Please join superdelegates Joe Andrews, Bill Richardson and George McGovern in supporting Obama and urging all superdelegates to do the same.
From: Robert Kenny
To: DLCC@dlcc.org ; senator@schumer.senate.gov ; info@hoyerforcongress.com ; Pol, Rick Larsen Campaign ; Pol, Maria Cantwell Campaign ; Pol, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ; jandrew@sonnenschein.com ; joeandrews2008@gmail.com
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 5:28 PM
Subject: Bravo To Joe Andrews, Bill Richardson and George McGovern for Endorsing Obama: Other Superdelegates Should Follow Soon
We find it refreshing and inspiring to see Democratic leaders, politicians and activists, like Joe Andrews, Bill Richardson and George McGovern, stand up for what is right and good, to reject the politics of division, attack and innuendo, and to help our country again assume its proper role of truly upholding freedom and democracy here and abroad.
Sen. Clinton is doing the Republicans' work for them, seriously harming the Democratic Party's chances of winning the general election and destroying her future in the Party. The Huffington Post recently reported: "Former journalist Sidney Blumenthal has been widely credited with coining the term 'vast right-wing conspiracy' used by Hillary Clinton in 1998 to describe the alliance of conservative media, think tanks, and political operatives that sought to destroy the Clinton White House, where he worked as a high-level aide. A decade later, and now acting as a senior campaign advisor to Senator Clinton, Blumenthal is exploiting that same right-wing network in order to attack and discredit Barack Obama. And he's not hesitating to use the same sort of guilt-by-association tactics that have been the hallmark of the political right dating back to the McCarthy era." Even Republicans are voting for her in the Democratic primaries, because they know she will be more easily defeated in November. As the campaign continues, she sounds more and more like a Republican and a conservative, using fear to scare certain segments of the voting population into voting for her and against change and reform.
Her destructive campaign is pointless, needless and incredibly wasteful: Winning the nomination is impossible. The voters clearly want Obama. He has the momentum, despite relentless attacks and negative campaigning by the Clintons, based upon race and class -- demonstrating a remarkable ability to survive even the strongest undercurrents of hate and racism.
The American people are tired of Hillary's sneaky attacks, all run through her surrogates. Her negative ratings continue to rise and nearly 60% of the voters don't trust her. She is therefore unelectable. Moreover, we don't need another Bush in the presidency -- another liar and deceiver, who believes that the ends (in this case, Hillary's election) justify any means.
Sen. Clinton has sidetracked and subverted the Democratic primary process, turning the focus of the campaign and analyst commentary from the issues and from the candidates' visions for the country, to obsessing and arguing over a small number of superdelegates, the majority of whom will likely not be won by her, and over procedures and processes. Her arguments for nomination have devolved into arcane, twisted, abstruse, unprecedented and anti-democratic ones, whereby she is trying to make up the rules -- her rules -- for how delegates are elected and candidates are nominated, rules that ignore the will and votes of the majority of Democrats. She discards the rules of the Party, and irrationally and selfishly argues that the Florida and Michigan primaries be counted, even though Obama was not even on the Michigan ballot and did not -- in honor of the agreement that both of them made with the Party -- campaign in either state. If the Party acquiesces to her demands, it will become the Anti-Democratic Party, will be perceived as grossly unfair, and will never be able to make a rule stick in the future.
You see, Hillary is acting like she doesn't belong to the Democratic Party. Rather, she and Bill are promoting the "Clinton Party." They make their own rules, which essentially means running a down-and-ugly, slash-and-burn, race- and class-based campaign, regardless of the destructive results.
If Sen. Clinton continues to divide the Party and eventually somehow manages through intimidation and seduction to steal the nomination from Sen. Obama, droves of young people, African Americans, Independents, and even long-term Democrats, like us (who have voted Democratic in every election over the past 45 years) will desert the Party, very likely for two generations or more.
We have not had a national leader like Obama since the days of JFK, RFK and MLK. We hope the Democratic Party will demonstrate leadership and seize the moment, fully support Sen. Obama soon, and bring hope and unity back to politics. Behind Obama is a nation of people, who will continue to respond to his call for citizen involvement and action and will work together in a way that we have never seen. Both the country and the Party have a unique and rare opportunity to rediscover their spirit and soul, and to make our country once again into a place we are proud and honored to call our nation and our home. Read More »
Welcome to the Weekly Reid, a compilation of the highlights of the past week about Majority Leader as well as occasional messages and special information from Senator Reid himself. Look for it every Wednesday.
Nevada First: Look! Up in the Sky! Pop quiz: You’re a United States Senator, faced with a bill that would upgrade airport infrastructure, improve oversight of the FAA and the airlines, modernize the air-traffic control system, and help the airlines lower the cost of their fuel. Do you a) co-sponsor it, b) offer an amendment to incorporate aspects of the Passenger Bill of Rights into the final bill or c) filibuster it.
If you chose a or b, then congratulations! You’re an honorary member of the Democratic caucus! Bush Republicans faced this choice this afternoon, as the vote on cloture for the FAA Modernization Bill came to the floor. For those of you keeping count at home, this is the 69th time in this Congress that Bush Republicans have donned their obstructionist hats and threatened a filibuster. They’re not even willing to DEBATE the bill or offer amendments - they just want to kill it. The Las Vegas airport - McCarran International - accommodates 4 million passengers a month. In about 3 years, it’ll reach full capacity. What will Vegas do with all those empty hotel rooms? This bill would invest in the future of all airports and air travel (read: tourism). If he were still around, Howard Hughes - everyone’s favorite rich recluse aviator - would probably just build another one for Nevada
Maybe If They Served Peanuts. Here’s something about airports that isn’t controversial. Senator Reid joined forces with Senator Ensign and Congressman Heller in announcing funding for Reno-Tahoe airport. The 7 million dollars - split over two separate grants - will help reduce the noise level from the increase in air traffic coming into the airport. Said Senator Reid: “Reducing noise levels around the Reno-Tahoe Airport is an important quality of life issue for people residing in nearby neighborhoods. I’m happy we’re able to bring the money we need back home to Nevada for this important work.”
Must Reid: Mission…still not accomplished. Half a decade. That’s how long it’s been since President Bush declared “Mission Accomplished.” Of the more than 4,000 heroic Americans who’ve died in this war, 97% have given their life since President Bush’s photo-op on the USS Abraham Lincoln. And if President Bush had not so recklessly vetoed a bill passed by both houses of Congress and supported by the vast majority of the American people, every one of our combat troops would be well on their way home. We’re spending $5,000 a second in Iraq. $5,000 a second. How much do you think that banner cost the American taxpayer?
Money in the bank. The Weekly Reid got its economic stimulus check last week - while on vacation in Las Vegas (no, the $600 was not put on red). Keep an eye on your mailbox! They’re being mailed out to you based on the last two numbers of your social security number.
Reid’s Watching: Thank God For TiVo. Jon Stewart hosted Senator Reid last night - watch the video here. And listen to his talk with Steve Inskeep from NPR’s Morning Edition here. Still haven’t read the book? Order it from Amazon.com now - it’s cheaper than in the bookstore, and your online purchase will help us move up the list of non-fiction bestsellers! Don't forget - all proceeds will be donated to charity!
Dear Mr. Andrews,
God bless you for your courageous act of leadership in asking Democrats to come together behind Sen. Obama.
We find it refreshing to see politicians and activists, like you and Bill Richardson, stand up for what is right and good, to reject the politics of division, attack and innuendo, and to help our country again assume its proper role of truly upholding freedom and democracy here and abroad.
The Huffington Post today reported: "Former journalist Sidney Blumenthal has been widely credited with coining the term 'vast right-wing conspiracy' used by Hillary Clinton in 1998 to describe the alliance of conservative media, think tanks, and political operatives that sought to destroy the Clinton White House, where he worked as a high-level aide. A decade later, and now acting as a senior campaign advisor to Senator Clinton, Blumenthal is exploiting that same right-wing network in order to attack and discredit Barack Obama. And he's not hesitating to use the same sort of guilt-by-association tactics that have been the hallmark of the political right dating back to the McCarthy era."
The American people are tired of Hillary's sneaky attacks, all run through her surrogates. She is destroying the Democratic Party and doing the republicans' work for them.
We have not had a national leader like Obama since the days of JFK, RFK and MLK. We hope the Democratic Party will follow your lead and seize the moment, fully support Sen. Obama soon, and bring hope and unity back to politics. Behind Obama is a nation of people, who will respond to his call for involvement and action and work together in a way that we have never seen.
Robert Kenny and Julia Glover
7292 Maxwelton Rd
Clinton, WA 98236-8814 Read More »
An Open Letter To Senator Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party leadership:
It is time for you, Senator Clinton, to act graciously and like a statesperson, and withdraw from the race.
As a Democratic Party, as a nation and as a world, we are facing immense, complex, global challenges, and correspondingly great opportunities. Senator Obama is calling us to deep commitment and service, on behalf of the common good. He possesses strong leadership capacities, including a very impressive ability to inspire and mobilize citizens to get involved and solve problems together. The Party has a once-every-three-generations possibility to seize this moment and support Senator Obama's large and magnetic vision, to bring our country together to fulfill its true purpose in the world, i.e., to manifest the values of freedom, democracy, pluralism and unity-through-diversity and to bring innovative solutions to the immense global problems we are facing: genocide; war; interethnic and intercultural fear and hatred; extreme poverty, malnutrition and starvation; severe and possibly catastrophic economic problems; global warming; and terrorism.
People in many nations are interested in and very supportive of Senator Obama. He has the personal qualities and rich, diverse life experience to speak to many segments not only of our society, but also of the world. He has the capacity to lead not only our country, but to help the U.S. exemplify constructive leadership in the world -- leadership that demonstrates an understanding of other cultures and the life realities of other people, and that can therefore unify many countries in a joint effort to solve the global problems that can only be solved through cooperation among nations.
Senator Clinton, you, on the other hand, have been relentlessly engaging in the politics of negativity, fear and division. You allow yourself to be a tool of these forces of resistance, manipulating the unconscious fears of people in a vain attempt to get elected. In the process, you are destroying yourself (your negatives have continued to rise and now stand at 54%), harming Senator Obama by stoking racist and classist fears and stereotypes, and splitting the Democratic Party (possibly leading to the loss of the Fall election and the long-term abandonment of the Party by African Americans, youth, progressives, independents, and voters like us).
Perhaps the most reprehensible actions by you and your surrogates, including your husband, revolve around issues of race and class. Provoking the fears and resentments of lower- and middle-class whites, including the elderly (rather than engaging in an honest explorations of solutions to these issues) is callous and harmful to our country over the long run. While Senator Obama's candidacy provides our Party and our country a great opportunity to advance interracial and interclass relations and understanding immeasurably (evidenced by his speech on race), you continue to undercut this understanding by spewing superficial sound bytes that are designed only to increase voter fear and misunderstanding.
Since you started to lose to Senator Obama, you and your surrogates have relentlessly stirred racial and class fears, especially leading up to the Pennsylvania primary, including Bill Clinton's comments on the race card on the day before the primary, Bob Johnson's defense of Geraldine Ferraro's racism on the second and third days before the primary, the Osama bin Laden ad (subtly tying Obama's race into fears of terrorism) the day before the election, Geraldine Ferraro's numerous racist comments, your obsessive focus upon his "bitter" comments (which many African Americans considered to be a form of "Who's this uppity black?"), etc. In this country, race, class and economics are deeply intertwined, and it takes only a subtle reference or image to stir these deep currents. Opening these wounds to win an election is unconscionable and irresponsible. Whereas Obama is inviting us to a deeper exploration and healing, you and your surrogates keep merely pulling the scabs off the wounds, over and over and over, leaving them raw and painful, with more, not less, misunderstanding, resentment, discouragement and fear.
Read More »"self-given power".
I want to thank the tens of thousands of you who signed our petition taking a stand against torture. It is still vital that as many people as possible take this stand as Congress goes back to work on the Intelligence Authorization Bill.
If you've already signed, please ask your friends and family to do so. If you haven't signed, speak out against torture now by clicking here.
George Bush has once again compromised the moral leadership of our nation. By vetoing a bill establishing a single, government-wide interrogation standard, the President has substituted his own judgment for that of the vast majority of military and foreign policy experts -- including Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq -- who all agree that torture is simply counterproductive.
Ironically, George Bush has warned against ignoring the advice of our commanders in Iraq -- while at the same time ignoring the Army Field Manual's determination that horrific tactics such as water boarding elicit unreliable information, put U.S. troops at risk and undermine our counterinsurgency efforts.
Take a stand against torture today byclicking here.
With your help, we will continue working to reverse the damage President Bush has caused to our standing in the world.
The Senate version of the FISA legislation permits the Bush/Cheney administration escape liability for the invasion of our privacy. It allows those complicit in the constitutional violation of our freedoms to secure immunity. Respectfully, such legislation should never have reached the floor.
So far, we are fortunate that the House has not agreed to the Senate version. Let us insure that the House/Senate caucus does not cave in to Bush again. As Democrats that were elected to preserve our Constitutional guarantees, I am requesting that Give 'em Hell Harry insure that the final version, if there need be one, delete the immunities set to protect Bush/Cheney and the telecoms. They should suffer the consequence of their unmitigated attack on the Constitution. They are fortunate that the Democrats, for whatever reason, have determined not to impeach. They should not be cowtowed to if the Democrats want to maintain and increase their hold on Congress.
Figuring out who's got power and who doesn't is something of a parlor game in Washington. So, a study ranking members of Congress by clout and influence is giving folks on Capitol Hill plenty to talk about this week.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ranked No. 1 in terms of power in Congress, according to this year's power ranking by Congress.org.
Other Nevada lawmakers didn't fare as well. U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., ranked 42nd among the 100 members of the Senate. U.S. Rep. Dean Heller, R-Carson City, ranked near the bottom in the House, at No. 420 out of 435 members.
The annual study ranks members each year based on committee assignments, leadership posts, influence, legislative accomplishments and money they've helped secure for their districts.
Read More. . .
Why would it divide us any more if we were to impeach than we have been divided by the Bush administration. The path to eliminating this division is the path of impeachment.
Democratic track record? Well, this week we had the senate cave in to Bush on "amnesty" for the telecommunication companies by way of voting to extend them immunity from litigation. And, the so-called venture to stop torture? Would that have happened if the Republicans hadn't walked out? I shudder to think . . . We have yet to cash in on our election victory a year and a half ago. C'mon Harry, please, oh please start to give them genuine hell. Make them vote. Let him veto. So what. Wishy washy appeasement does nothing for anyone. Get going - NOW!
The Senate passed the Intelligence Authorization bill banning torture. This sent a clear signal to the world: the United States Senate believes torture is immoral and does not work.
Now the bill will go to George Bush, who has a choice: He can sign it into law and declare America does not torture. Or he can continue to damage America's reputation in the world.
Now is the moment when we all need to join together and say "no" to torture. If you've already signed the petition, please forward this e-mail to your friends and family and ask them to sign. If you haven't signed, take a stand against torture now by visiting:
http://giveemhellharry.com/stoptorture
Nearly every expert on interrogation agrees that torture is counter-productive. Most of the information it generates is simply unreliable, causing our intelligence agencies to waste time chasing down false leads. It also puts U.S. troops at risk, in addition to undermining our counterinsurgency operations.
Now is the time for George Bush to show some moral leadership and sign this bill into law. That is why, right now, all of us need to join together and take a stand against torture by visiting:
http://giveemhellharry.com/stoptorture
How would a student or a parent feel about not being counted? How do students and parents feel about teachers and schools taking "extra" time to teach and reteach to only students in the middle who will make a difference in a score?
I know how I feel. I want to get back to my real career - caring about each and every student in my classroom and teaching authentic information applicable for life rather then teaching to the test.
Teacher Sullivan
Las Vegas, Nevada
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/iacocca.asp
REMEMBER these "A"-holes in 2008
Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from it's death throes? He has a new book and here are some excerpts. _____________________________________________________________Lee Iacocca Says:
"Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening?
Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder.
We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind and we can't even clean up after a hurricane, much less build a hybrid car, but instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say: "Stay the course."
Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned "Titanic." I'll give you a sound bite: "Throw all the bums out!"
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker and maybe I have, but someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators, but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do - and the press is waving 'pom-pons' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the "America" my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.
The Biggest "C" is Crisis!
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield
yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A Hell of a Mess.
So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war, with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership, but when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence and common sense?
I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made, in the crucial hours after the storm.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when "The Big Three" referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen and, more important, what are we going to do about it?
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt or solving the energy crisis or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening, but these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent, while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough?
Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out, because I have hope - I believe in America. In my lifetime, I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: The "Great Depression," "World War II," the "Korean War," the "Kennedy Assassination," the "Vietnam War," the 1970s oil crisis and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this:
"You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines, waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to "Action" for people who, like me, believe in America. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had "enough."
Excerpted from: "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?"
Copyright (c) 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved
Harry, tell your colleague Nancy that those in America who aspired to the 'middle class' did so through hard work and thrift. Not reckless borrowing and spending as has the federal government.
But given the example you in the leadership roles provide for Americans by reckless borrowing and spending, I guess it is no wonder so many Americans behave is such a self destructive manner.
Shame on all of you two branches of government.
Are you proud that Bush sent our kids to their deaths just so his oil buddies can get their hands on the Iraqis oil, plus Bush got his bonus = Saddam ?
Are you proud that Bush and Cheney ordered the killings of thousands of women, children, and elderly people of Iraq ?
Does it make you feel all nice, cozy, and warm all over to know that you voted in and supported two MURDERERS ??????
Well guess what...........................
Anyone that voted for, supports Bush/Cheney and their barbaric behavior are just as GUILTY as BUSH AND CHENEY for our troops being BUTCHERED and MAIMED, MENTALLY FUCKED-UP IN THE HEADS due to what they were forced to do to innocent children and women that went against everything they believed in, against their Christian values , against HUMANITY !
Are troops are not to blame for what they are forced to do in Iraq, they are only the TOOL, it is the men controlling the "tool" that is to blame.
George W. Bush is a re-incarnation of Hitler and what he is doing to Iraq is no better than what Hitler did to the Jews and Blacks in Germany in the 1930s,.... the ONLY difference between the time of Hitler and NOW is that Hitler was right there in the Mix, whereas George W. Bush is here in the United States , safe and sound instead of in Iraq giving orders.
George W. Bush is no more Christian than Bin Laden is. Bush CLAIMS to hold conferences with GOD, if the truthbeknown it's Satan,.... not GOD,......... that Dubya made the deal with for HIS "Hitler's Angels", just like dear ole granddads did.
Just think,..... you Republican supporters, Bush supporters, Up-Right Christian, God-fearing voters,......... you sold your souls to the Devil by backing one of Satan's evil angels (BUSH) with his war in Iraq !
I never voted for Bush,..... Thank GOD, and I do not acknowledge him as President, never have..... never will !!! He never was ELECTED by the PEOPLE the first time round , I doubt if he was the second time round either,................... hence............ Bush is NOT the Legally-Elected President of the US and our Congress and House Reps., need to get their heads out of their collective-Arses and do something about Bush !
But for now, I can honestly say that I have a clear conscious and a christian heart as I had nothing to do with putting Hitler.... Oops I mean Bush into office to let him play war with real human-beings lives, That guilt and fault all falls on Bush's supporters and people that voted for Hitler, Oops I called him that again, it's hard to distinguish between the two.
Was this a mistake? Or is it just another way to allow the immunity granting version of the bill to pass without taking responsibility for the outcome?
I have never seen men and women that disregard opinion polls and still do things the way the republicans want them to do even when they are supposedly in charge than the current leadership in both houses. No backbone, no spine and it is a shame because our country right now needs people who are truly ready to stand with the people and we will not give in every second. How can a lame-duck president have so much control over the opposition party that is in control of both houses? We truly need progressive democrats, the ones that would play the hardball back to the max with the republicans. This is not a touchy-feeling politics, it is the republican brand, edgy hard-core. If you are not ready to fight back then maybe you allow those who are willing to fight for our principles that are truly good for the country come in and take the good fight back to the GOP.
Posts