Inspire Emotion

Full Text and Video of President-Elect Barack Obama's Victory Speech, November 4, 2008

The full text of the victory speech given by President-Elect Barack Obama in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois, on November 4, 2008, to 125,000 supporters in Grant Park, and to those watching all across the nation and the world.

President-Elect Barack Obama:
“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

One more day and more conservative endorsements for Obama

I feel like a pregnant cat ready to have her kittens at any minute. I have never had so much of my emotional well-being invested in any election, ever. 

Whatever you do, do not neglect to vote tomorrow. This. election. is. too. important. And please, please, please - NO write-ins, and forget about Bob Barr and Ralph Nadar. Throwing your vote away is silly, and it isn't like there isn't a huge difference between Obama and McCain. You aren't making a valid point if you do this, and even if you were, no one will care. Cast your vote wisely -- this.election.matters!

ELECTION NEWS - and whatever.......
► Racists for Obama [.....] A few weeks ago I had a conversation (on a forum) with a racist anti-semite over his disgusting predilection for selling Nazi memorabilia such as concentration camp armbands on online auction sites. He insinuated that he might be voting for Obama because he hates Palin more (for killing wolves). It struck me as very odd. On the other hand, a racist anti-semite thrives on hatred, so it should not really be surprising that he would vote based on whom he hates less.
► Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham, died today. It makes me sad to realize that neither his mother nor she lived to see him win the presidency. RIP, Ms. Dunham.
► This is arguably the most important election in American history. [.....]
► Palin ramps up rhetoric, suggesting that Obama thinks terrorists are the "good guys". &*$%**$&!!!
► The RNC leaves no avenue of attack un-spun, and goes after Obama for his visit to his dying grandmother. Pathetic losers.
► Josh Simmons, Gators for McCain (1000+ members) chairman at U of Florida, resigned his post on Sunday, and endorsed Obama, stating “I’ve seen a different John McCain than the one I signed up to work for.”
► The states to watch for early indications tomorrow night are Virginia and Pennsylvania. In Virginia, the polls close at 7pm EST. If Obama wins Virginia, it is close to a sure win. If he takes Pennsylvania, where polls close at 8pm EST, it will be almost impossible for McCain to win. If McCain wins Pennsylvania, it will be a very long night.
► Unbelievable. This is from Oct 28, but I just ran across it. McCain's biggest lie - (bolding & text enlargement mine) “Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, today accused his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, and the entire Democratic Party of being “too stupid to govern America,” citing as proof their falling for the many outrageous lies deliberately planted in his and running mate Sarah Palin’s public utterances to test their intellectual acuity.
“Of course that one [Obama] doesn’t pal around with terrorists,” McCain explained. “Of course, he isn’t a Muslim or Muslim sympathizer. Of course, his tax plan doesn’t punish the middle class. Of course he isn’t a socialist. Those were just booby-traps we set to see if they were smart enough to tell the difference between the truth and a whopper. And over and over again, they’ve flunked this vital test of savvy. They’re so dumb they think we meant it!”
► Palin's problem in separating family from governance includes billing the state of Alaska for her children's travel, and making her husband her chief advisor.
► More evidence from Harper's Magazine of McCain's relationship with Khalidi
► Biden mocks the "Maverick Twins" in Daytona Beach 
► Dick Cheney's hometown paper in Wyoming, the Casper Star-Tribune, switched to Obama. [.....]
► A former speechwriter for both Reagan and Nixon endorses Obama, stating “One thing I know is that both Nixon and Reagan would have agreed with Obama’s speech against the Iraq War… But all the organs of the conservative movement followed Bush over the cliff—as did John McCain.” [.....]
► Yesterday, at an airport hangar rally in Columbus, Ohio, the wing-nut Palin had some advice for Tina Fey: “Now speaking of great performances, did anyone catch John McCain last night on SNL — 'Saturday Night Live?' He was such a pro in those skits there with Tina Fey. And little advise [sic] for Tina—we want her to make sure that she’s holding on to that Sarah outfit because she’s gonna need it in the next four years.”
► Starbucks is giving out free coffee tomorrow. After you've cast your vote, head for a Starbucks and tell them that you voted --- you'll get a cup of  great java on the house.

RECENT and RELATED POSTS: ¶ = most popular posts

¶ Notable Republican/Conservative Endorsements of Barack Obama
| McCain on SNL and the Obama Ad on Cheney Endorsement of McCain
| Media Criticism of Palin Threatens Her Right to Free Speech?
| Ron Reagan Endorses Barack Obama
| Obama Interview on The Daily Show - Jon Stewart
| Former Reagan Chief of Staff Endorses Obama
| Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. Endorses Barack Obama
| State Challenges to Roe Vs Wade Disguised - Proposition 4 - Measure 11 - Amendment 48
| McCain and Bush - On the Economy, Two Pieces Cut From the Same Cloth
| McCain Campaign took $51,400 from Charles Keating law firm - including from Keating's own nephew
| Francis Fukuyama, the Original Neocon, Endorses Obama
|The Economist Endorses Barack Obama

McCain on SNL and the Obama Ad on Cheney Endorsement of McCain

Continuing with the diary style blogging I began yesterday, and did you remember to set your clocks back one hour? I forgot, as per usual for me, but I was reminded when watching the news this morning---thought I would take it upon myself to remind you.

Only 2 more days to go! I am at a point where even meditation, working out, staying away from McCain supporters, eating chocolate, raking leaves, hugging my son, cuddling with my cat, does nothing to decrease the very high level of my anxiety. For a time, I posted on a forum where I and the other Dems were quite out-numbered by neocons. I spent a lot of time at the bottom of a pile-up --- nothing I said made any sense. According to the neocons, that is. Then the owner, for reasons unknown to me, brought in even more of these people, to the point where it became very difficult for me to hold on to my temper. Actually, I didn't hold on to it, and I finally decided that in order to retain my own self-respect, I could not allow myself to post there anymore. The bad part of this is that I no longer have this outlet for my misery, and the other forum where I post is filled with others who share my views. Both are unbalanced in that way, at least for me. I will be SO glad when this election is over resolved.

ELECTION NEWS - and whatever....
► Because Senator Ted Stevens, the incumbent Republican senatorial candidate in Alaska, has refused to step down after his indictment on corruption charges, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) warned the Alaskan voters that "Stevens would not only face an ethics investigation but also expulsion proceedings regardless of his efforts to appeal the convictions."
► Great post on The Relevant Rhino - "They Hate Us For Our Freedom - In case you hadn’t noticed, the right is becoming increasingly more desperate. This election is one giant character attack, and it flows down to every man, woman, and child with the courage to stand up to the GOP. But 40 years of failure is a bad example, and these school-yard bullies and" [......]
► Election predictions from the panel on "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos. Ooooh, it is looking so good!  Summary of the predictions from the panelists: President - Obama - 338-378 electoral votes
Senate - the Dems will pick up between 7-9 seats

House - the Dems will pick up between 27-32 seats
Also on "This Week", George interviewed Rick Davis (McCain Campaign manager) and David Axelrod (manager of the Obama Campaign) . Davis said that most polls are weighted against the GOP, without offering any really credible reasons for his opinion. When asked if McCain has far fewer paths to the 270 electoral votes needed to win, he nodded yes. Davis is a Rovian protege, and was a lobbyist. See my earlier article which provides some background on Davis
► The Obama Campaign almost always reacts rapidly. The endorsement of McCain by Dick Cheney is no exception. Hilarious ad, and sadly true.

► McCain on SNL last night. How could that possibly help him at this point? Tina Fey as Palin: “OK, listen up everybody, I’m going rogue right now, so keep your voices down,’’ and offering “PALIN 2012” T-shirts.
► In perusing my referrers for last night, I saw that one of my articles was linked to by Crooks and Liars  ---Yah!
► Inspire Site News - After the election is resolved, I will be taking at least a week off, and then I will resume posting both here and on my other, sadly neglected (because of the election) blogs. At that point, I may do an occasional political post, but not often --- I am looking forward to going back to blogging for fun here, which was my original intent.

Media Criticism of Palin Threatens Her Right to Free Speech?

In the few remaining days of the presidential campaign, I am going to a more diary like style of blogging, and will make one daily post, updated throughout the day with breaking news.

This is because I am so freakin' uptight, I can barely think or breathe or eat or sleep, and I was even totally disinterested in my date last night (very not normal for me).Yeah, I am that anxious. You betcha.

So much is on the line in this election, and after all, the election in 2000 was literally stolen from the Democrats, and some say it was stolen in 2004 as well. Being so far ahead in the most reputable polls is sweet, but still, I can't breathe. More on this later.

ELECTION NEWS - and whatever.....
► Obama on Cheney's endorsement of McCain: “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, put [sic]Halliburton and get rid of the lobbyists and the old boys club in Washington?”[......]
► OMG, this video is hilarious! A hockey mom sings opera to Sarah.
► Freakin' nasty rumors by the right wing ...... The persistent rumors by the right wing that Obama was not born in this country, are false. His birth certificate from Hawaii was confirmed as authentic by FactCheck.org, and Politico has confirmed the authenticity of an announcement of his birth in the Honolulu Advertiser.
► Concerned that the GOP will again steal the election? Watch this and get angry. [Unrelated to the video, but of note. After the 2004 election, for good reason, the USA quickly dropped to 17th on the Economist's Democracy Index falling far behind more advanced democracies that include: Sweden, Iceland, Canada and Malta whose elections are held to higher standards. .......]
► The endorsement McCain really could have done without........Dick Cheney endorses McCain.
► Palin is the only one of the four candidates who has not yet released her medical records. Could this be because she will again be caught in yet another big lie? Be sure to read this report by Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic.
► Yesterday, in an interview on WMAL-AM radio, Palin claimed that her first amendment right to free speech (and her right to lie, consistently, daily)  was being threatened by the media criticism of her.
Oh dear God. I can not count the ways that this seemingly illiterate, anti-intellectual, ignorant woman frightens me. A quick look at the First Amendment.

RELATED POSTS: ¶ = most popular posts

| State Challenges to Roe Vs Wade Disguised - Proposition 4 - Measure 11 - Amendment 48 | Another Threat of Violence at a Palin Rally in Scranton, PA
¶ Demonizing Barack Obama: The Politics of Hate
¶ Sarah Palin Engendering Racial Hatred, Encouraging the Insanity on the Campaign Trail
¶ Politifact Examines McCain's Claims About Obama and Ayers - Calls McCain Claims False and Malicious
| Vote Fraud and the GOP
¶ Sarah and Todd Palin and the Alaskan Independence Party - AIP Ties to Iran
¶ What are the Chances that Sarah Palin Will Succeed to the Presidency Without an Election if the McCain Ticket is Successful?

Ron Reagan Endorses Barack Obama

President Ronald Reagan's son endorses Obama.

RELATED POSTS: ¶ = most popular posts

| Former Reagan Chief of Staff Endorses Obama
| Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. Endorses Barack Obama
| Francis Fukuyama, the Original Neocon, Endorses Obama
|The Economist Endorses Barack Obama
¶ Notable Republican/Conservative Endorsements of Barack Obama
¶ More Conservatives/Republicans Jump Ship - Endorse Obama
¶ More Endorsements of Obama by Republicans/Conservatives
| Ken Adelman, a Neocon for Neocons, Endorses Barack Obama. Huge.
| Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama
| Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, and Andy Griffith Request Five Minutes of Your Time......
| A lifelong Republican notes: "I voted American - for Barack Obama" | The Anchorage Daily News Endorses Obama

Obama Interview on The Daily Show - Jon Stewart

Really good interview (it aired on Wednesday)--- I was a little surprised to see Obama match Stewart's wit, but he was really good! I also liked watching Obama enjoy himself, and the audience seemed to love it!

 RECENT  POSTS: ¶ = most popular posts

| Former Reagan Chief of Staff Endorses Obama
| Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. Endorses Barack Obama
| State Challenges to Roe Vs Wade Disguised - Proposition 4 - Measure 11 - Amendment 48
| McCain and Bush - On the Economy, Two Pieces Cut From the Same Cloth
| McCain Campaign took $51,400 from Charles Keating law firm - including from Keating's own nephew
| Francis Fukuyama, the Original Neocon, Endorses Obama
|The Economist Endorses Barack Obama

Former Reagan Chief of Staff Endorses Obama

Yet another Republican gone astray. Ken Duberstein told CNN this week that Colin Powell had an influence on his decision.

“Well let's put it this way - I think Colin Powell's decision is in fact the good housekeeping seal of approval on Barack Obama.”

RELATED POSTS: ¶ = most popular posts

| Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. Endorses Barack Obama
| Francis Fukuyama, the Original Neocon, Endorses Obama
|The Economist Endorses Barack Obama
¶ Notable Republican/Conservative Endorsements of Barack Obama

Edgar M. Bronfman Sr. Endorses Barack Obama

Bronfman is an American philanthropist, a member of the Fortune 400, former CEO of his family business (Seagram), former President of the World Jewish Congress, the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999,  and while technically a Democrat, he has donated nearly as much money to the GOP as he has to the Dems.

In a move which should (but probably won't) shut up the McCain campaign re their latest Obama smear campaign, accusing Obama of  "palling around with anti-semites", Bronfman announced his endorsement of Obama yesterday in an article on The Huffington Post:

“I am supporting Obama for president for two reasons: one is my disdain for the McCain-Palin ticket, and the other my respect and admiration for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

State Challenges to Roe Vs Wade Disguised - Proposition 4 - Measure 11 - Amendment 48

If you are pro-choice and live in California, Colorado or South Dakota, please help to defeat these ballot initiatives for they will eventually affect women nationwide.

The pro-life crowd may ever more frequently be heard saying "I'm pro-choice, but I believe that it should be decided by the states." Can you say "bait and switch" twice rapidly?  That is exactly what defines this statement, and here is why.

Local organizers have been busy at work pushing to get direct challenges to Roe Vs Wade on state ballots. Currently, three states have measures on their ballots which directly attack pro-choice.

Colorado is the most dangerous of the three as a challenge to Roe Vs Wade, and to the rights of women in the state of Colorado. Additionally, if Amendment 48 passes, women in Colorado may find it difficult to utilize certain types of contraception, fertility  and related treatments, thus affecting not only those who are pro-choice and wish to have an abortion, but affecting any woman who simply wishes to use contraception, etc., even the pro-life crowd.

The stewards of Measure 11 and Amendment 48 created these ballot initiatives in the knowledge that they will be challenged. They are gambling that when a challenge occurs, the Supreme Court will have enough conservative (via McCain selections) judges to overturn Roe Vs Wade.

1. California - Proposition 4 | would limit but not ban abortion by requiring parental notification for minors. ["Proposition 4 is endorsed by Americans United for Life, among others. This is an organization that has worked to slowly erode women's access to abortion care with bills that limit available abortion methods after 12 to 13 weeks of pregnancy; require waiting periods, biased counseling, and ultrasound viewings prior to an abortion; create burdensome and medically unnecessary regulations for abortion clinics; assert that fetuses feel pain during an abortion; and allow health care employees to refuse to counsel, refer, or treat patients for any service to which they object. In other words, Americans United for Life and its allies favor laws that make it exceptionally hard to get an abortion--through cost, distance, stigma, and delay--but do not explicitly ban abortion."  ........]
2. South Dakota - Measure 11 | would ban abortion except under very limited circumstances
3. Colorado - Amendment 48 | Would create a definition of a fertilized egg as a person, resulting in severe restrictions on access to abortion, fertility treatments, birth control, and stem cell research.

Videos after the jump.

McCain and Bush - On the Economy, Two Pieces Cut From the Same Cloth

A New York Times video says it all.

RELATED POSTS: ¶ = most popular posts

| Francis Fukuyama, the Original Neocon, Endorses Obama
|The Economist Endorses Barack Obama
¶ Notable Republican/Conservative Endorsements of Barack Obama
¶ More Conservatives/Republicans Jump Ship - Endorse Obama
¶ More Endorsements of Obama by Republicans/Conservatives
| Ken Adelman, a Neocon for Neocons, Endorses Barack Obama. Huge.
| Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama
| Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, and Andy Griffith Request Five Minutes of Your Time......
| A lifelong Republican notes: "I voted American - for Barack Obama" | The Anchorage Daily News Endorses Obama
| Editorial: Why I am voting for Barack Obama

McCain Campaign took $51,400 from Charles Keating law firm - including from Keating's own nephew

From Political Base:

Twenty years later and John McCain (R) is still lining his campaign pockets with contributions associated with Charles Keating, who you'll recall was Cindy McCain's business partner prior to the infamous Keating Five scandal which tarnished McCain's own political career.

On July 31, 2008, campaign finance records show that McCain accepted more than $50,000 in contributions from 41 partners of the Cincinnati law firm Keating Muething & Klekamp. As the name suggests, the firm was founded by Charles Keating. Among the partners who contributed was none other than Keating's nephew, William J. Keating, Jr..

There was no McCain fundraiser in the Cincinnati area on or around July 31st, so it appears that someone was bundling these contributions, yet no one from the Keating firm is listed among McCain's disclosure of bundlers of $50,000 or more. Was McCain reluctant to list someone from the law firm that Charles Keating founded as a bundler?

For a list of the contributions by donor and amount, click here.

RECENT and RELATED ARTICLES | POSTS: ¶ = most popular posts

| Francis Fukuyama, the Original Neocon, Endorses Obama
|The Economist Endorses Barack Obama
¶ Notable Republican/Conservative Endorsements of Barack Obama
| Cindy McCain's Business Relationship With Charles Keating and Why She Must Disclose Her Finances
¶ Cindy McCain and the Keating Five: the Unethical McCain Family
¶ John McCain, Deregulation and the Keating Five - Public Amnesia and the Truth

Francis Fukuyama, the Original Neocon, Endorses Obama

Francis Fukuyama, a prominent academic and an impassioned and early defender of neoconservatism, has endorsed Barack Obama for President, stating his case in the November 3 issue of The American Conservative magazine. Fukuyama cited Palin as a primary reason:

“McCain’s appeal was always that he could think for himself, but as the campaign has progressed, he has seemed simply erratic and hotheaded. His choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate was highly irresponsible; we have suffered under the current president who entered office without much knowledge of the world and was easily captured by the wrong advisers. McCain’s lurching from Reaganite free- marketer to populist tribune makes one wonder whether he has any underlying principles at all.”

The Economist Endorses Barack Obama

A conservative paper, in fact, some think of it as the "conservative bible", The Economist has come down firmly on the side of Obama|Biden. Read the full story here.

RELATED POSTS: ¶ = most popular posts

| Francis Fukuyama, the Original Neocon, Endorses Obama
|The Economist Endorses Barack Obama
¶ Notable Republican/Conservative Endorsements of Barack Obama
¶ More Conservatives/Republicans Jump Ship - Endorse Obama
¶ More Endorsements of Obama by Republicans/Conservatives
| Ken Adelman, a Neocon for Neocons, Endorses Barack Obama. Huge.
| Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama
| Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, and Andy Griffith Request Five Minutes of Your Time......
| A lifelong Republican notes: "I voted American - for Barack Obama" | The Anchorage Daily News Endorses Obama

Conservative columnist, George Will, calls out McCain and defends Obama

Mr. Will calls out McCain on campagin finances, and his choice of Sarah Palin. He terms him "careless" and worse. He also ever so neatly ties him to Bush.  Related article.

Really, really TIRED of people misinterpreting the Obama tax plan.

Found this post on a forum, and it is not the first one. There are several more like it in said forum, and I have also seen similar comments in other places. That some people apparently have some trouble putting two + two together is no surprise, but I am sick of reading it, so I am going to explain. Not that it needs any explanation if you use that body part that you are supposed to think with, or do some research.

“Interestingly enough Obama in his infomercial last night said people ho make under $200K wouldn't be touched by the new taxes...Originally he said $250k.
Last week Joe Biden said $150k 2 separate times.
Why do I have the feeling once in office the new threshold will be $65k a year being labeled as rich.”

- EVERY HOUSEHOLD and BUSINESS IN AMERICA WILL PAY the same or lower tax rates than they would have in the 1990s. For details click here.

- $250,000 is a benchmark number. If you earn less than $250,000, you will see NO INCREASE in your taxes.