. But as I’ve said from the day we began this journey, the change we need won’t come from government alone. It will come from each of us doing our part in our own lives and our own communities. It will come from each of us looking after ourselves, our families, and our fellow citizens. Yes, government must lead the way on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and our businesses more efficient. Yes, we must put more money into our schools, but government can’t be that parent who turns off the TV and makes a child do their homework. We need a return to responsibility and a return to civility. Yes, we can argue and debate our positions passionately, but all of us must summon the strength and grace to bridge our differences and unite in common effort – black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American; Democrat and Republican, young and old, rich and poor, gay and straight, disabled or not. In this election, we cannot afford the same political games and tactics that are being used to pit us against one another and make us afraid of one another. Despite what our opponents may claim, there are no real or fake parts of this country. There is no city or town that is more pro-America than anywhere else – we are one nation, all of us proud, all of us patriots. The men and women who serve on our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America – they have served the United States of America.It won’t be easy, Ohio. It won’t be quick. But you and I know that it is time to come together and change this country. Some of you may be cynical and fed up with politics. You have every right to be. But despite all of this, I ask of you what has been asked of Americans throughout our history. I ask you to believe – not just in my ability to bring about change, but in yours.I know this change is possible. Because I have seen it over the last twenty-one months. Because in this campaign, I have had the privilege to witness what is best in America. I’ve seen it in the faces of the men and women I’ve met at countless rallies and town halls across the country, men and women who speak of their struggles but also of their hopes and dreams.I still remember the email that a woman named Robyn sent me after I met her in Ft. Lauderdale. Sometime after our event, her son nearly went into cardiac arrest, and was diagnosed with a heart condition that could only be treated with a procedure that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Her insurance company refused to pay, and their family just didn’t have that kind of money. In her email, Robyn wrote, “I ask only this of you – on the days where you feel so tired you can’t think of uttering another word to the people, think of us. When those who oppose you have you down, reach deep and fight back harder.”Ohio, that’s what hope is. That’s what kept some of our parents and grandparents going when times were tough. What led them to say, “Maybe I can’t go to college, but if I save a little bit each week, my child can. Maybe I can’t have my own business but if I work really hard my child can open up one of her own. It’s what led those who could not vote to say “if I march and organize, maybe my child or grandchild can run for President someday.”That’s what hope is—that thing inside that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that there are better days ahead. If we’re willing to work for it. If we’re willing to shed our fears. If we’re willing to reach deep inside ourselves when we’re tired, and come back fighting harder.Don’t believe for a second this election is over. Don’t think for a minute that power concedes. We have to work like our future depends on it in these last few days, because it does.But I know this, Ohio, the time for change has come. We have a righteous wind at our back.And in these last couple of days, I need you to knock on some doors for me, and make some calls for me, and go to barackobama.com and find out where to vote – and remember, you can vote early here in Ohio. If you will stand with me, and fight by my side, and cast your ballot for me, then I promise you this – we will not just win Ohio, we will not just win this election, but together, we will change this country and we will change the world. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless America.
More election links
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contentTitle="Obama: Change 'two days' away";
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arbustus wrote:
She is dumb! First the fake French phone call now this?Obama’s “bankrupting coal” comments are another Republican fake, like Joe The Plumber. ONE DAY before the election these allegations come out in critical swing states, that also just happen to be coal states? Funny how the United Mineworkers in West Virginia are endorsing Obama. http://www.umwa.org/“The Republican National Committee and apparently even GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin fell for completely fabricated news from a shady website called Newsbusters today suggesting the San Francisco Chronicle has ''hidden'' audio with Sen. Barack Obama regarding his statements on coal. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/sso_detail?blogid=14&entry_id=32228The entire interview has been in the public domain, available on line to the public -- and to the McCain campaign -- since early January. Listen: http://cdn.sfgate.com/blogs/sounds/sfgate/chroncast/2008/01/17/20080117-obama-interview.mp311/3/2008 3:40:59 AM She is dumb! First the fake French phone call now this?
Obama’s “bankrupting coal” comments are another Republican fake, like Joe The Plumber. ONE DAY before the election these allegations come out in critical swing states, that also just happen to be coal states? Funny how the United Mineworkers in West Virginia are endorsing Obama. http://www.umwa.org/
“The Republican National Committee and apparently even GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin fell for completely fabricated news from a shady website called Newsbusters today suggesting the San Francisco Chronicle has ''hidden'' audio with Sen. Barack Obama regarding his statements on coal. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/sso_detail?blogid=14&entry_id=32228
The entire interview has been in the public domain, available on line to the public -- and to the McCain campaign -- since early January. Listen: http://cdn.sfgate.com/blogs/sounds/sfgate/chroncast/2008/01/17/20080117-obama-interview.mp3
arbustus
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ALEnstein wrote:
Please, do yourselves and your country a BIG favor and vote for the 2 smart guys this time!! President Obama sounds soooo good!! Get ready, OOOOO~ high~ OOOOO. Pres. Obama is happen' on Tues. Nov. 4th. KY, you, too (-:11/3/2008 3:23:48 AM Please, do yourselves and your country a BIG favor and vote for the 2 smart guys this time!! President Obama sounds soooo good!! Get ready, OOOOO~ high~ OOOOO. Pres. Obama is happen' on Tues. Nov. 4th. KY, you, too (-: ALEnstein
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MrWhipLash wrote:
Gotta say this:CRETINA Person that is: brainless, stupid, child-like, and full of pointless information that makes no sense and appeals only to other cretins. They can be found in abundance in every single populated internet forum, where they race to post as many mind-numbing messages as possible in a single session.11/3/2008 2:56:50 AM Gotta say this:
CRETIN
A Person that is: brainless, stupid, child-like, and full of pointless information that makes no sense and appeals only to other cretins. They can be found in abundance in every single populated internet forum, where they race to post as many mind-numbing messages as possible in a single session. MrWhipLash
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exitBxC wrote:
Replying to storm113:
YOU THINK PALIN IS STUPID I HAVE A DVD. Obama said said he has campaigned in 57 of the 59 states in america. He couldn't make Alaska or Hawaii what on idiot!L_I_E-this was a guy mentioning how he has been to 57 states during a certain window of time. Yes....he hit some twice! WOW!Yeah, the President of the Harvard Law Review doesn't know how many states there are? Take your DVD back to Wal-Mart and exchange it for some IQ points.11/3/2008 2:29:49 AM
YOU THINK PALIN IS STUPID I HAVE A DVD. Obama said said he has campaigned in 57 of the 59 states in america. He couldn't make Alaska or Hawaii what on idiot!
L_I_E
-this was a guy mentioning how he has been to 57 states during a certain window of time. Yes....he hit some twice! WOW!
Yeah, the President of the Harvard Law Review doesn't know how many states there are? Take your DVD back to Wal-Mart and exchange it for some IQ points. exitBxC
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JimGalt wrote:
Spread our Liberty, not our Wealth!11/3/2008 2:17:51 AM Spread our Liberty, not our Wealth! JimGalt
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Sunday, October 26, 2008
Makes the Soul Sing
This article makes me feel good again. Obama has the intelligence to hit just the right note, and quickly. That is the kind of mind I saw in others at Harvard Law School, and what makes the very top lawyer worth his weight in gold.
I can hit the right note, but it might take me six months. The President of the Harvard Law Review can do it on the fly.
new_york_times:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/us/politics/26cnd-campaign.html
By JEFF ZELENY
Published: October 26, 2008
DENVER — With the final week of campaigning ahead, Senator Barack Obama redoubled his efforts to tie Senator John McCain to the Bush administration by seizing on Mr. McCain’s remark Sunday that he shared a “common philosophy” with the president.
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“I guess that was John McCain finally giving us a little straight talk, and owning up to the fact that he and George Bush actually have a whole lot in common,” Mr. Obama said at a rally here. “Here’s the thing, we know what the Bush-McCain philosophy looks like. It’s a philosophy that says we should give more and more to millionaires and billionaires and hope that it trickles down on everyone else.”
As Mr. Obama returned to the city where he accepted the Democratic nomination two months ago, he drew tens of thousands of people to an outdoor plaza as he sought to solidify his support in a critical western battleground. He is set to present a new closing argument to voters on Monday in Ohio.
In Iowa, Mr. McCain acknowledged on Sunday that he was “a few points down,” but said the race was tightening and sought to remind voters that he, too, would bring change to Washington.
“Do we share a common philosophy of the Republican Party? Of course,” Mr. McCain told NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” which was taped in Waterloo, Iowa. “But I’ve stood up against my party — not just President Bush, but others — and I’ve got the scars to prove it.”
Mr. McCain also found himself defending his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin,” from criticisms about the $150,000 that the Republican Party spent on new outfits for her, a distraction for a candidate who concentrated on attracting whom she called “Joe Sixpacks” and “hockey moms.”
“Look, she lives a frugal life,” Mr. McCain said. “She and her family are not wealthy. She and her family were thrust into this, and there was some — and some third of that money is given back, the rest will be donated to charity.”
Ms. Palin, as she campaigned in Florida on Sunday, opened a speech by launching her own defense of the clothing purchased by the Republican National Committee.
“Those clothes, they are not my property,” Ms. Palin told a large crowd in Tampa. “Just like the lighting and the staging and everything else that the R.N.C. purchased. I’m not taking them with me. I’m back to wearing my own clothes from my favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska.”
She added, “The double standard here — gosh, we don’t even want to waste our time.”
Mr. Obama steered clear of the clothing flap — as he has done since it became public last week — and began boiling down his pitch to a simple question to supporters here: “Don’t you think it’s time that we want to try something new?”
“The American people don’t want to hear politicians attack each other — you want to hear about how we’re going to attack the challenges facing middle class families each and every day,” Mr. Obama said. “What we need right now is honest leadership and real change.”
Heading into the final eight days of the campaign, Mr. Obama is seeking to capitalize on his advantages in states by slowly segueing away from Mr. McCain to close on a positive note. The closing argument that he unveils to voters on Monday in Canton, Ohio, will be amplified on Wednesday during a 30-minute prime-time infomercial on television networks, a rare and expensive move by a presidential candidate.
Mr. McCain, who spent the weekend warning voters that his Democratic rival was arrogantly jumping the gun before Election Day, dismissed concerns about his position in the race. He said he could feel intensity and passion in his crowds, adding that he was “proud of the campaign I’ve run.”
“We’re doing fine. We have closed in the last week,” Mr. McCain said. “We’ll be up very, very late election night.”
Julie Bosman and Michael Cooper contributed reporting.
I can hit the right note, but it might take me six months. The President of the Harvard Law Review can do it on the fly.
new_york_times:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/us/politics/26cnd-campaign.html
By JEFF ZELENY
Published: October 26, 2008
DENVER — With the final week of campaigning ahead, Senator Barack Obama redoubled his efforts to tie Senator John McCain to the Bush administration by seizing on Mr. McCain’s remark Sunday that he shared a “common philosophy” with the president.
Skip to next paragraph
Blog
The Caucus
The latest political news from around the nation. Join the discussion.
Election Guide More Politics News
“I guess that was John McCain finally giving us a little straight talk, and owning up to the fact that he and George Bush actually have a whole lot in common,” Mr. Obama said at a rally here. “Here’s the thing, we know what the Bush-McCain philosophy looks like. It’s a philosophy that says we should give more and more to millionaires and billionaires and hope that it trickles down on everyone else.”
As Mr. Obama returned to the city where he accepted the Democratic nomination two months ago, he drew tens of thousands of people to an outdoor plaza as he sought to solidify his support in a critical western battleground. He is set to present a new closing argument to voters on Monday in Ohio.
In Iowa, Mr. McCain acknowledged on Sunday that he was “a few points down,” but said the race was tightening and sought to remind voters that he, too, would bring change to Washington.
“Do we share a common philosophy of the Republican Party? Of course,” Mr. McCain told NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” which was taped in Waterloo, Iowa. “But I’ve stood up against my party — not just President Bush, but others — and I’ve got the scars to prove it.”
Mr. McCain also found himself defending his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin,” from criticisms about the $150,000 that the Republican Party spent on new outfits for her, a distraction for a candidate who concentrated on attracting whom she called “Joe Sixpacks” and “hockey moms.”
“Look, she lives a frugal life,” Mr. McCain said. “She and her family are not wealthy. She and her family were thrust into this, and there was some — and some third of that money is given back, the rest will be donated to charity.”
Ms. Palin, as she campaigned in Florida on Sunday, opened a speech by launching her own defense of the clothing purchased by the Republican National Committee.
“Those clothes, they are not my property,” Ms. Palin told a large crowd in Tampa. “Just like the lighting and the staging and everything else that the R.N.C. purchased. I’m not taking them with me. I’m back to wearing my own clothes from my favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska.”
She added, “The double standard here — gosh, we don’t even want to waste our time.”
Mr. Obama steered clear of the clothing flap — as he has done since it became public last week — and began boiling down his pitch to a simple question to supporters here: “Don’t you think it’s time that we want to try something new?”
“The American people don’t want to hear politicians attack each other — you want to hear about how we’re going to attack the challenges facing middle class families each and every day,” Mr. Obama said. “What we need right now is honest leadership and real change.”
Heading into the final eight days of the campaign, Mr. Obama is seeking to capitalize on his advantages in states by slowly segueing away from Mr. McCain to close on a positive note. The closing argument that he unveils to voters on Monday in Canton, Ohio, will be amplified on Wednesday during a 30-minute prime-time infomercial on television networks, a rare and expensive move by a presidential candidate.
Mr. McCain, who spent the weekend warning voters that his Democratic rival was arrogantly jumping the gun before Election Day, dismissed concerns about his position in the race. He said he could feel intensity and passion in his crowds, adding that he was “proud of the campaign I’ve run.”
“We’re doing fine. We have closed in the last week,” Mr. McCain said. “We’ll be up very, very late election night.”
Julie Bosman and Michael Cooper contributed reporting.
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