Yes we can... WHAT???

Get big, meaningless endorsements from "old money", Washington entrenched Kennedy's?

Vote "present" on the important issues because it may be politically incorrect to actually vote yea or nay?

Tell voters in Illinois we will stand up to the nuclear power industry and tell then how we passed a bill to require reports of any radioactive leaks after hearing from our constituents. But after all is said and done, watering down the bill after meeting with Exelon, the company whose plants created the issue and whose key executives are big contributors and bundlers to our campaign, and then never "directly" explaining why we would tell voters we passed a bill that in fact was not passed and did not become law. Could this be blatant "tell them what they need to hear to get elected" politics at its best?

Or how about on the stump we tell people about the plight of Maytag workers who lost their jobs, ("Obama's fundraising collides with his rhetoric") and yet the union covering those workers believes they got no help from the Senator, who was again taking significant contributions from one of Maytag's directors and biggest investors. Can we say "tell them what they need to hear to get elected" politics at its best? YES WE CAN!

Or how about telling the good people and voters of Idaho: "And then there are people who say, 'Well, he doesn't believe in the Second Amendment,' even though I come from a state -- we've got a lot of hunters in downstate Illinois. And I have no intention of taking away folks' guns." But then NOT disclosing to those good people of Idaho, that "he does support gun control and has a record of voting for it in the Illinois Senate. He backed limiting handgun purchases to one a month, but he made no attempts to ban them." Matter of fact, when originally running for the state legislature 12 years ago, Mr. Obama filled out a questionnaire saying he "supported banning the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns." Oh YES WE CAN lie to the American voter just to get elected, the very same thing that many of his opponent's (Sen. Clinton) detractors have said about her.

Come on America! Wake up! This is a crucial time in our history and in what our country's future path should and will be. I fail to see how simply chanting YES WE CAN, over and over and over, is going to get us heading in the right direction again. For those of us in the working middle class, or barely hanging on to the middle class, we need to get beyond the rhetoric and stand up for ourselves by casting an enlightened and smart vote. Stop with the herding mentality. Do we want a “movement” based solely upon political ambition in the White House, or do we want the Oval Office to finally start working for change. Those of us who have been around the block a few times know full well that change DOES take HARD WORK and EXPERIENCE – not just a strong rhetoric. And no, I’m not one of those “old geezers” that the Obama followers like to denigrate in these comments and elsewhere. What a nice representation of hope for our country’s future – to blatantly belittle those parents and grandparents who have literally fought, bled, and in many cases worked their fingers to the bone to give the Obama youth movement many of the rights and privileges they enjoy today.

Oh and by the way, Obama is no JFK, unless you'd like to base that upon the similarities of his being able to read and deliver a well-written speech, which he did not write himself but was written by a top political speechwriter. For one thing, JFK had 14 years under his belt in the US Senate prior to announcing his run for President. Oh and by the way, JFK was just a man – and a man with many flaws, many of which are still being disclosed to this day. Obama has had 8 years in a State Legislature (where it’s still not clear when or if he voted on behalf of his constituents, or even his convictions), and roughly 1 year in the US Senate (where he only voted about 30 times out of 100 major votes he could and should have voted on, yea or nay).

As for this race now, take a clear look at all of the exit polling - a vote for Obama may just be a vote for "old money", Patriarchal, politics as usual - not for the hard-working middle class. Now I ask, exactly how would that be change??? The exit polling also shows us that the youth vote is strongly in Obama's camp. Now why is that? And do the 18-25 year olds of this country really truly have a dog in this fight? Are they struggling every day to make ends meet for their families, are they worrying about whether their job will be shipped overseas tomorrow, or how they’ll afford health care AND a college education for their kids, or trying to decide whether they can afford to eat or pay for their medications this month? Or is this the "American Idol" dumbing down of our society, which has seemingly pervaded our youth and is now presenting itself in all its glory during this campaign?

This election should very simply be about change we need now, and who can and will roll up their sleeves and get it done starting the first day they are seated behind that big desk in that most famous of offices with all the problems we have in this country staring them squarely in the face. It should be about who has shown passion, compassion, strength, and maturity on the issues that mean the most to many, many of us right now. To say that we want change just for change's sake is not going to help us turn this economy around, nor create more jobs, nor pay the ever-increasing prices for gasoline and heating oil today. Come back down to reality America.

So I ask again – YES WE CAN...WHAT? Can someone please answer this question for us?

As for me, I'm for the passionate and knowledgeable on the issues candidate who actually says something that means something in her speeches. I'm for the workhorse, not the show horse. I'm for HRC in 2008.

How often are Clinton going to try and spin and distort the same old stories?

Way to dismiss the 18-25 year olds of this country, they would be the future, they will be the group that will bring this country back to the people instead of the lobbyists. Who do you think will be leading the innovations of the next half century? Paying the bills from the last half century? They are the most affected by this campaign and they are finally realizing they have a voice that should be listened to.
Obama is ready to lead this nation on day one and in a direction that takes us away from back door deals with Dubai. That looks for real health care reform without taking the choice away from the American people and penalizing them if they do not go along. It is a plan that supports the insurance company agenda and no one else.
A moratorium on foreclosures is not within the direct power of the Presidency so is an empty promise and not a solution for poor business practices.
Voting present on less than 1% of his votes in order to reach across the aisle and work out compromises sounds exactly like the kind of experience we need. As opposed to a senator than can't be bothered to read an intelligence report before voting to go to war, and then not understanding that the bill in front of her would authorize war, when that is exactly what it said it did. Clinton wasn't agaisnt the war until it became unpopular, and she still has not come out against the war, only how Bush has handled it, and that is telling.

This election is very much abotu the changes that are needed in this country, we need to end the billion dollar a day conflict that has weakened our economy and bankrupted our standing in the world. We need to actually address terrorism by completing the mission in Afghanistan and eliminating terrorist havens in Pakistan.
Obama is more than a slogan, more than a corporate lawyer, more than a seeker of power for the sake of power. he has the experience, he has the vision, and he has the will to LEAD the american people not to rule them, 8 years of that has been quite enough.

Good move on Obama's part, making FEMA a direct reporting agency again. I have some personal knowledge of how it worked before, and how it worked after becoming part of Homeland Security.

As conservatives claim to know, adding layers of management rarely makes anything more efficient.

Headlines::::Hillary copies Obama again. She listens to his speeches...now she is for change; now this is her "moment"; and now her website design is just like Obama's; even asking for money from the little people like Obama!!! DANG Hillary, do you have an original thought or plan???? obviously not!! maybe you can be the secretary of something so that all you do is what someone else tells you to do!

CopyCat: Amen.

Kris, if you don't "get it" by now I don't think you're going to. But I will do my best.

Barack Obama isn't just campaigning for President. He's building, from the ground up, a progressive political movement that will fundamentally change the direction of our country. He has already "changed" the tenor of our political discourse by giving and demanding respect and honesty and fairness in this primary season. Without making any judgments about the stuff you have dredged up and spewed out above, please note that Obama has not once mentioned the scandals of the 90s. He has never talked about impeachment or Whitewater. He's being as kind and fair to HRC as possible. That's a huge "change" from the politics of the past, and some would say it's a change from the politics that HRC practices.

You may have noticed that our current political environment embraces the principles of selfishness and power and dishonesty and destruction of government and division of Americans into identity groups and screaming arguments that settle nothing. Obama, and his legions of supporters like me, believe in a country that embraces the principles of fairness and justice and honesty and government competence and unity and civilized debate. We'd like to make our country look more like the one we believe in and less like the one that currently exists. That is the change that he means. That is the change that we seek.

It is a movement, a storm, a thunder, a tornado and it is a clear present danger to The Clintons!
Clintons machine needs oil change, making too many noices!!

I spent two vacations with my daughters helping rebuild the upper and lower 9th wards....I didn't see Obama down there...the 2nd time I did see a lot of the wonderful things Brad and Angelina were doing...I am glad he is down there now checking out the damage right before the primary....but where was he when electricity, water and sewage were off...when FEMA trailers were abundant in white neighborhoods and missing in African American ones...why didn't he unite the senate and the country and get some real help down there. Don't go now that you need their votes...they don't need you now...they needed you then.

Records of these two candidates should be scrutinized in order to make an informed decision.

Senator Clinton, who has served only one full term (6yrs.), and another year campaigning, has managed to author and pass into law, (20) twenty pieces of legislation in her first six years.

These bills can be found on the website of the Library of Congress (www.thomas.loc.gov), but to save you trouble, I'll post them here for you.

1. Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site.

2. Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.

3. Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

4. Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall.

5. Name courthouse after James L. Watson.

6. Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea.

7. Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day.

8. Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day.

9. Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death.

10. Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.

11. Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.

12. Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program.

13. Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda.

14. Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death.

15. Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty. Only five of Clinton's bills are, more substantive. 16. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.

17. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11

18. Assist landmine victims in other countries.

19. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.

20. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.

There you have it, the fact's straight from the Senate Record.

Now, I would post those of Obama's, but the list is too substantive, so I'll mainly categorize.

During the first (8) eight years of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced

233 regarding healthcare reform,

125 on poverty and public assistance,

112 crime fighting bills,

97 economic bills,

60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills,

21 ethics reform bills,

15 gun control,

6 veterans affairs and many others.

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These inculded

**the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 (became law),

**The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, (became law),

**The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate,

**The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, (became law),

**The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, (In committee), and many more.

In all since enter the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096. An impressive record, for someone who supposedly has no record according to the spin meisters and mindless twits.

Peter,

I'm a big fan of Senator Obama. However, can you repost your data comparing apples to apples?

Either post the bills that HRC has written or co-sponsored, or post the bills that Obama has actually gotten signed into law.

It's possible that it's the same list, but it isn't clear.

Wow that was really informative, I hope you will allow me to send this out to all of my email list.
This will answer so many questions people have about the candidates' experience.

Kris in PA.
Thanks for telling me at the end of your rant that you are supporting Hillary Clinton. I would have never figured it out.
It's not that I dislike Hillary Clinton or at least I didn't until Bill Clinton became so insulting. I bet even a staunch supporter such as yourself would have to admit that. If Hillary would allow her husband and surrogates to promote those type of insults then I'm convinced they'll do any thing to win.
We just don't need Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton or nothing will ever get done.

Obama is the man. He is a fresh face with new ideas give the man a chance. He can do and will do more than your current president. Obama is a real man that understands the working class people as well as other classes. He is passionate and sincere.

Hillary just wants to win just so her husband can get back in the white house and make more decisions. She is crying all over the T.V. Do we need a president the cries like a baby?

Hey Kris, I applaud your volunteering to help after the Katrina diasaster.

Here is Barack Obama’s record on rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.

Sept. 2, 2005: Obama holds press conference urging Illinoisans to contribute to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Sept. 5, 2005: Obama goes to Houston to visit evacuees with Presidents Clinton and Bush.

Sept. 7, 2005: Obama introduces bill to create a national emergency family locator system

Sept. 8, 2005: Obama introduces bill to create a National Emergency Volunteers Corps.

Sept. 8, 2005: Obama co-sponsors the Katrina Emergency Relief Act of 2005 introduced by Senator Harry Reid

Sept. 8, 2005: Obama co-sponsors the Hurricane Katrina Bankruptcy Relief and Community Protection Act of 2005 introduced by Senator Russ Feingold

Sept. 12, 2005: Obama introduces legislation requiring states to create an emergency evacuation plan for society’s most vulnerable

Sept. 15, 2005: Obama issues public response to President Bush’s speech about Gulf Coast rebuilding.

Sept. 21, 2005: Obama co-sponsors bill to establish a Katrina commission to investigate response to the disaster

Sept. 21, 2005: Obama appears on NPR to discuss the role of poverty in Hurricane Katrina.

Sept. 22, 2005: Obama and Coburn’s Hurricane Katrina financial oversight bill unanimously passes Senate committee.

Sept. 22, 2005: Obama’s amendment requiring evacuation plans unanimously passes Senate committee.

Sept. 28, 2005: Obama and Coburn issue statement about the need for a Chief Financial Officer to oversee the financial mismanagement and suspicious contracts occurring in the reconstruction process

Sept. 29, 2005: Obama and Coburn investigate possible FEMA refusal of free cruise ship offer

Oct. 6, 2005: Obama and Coburn issue statement on FEMA Decision to re-bid Katrina contracts

Oct. 6, 2005: Obama co-sponsors Gulf Coast Infrastructure Redevelopment and Recovery Act of 2005.

Oct. 21, 2005: Obama releases statement decrying the extension of FEMA director, Michael “Brownie” Brown’s contract. Obama calls Brown’s contract extension, “unconscionable.”

Nov. 17, 2005: Obama and Coburn introduce legislation asking FEMA to immediately re-bid all Katrina reconstruction contracts.

Feb. 1, 2006: Obama gives Senate floor speech on his legislation to help children affected by Hurricane Katrina

Feb. 2, 2006: Obama introduces legislation to help low-income children affected by Hurricane Katrina

Feb. 23, 2006: Obama issues statement responding to a White House report on Hurricane Katrina. Obama noted that the top two recommendations that the report had for the federal government were initiatives he had been working on since immediately after the storm hit. Obama called the administration’s response “delinquent.”

May 2, 2006: Obama gives speech about no-bid contracts in Hurricane Katrina reconstruction

May 4, 2006: Obama’s legislation to end no-bid contracts for Hurricane Katrina reconstruction passed the Senate.

June 15, 2006: Obama and Coburn announce legislation to require amendment to create competitive bidding for Hurricane Katrina reconstruction for federal contracts over $500,000.

June 15, 2006: Obama releases podcast about his pending Katrina reconstruction legislation in the Senate.

June 16, 2006: Obama and Coburn get no-bid Hurricane Katrina reconstruction amendment into Department of Defense authorization bill.

July 14, 2006: Obama and Coburn’s legislation to end abuse of no-bid contracts passes senate as amendment to Department of Defense authorization bill.

August 11, 2006: Obama visits Xavier University in New Orleans to give Commencement address

August 14, 2006: Obama and Coburn ask FEMA to address ballooning no-bid contracts for Gulf Coast reconstruction

Sept. 29, 2006: Obama and Coburn legislation to prevent abuse of no-bid contracts in the wake of disaster passes Senate to be sent to President’s desk to become law.

Feb. 2007-Present: As Obama begins his Presidential campaign he references Katrina as a part of his stump speech as he travels around the country in his familiar line, “That we are not a country which preaches compassion and justice to others while we allow bodies to float down the streets of a major American city. That is not who we are.”

June 20, 2007: Obama co-sponsors Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act of 2007.

July 27, 2007: Obama and colleagues get a measure in the Homeland Security bill that will investigate FEMA trailers that may contain the toxic chemical, formaldehyde.

Aug. 26, 2007: Obama outlines a detailed Hurricane Katrina recovery plan.

December 18, 2007: Obama calls on President Bush to protect affordable housing in New Orleans

The only thing Hillary doesn't copy is his sincerity. She is sooooooo PhonY!!! She will flip flop and use what ever she thinks is popular, like the loan, all a part of a greater scheme to get people to donate to her campaign. If she can't manage that budget, I wonder what she will do if she were to bceome President. I guess she'll have to lend the country some of the millions they got from questionable sources.

Kris, I reside in MS and was also spent a significant amount of time in New Orleans helping after Katrina and raising money, collecting clothes, food, etc. Barack has been to New Orleans a number of times over the years. While you may have been star struck by Brad and Angelina and therefore not able to see Obama; I saw him. He was there.

many of these are the exact same plan Hillary spoke of in May of 2007 and 3 mos later Obama repeats almost word for word what she has already addressed. This is why he is not keen on too many debates. It is free style and he might get caught in a subject he is not educated or familiar with. Whatever happens we have no one to blame but ourselves if the wrong candidate is nominated and we mean Obama

How can you be given valid information of this man's accomplishments, and still have no change of view. Narrow mined is why Bush is in office. So much for experience. Look at all the experience in Office NOW, and where are we. You may think she can compete with McCain, but the republicans will band together, even though some of them do not like (hate) their candidate. He is also a decent man, so it won't be hard for the crossover voters to return, and some not vote at all. As far as the wrong candidate is concerned, no one can be as bad as the one that got the last eight years.

Obama writes his own speeches
They are substantive
He is a brilliant thinker
Read a book of his
He writes them himself.
Read his policies on his website.
They are outlined there for all the world to see!
Kris in PA doesn't know what Obama stands for...
She doesn't want to know.
Maybe she knows that what Obama stands for is better than what Clinton stands for, and so she is afraid to look for herself.
Kris in PA does not like to admit it when she is wrong...

Kris in PA forgot to mention that Obama crushes Hillary in educated voters. People who can read overwhelmingly favor Obama.

I love the RNC's response --with it's fallacy that somehow a person with a short career cannot be a strong leader, they must think Americans are stupid. Reminds me of the movie "Thank you for not smoking", very clever, but after so many years of these tricks, I think most of us know better.

Great job Obama going after the black vote. The people of the state know it was the Democratic Governor and Mayor Nagin who were to blame.

Last week Obama was pandering to the Latino vote by giving drivers license to Illegal aliens and it back fired on him

What I find funny about the first blog response is that the person doesn't even know that the bill that Obama put up for the nucleur waste problem in Illinois was co-sponsored by HRC in 2006 and by the time it made it to the Senate it didn't have the support it needed. So Obama reintroduced the legislation as the Jr. Senator from Illinois :)

Do your homework bud, we do :)

Yes we can,I just love Sen.Obama and his supporters,we are so intelligent and informed about what's going on,like Sen. Obama we are no rookies!!! They can't fool nor trick us!!Good facts posting reponse guys,down with the billaries,from the bottom up with Obama!!! Fired up and ready to go,change is coming to America!!!

I am thrilled and inspired by Obama's candidacy. The idea of voting to return Hill and Bill for a third term makes me squirm. Who can forget the sight of Bill traipsing around the country arm in arm with Daddy Bush begging for charity for the people of this country, while Baby Bush squanders $1 billion a day on waging war on behalf of the war profiteers? I'm glad Teddy Kennedy finally came out for Obama; maybe the Democratic Party can begin to mean something again for this country.

Hilary a LIAR! Who had to trick her donors into giving money! She flip flops and does WHATEVER it takes to get votes. Now she's changed her message to Obama's message. She's a deceitful politician and we are TIRED of people like that in the White House! It's time to end the Bush/Clinton era! Let's Hope Again!

Thank you Julie and all others who have done the bare knuckles research, responding to others that are too lazy to find out all that Obama HAS done.

a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant...

nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change...

but in the unlikely story that is America...there is nothing false about hope...

though we in the state of indiana have to sit on our hands and root for Obama state by state from the sidelines, we are with you guys...

Yes. We. Can.

First of all I want to thank Kris and all the people that volunteered to help my hometown of New Orleans. We know you came here for lots of reason (caring, anger, good sameritan, to save souls - I don't think you came because of the "stars" though). Whatever the reason, we appreciate your help. You not only brought extra hands, but hope to hurting Americans that were deserted by all levels of government. We can NEVER thank you enough.
As to this statement:
"Great job Obama going after the black vote. The people of the state know it was the Democratic Governor and Mayor Nagin who were to blame. I am a white Louisiana Republican that lived Katrina and I know it was all levels of governmen that failed, but most of my anger is towards the feds because 1.)It was failed federal levees that caused the destruction and 2.)Don't promise help and not deliver it and 3.)Don't do an incompetent job and try to blame your incompetency on powerless suffering citizens. I will probably be voting for Obama if I get the chance to in the general election because I think this nation needs healing above all else. We need to put the "United" back into the USA and stop being torn apart by partisans.

I am so tired of hearing that America's youth can not make educated decisions because supposedly we do not have the financial pressures or responsibilities older Americans do. Well let me shine some light on this topic.

I am now 21 years old and although this is very personal I'll share this in the hope that it will enlighten people to America's youths issues. When I was 19 years old on my last year of coverage by NY's Child Health Plus Insurance I underwent a procedure to remove a malignant cyst. I should be going to the doctor every 6 months to insure that the cyst have not returned, but I can't because I do not have any Health insurance anymore.... So I live day to day praying I won't end up in emergency room one of these days..Because Lord knows I can't afford it

I've worked since I was 14 to help support my family. At 21 I make a decent 40K and yet I couldn't finish college because financial aide says my income is too high.....too bad because I have a 4.0

And they expect you to pay for school but how can I when maintenance keeps going up and we have to pay this mortgage so we don't lose our home, the school is system is so bad the only way to give them a decent chance is to pay for their private school, and when I've cut up my check so many times theirs barely anything left to buy a college textbook

So tell me I don't know what it is to struggle. And almost all my friends are going through the same thing. Health insurance is a joke. We kill ourselves working just to pay rent and for the few lucky ones who can get finacial aide they work full time just to go to school at night full time. Just scraping by in this NYC wasteland.

So what about us who just don't fit into the income bracket? Thanks HRC! All she is a beaucratic drone and I refuse to stand for it.

There is something wrong in this country and it isn't just about healthcare and tax cuts it's about the loss of Hope. I believe in Barack and beleive he has exceeded expectations in the Senate. I voted for him because there needs to be a new voice of America, I voted for him because I believe.......There Can Be Justice For All

@ Peter & Julie
Great research, I will be using it to spread the word of comparison. LIKE THE MAN SAID, HE WILL GET IT RIGHT ON "DAY ONE" This is proof that it doesn't take 35 years to make change. In OBAMA'S political life it looks like he worked and not just waste time playing politics and evening scores or following spouses around who cheat. JUST A LOT OF WASTED TIME AND THIS PROVES IT. SI SE PUEDE'

It always amazes me that people want to blame Nagin agn the Gov. But we seem able to accommodate foreign countries after tsunamies and other devastating events. I guess Nagin didn't ask appropriately. Is that what you're saying?

The research and comments on this board are outstanding. Some on this board still are misinformed about voting procedures in the IL Legisture. When one has a question or would vote for a proposed bill with minor changes, they usually indicate it by voting present. A present vote does not prove one cannot make a decision as stated by Hillary in one of the debates.

Bill did an outstanding job as President and this country thanks him. We also know about the times we do not thank him for.

Hillary says she will be ready on "day one" to be president. Will she make the right decisions on "day one"? She voted for the war in Iraq and has given about as many reasons for her vote as Bush has given for going to war. She has said (1) for inspectors to return (2)for Bush to use as a threat (3)we thought Saddam had WMD (4) we didn't know what Saddam might do (what had he done after the other attacks around the world?) If she was for the war, why not say so. Most American might not agree with her decision but at least we would know she has convictions.

Let's hope she does not use too much of her experience in misrepresenting facts about Obama. Tony Rezko was a long time friend and an outstanding lawyer that gave back to the community. He asked Obama to perform some services for a nonprofit organization. They bought adjoining properties. Obama says once he learned that Rezko was under investigation he severed ties with him. According to one Chicago newspaper's editor Obama association with Rezko is not in question. What is in question is why didn't Obama know soon that Rezko was being scrunized before the actual charges. It was also reported that all donations received from Rezko and associates have been given to charity.

To the Clinton supporters, you would be well served not to being up donors.

How about sticking to the issues that really concern the American people. The gutter politics demeans the office that the Clintons once held.

I too am for change and haven't been this excited about an election since JFK! I applauded you young people for getting involved. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

Hillary made a comment at a rally today that has bothered me. She asked the crowd if they intended on voting for the next president based on their momentary good feelings about the candidate, or based on a candidate's ability to tackle the serious issues that will face that elected person. Well, first of all, I don't see it as an either/or dilemma; I have good feelings about my candidate's ability to handle the issues thoroughly, fairly, intelligently, and timely. But I have more than "good feelings" about Barack Obama; like so many, many other Americans, I am inspired by his works and his message. I looked up the word "inspire" and here's what I found: 1) to animate the mind or emotions,2) to stimulate to an indicated feeling or action, 3)to breathe life into, 4) to rouse latent energies, ideals, or reverence. Well, O.K. then Hillary, I am guilty as charged and unabashedly proud to have good feelings, no, to be inspired by Mr. Obama. He has my vote!

I think it's a very big mistake to suggest that young adults do not have a stake in what happens in this election. I'm 63. I'm embarrassed about the mess we are handing over to our young people to clean up.

The cost of higher education now is rediculous. The cost of health care is rediculous, and is a result of a for-profit incredibly inefficient system (ask me, I'm a health care provider. The time I waste just trying to get paid by 40 different insurance companies who have a vested interest in not paying me is insane). I am also a cancer survivor, and so have no health insurance myself. Too expensive. Really stupid. So I get squeezed by our health care system from both sides, as a provider and as a consumer--it's worse since managed care, thanks to Hillary caving into insurance companies (forced, I suspect, by the congress--I do applaud her for having tried, but it's a bigger mess since then).

The state of the planet is scary. The terrible storms and fire storms we are having as a result of global warming should give pause to EVERYONE! The corruption in our government discusts me. That they could set this issue aside to pander to the oil companies just blows my mind.

The young are inheriting all of this. It is their mess to clean up. We have an obligation to help them do that.

It isn't going to happen with politics as usual. Thank you for posting Obama's senate records! People need to understand that he is a man of action, not just words. It is obvious to me that his speeches are his own. He is insightful, passionate, and I doubt that anyone could memorize and deliver such speeches written by someone else. They come from his understanding and from his heart.

A friend of mine who has worked about a third of each year in the Middle East for a charity organization for many years has friends there who are Christian, Muslim and Jew. They all hate us since Iraq, he said. Even the Christians. They used to distinguish between our goverment and our people, but they don't even do that anymore. He said a European friend of his noticed the following: The American government can afford to hire the best experts in the world. They hire them. They get excellent advice. And then they never follow it.

This is politics as usual. When Katrina happened, i was furious. It could have been prevented, if our government had listened to the engineers they hired. Iraq could have been prevented if they had listened to the experts that they hired. Global warming could have at least been reduced if they had listened to the experts that they hired.

I'm sick and tired of our people having to pay for all of these HUGE mistakes because of politics as usual. We could have free education for all. We could have health care for all. Instead, we're paying for stupid mistakes that could have and should have been prevented.

I lived in Switzerland in high school as an exchange student. At that time, i was considered wealthy and they were quite poor. Not the case anymore. Despite Papi's very low income as a bus driver, all four children received excellent educations. one is a physician, two are engineers and one is an architect. They all have beautiful homes, excellent health care, face a secure retirement, take long vacations every year and have travelled the world. Meanwhile, I've been scrambling to make ends meet, despite my excellent education, because of our health care system. They probably pay somewhat higher taxes than we do. But you know what? They get a heck of a lot more for them.

Can't we get back on track in this country and elect a president and a government that will actually work for the people, instead of for their own re-election. Personally, I'm tired of it.

I'm for Obama all the way. I find it truly amazing that he can see the problems clearly, while not being cynical and feeling hopeless about them. This is the kind of leader we need, to bring us all back up to where we can begin to hope and work together again.