Keith Olbermann speaks for us and our fears of the Right

A special report from Keith Olbermann discussing the McCain campaign. He points out the true and verifiable facts that supporters at the McCain rallies have been promoting a theme of disrespect, hatred and violence towards Barack Obama. It is a disgrace and hasn’t been seen since the years when racism was accepted as legitimate public policy.

At the same time, the rallies at the Obama campaign show Obama quickly and effectively silencing simple boo’s at the mention of McCain.

Smears galvanizes Obama supporters

Every smear promoted against Barack Obama only galvanizes his supporters.  What the McCain campaign does not understand is that Barack Obama represents every American who ever felt marginalized.

Every woman who was been raped.  Every woman that survived breast cancer.  Every man and woman who
had to work 2 and 3 jobs to make ends meet.  Every soldier who went to Iraq and knew it was wrong and had to do it anyway.  Every African-American who was subject to racism (and that would be every black person in America). Every Hispanic who was subject to prejudice.  Every child who was ostracized
or alienated for being “different,” every elderly person made to feel obsolete and unimportant, every disabled person made to feel deficient and anyone else who was marginalized by the minority ruling class:  the 1% of predominantly white, male Americans who control most of the country’s wealth
and therefore most of the power.

In the words of Mahatma Ghandi, every tyrant who ever ruled has always fallen.  They are consumed by their own hatred.  So when the Republicans smear Obama, it is GOOD for the Obama campaign. It just makes everyone in his campaign work that much harder.  In fact, we should thank the Republicans for handing him this election.

And THAT, my friend, is why Obama will win.  Just look at history and reflect upon the energy of this campaign.  It is born from the negative energy that produced the opposition:  prejudice, murder, hatred, hundreds of years of discrimination and violence.  Now all Americans who were victimized by our fear and stupidity have a leader.

Yes, there is danger, because the minority ruling class is fearful and does not want to lose power.  However,
just like Ghandi, King, and Bobby Kennedy before him, Obama will not lose
because he has the spirit of all those leaders within him.

Who is Barack Obama? by Charles McCoy, North Carolina

Senator McCain, you asked, “Who is Barack Obama?”

I can answer that question for you.  Senator Obama is an American and a senator, just like you.  He was born to a white woman, just like you.  You and Senator Obama are just alike except for a few things:

He was not given entrance into a naval academy because his father, and father before him, attended the same naval academy.

He did not graduate at the bottom of his college class.

He wasn’t involved in the loss of five airplanes during the Vietnam War causing an additional 134 military men to lose their lives.

He wasn’t captured by the Viet Cong and forced to release critical information and then to contribute to the making of a propaganda tape.

He didn’t divorce his wife and three kids to pursue the Presidency with a trophy wife at his side.

He didn’t use “poor judgment” in the Keating Five financial disaster.

He didn’t support the worst president in the history of the United States 95% of the time.

He didn’t support a war based on lies that cost the American public 10 billion dollars a month and the loss of thousands of lives.

He didn’t champion deregulation of the financial industry for 27 years, which in turn, caused America’s most recent financial disaster.

So you see, Senator McCain, you may still say you do not know who Barack Obama is, but at least now you know who he is not.

North Carolinians Speak Up. Let’s Listen

North Carolina, for perhaps the first time in its history, has the chance to become a blue state.  An Obama canvassing training was held in Raleigh last night and there were literally hundreds of people present.  Each one of those people are expected to get 10 more people to get out the vote between now and election day.  The best news for us all, though, is that the McCain campaign never counted on an election in this state to be so close.

He’s had to allocate financial resources to battle the Obama tide in North Carolina and that means he has less resources for an already troubled financial campaign.  Obama, however, does NOT have a troubled campaign.

Could it be that the negative campaign ads, direct mail, rallies and television appearances are working against McCain and Palin?  Senator Obama’s campaign strategy was perfect:  no need to attack McCain and Palin  because they will shoot themselves in the foot.  And they continue to do so….

The lack of civility in McCain’s crowds promotes new feud amongst politicians

At last weeks Republican campaign rallies, the words of McCain and Palin clearly gave way for their supporters to make calls like  “Traitor!” “Bomb Obama!” “Kill him!” “Liar!” “Off with his head” and the use of the “N” word to a black cameraman while their candidates stood in silence as their fans cheered them on.

In addition to these horrific and dangerous shout-outs, which some fear could be a call-to-action, the questions coming from these town hall formats had nothing to do with the economy, nothing to do with the issues, but rather were expressions of fear of a Barack Obama president, fear that we would have an “Arab,” “a Muslim” or even worse “a domestic terrorist” in the white house. This fear, courtesy of John McCain himself , is currently being promoted in his attack ads against Barack Obama. These attack ads were developed to introduce a connection between Barack Obama and 60′s radical Bill Ayers and the clearly untrue notion this relationship implies that Obama might be a domestic terrorist himself. Everyone, including McCain himself knows that this is patently false, and McCain has stated so.

I do not believe that McCain himself thinks for one minute that Barack Obama has a terrorist bone in his body, but McCain was clearly generating a fear of Barack Obama, even if it means misleading the American people.

Careful what you wish for, Sen. McCain, because you just got it.

John McCain has now had to awkwardly back peddle, to the boos in his crowd, he has had to say that Barack Obama is “a Christian and a decent family man.”  This environment of anger, hate and fear from the McCain rallies had not been challenged, until the national response, through media, polls and other statements have expressed concern over the danger of allowing such rhetoric to continue, forcing McCain to ask his supporters for calm.

And just now, as I am writing this post, it was announced that Rep. John Lewis said “What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history in the not so distant past” when George Wallace “created the climate and conditions” which provoked hate.

Barack Obama responded that he does not believe that John McCain is promoting the policies of George Wallace and that to his credit John McCain himself has spoken out at his own rallies to calm the hateful rhetoric of his supporters. Obama did continue to say, however, that Sarah Palin’s should revoke her remarks that Barack Obama “pals around with terrorists,” a notion that John McCain has had to rebuke himself.

Several republican spokesmen were on the air just a moments ago continuing to state that Barack Obama was palling around with terrorists, even after McCain himself has stated that this is not true.

This latest, very latest back and forth between camps has, at the very least, shown an undisciplined republican party, where some spokesmen are saying the Obama did pal around with terrorists, while John McCain himself is saying that this is not so.

Sarah Palin supports Militants with ties to Iran: A verifiable true story

Everyone is talking about Bill Ayers and his militant activities while Obama was just child of 8 years old, but there is another militant group that is still active today. It is called the Alaskan Independence Party, also know as the “AIP,” and it is supported by Sarah Palin and her husband.

So who is the AIP?  Is it just another independence party, like Joe Lieberman? Not by a long shot.

The founder of the AIP was a man named Joe Vogler. Like Ayers, Vogler preached armed insurrection against the United States of America. Vogler was know for saying,

“when the [federal] bureaucrats come after me, I suggest they wear red coats. They make better targets.  In the federal government are the biggest liars in the United States, and I hate them with a passion.  They think they own [Alaska]. There comes a time when people will choose to die with honor rather than live with dishonor. That time may be coming here.” Vogler continues, “I hope we dont’ have to take human life, but if they go on tramping on our property rights, look out, we’re ready to die.”

This is the same ideology that produced people like Timothy McVeigh, who was convicted and later put to death for the Bombing of Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. There was Waco, Texas, where the “Branch Davidians” leader, David Koresh taught that the U.S. government was the enemy of the Davidians, and that they would have to defend themselves.

Voglar made an appearance before the United Nations to denounce United States’ “tryanny,” and in front of the entire world, demanded Alaska’s freedom. Now here is the kicker. He actually persuaded the government of Iran to sponsor his anti-American cause.

Sarah Palin was not 8 years old. She was the Governor of Alaska, addressing the Alaskan Independence Party’s convention herself  just six months ago. She told them in her speech to “Keep up the good work” asking for God to bless them.  She wished the party luck on what she called its “inspiring convention.”

This is here and now and Sarah and Todd Palin show a deep involvement with this domestic terrorist organization. And we now see the buds of this kind of ideology at McCain’s rallies just this week!

At another town hall meeting on Friday, McCain gave the lady a microphone. She said she was afraid if Barack Obama would become president, because she said he was an Arab. The embarrassed McCain had no choice but to then defend Obama and say the truth, lest he be caught in a televised lie in the making.  The crowd booed McCain, but the sad thing is that this lady should be fearing the presidency of John McCain. I fear that the climate of this country could become more like McCain’s rallies.  I would fear for this country if John McCain was elected president.

John McCain pulls out the worst in people while Barack Obama continues to talk about hope and change.

Round 2: Debate goes to Obama

Barack Obama had no problem rising to the challenge of a town hall meeting. He put his thoughts together well, and spoke with the tone of a leader. He spoke with a comfort and command of the issues that make you feel safe.

John McCain had some good things to say, but he missed an opportunity to demonstrate the self confidence that one looks for in a commander-in-chief.  He fumbled with some questions, made a few attempts at humor that fell flat and generally apppeared ill-at-ease.

The performance meters set up by CNN clearly showed high positive responses for Obama, particularly by women. McCain showed mostly unaffected responses, or would lose ground sharply each time he attempted to attack Obama. It should be said that Obama also lost some ground as well when attempting to paint McCain in bad light.

CBS and CNN polls concur, showing Obama with a clear advantage.

Flow Chart of Sarah Palin’s Brain during the debate

Click on flowchart to enlarge.

If Sarah Palin cannot speak to the American people with a profound knowledge and complete understanding of the issues facing our nation, how can we possibly trust her to speak to foreign leaders in these most delicate times of war and nuclear proliferation.

She cannot rely on a script, change the subject or avoid the questions.  And one thing is certain, a wink will not help her.

Who is really going to raise your taxes?

Barack Obama will cut taxes for families making $250,000 or less.  McCain continues to say that Barack Obama will raise taxes.  Why does the media keep saying this and why do the American people keep falling for McCain’s distorted attacks on Barack Obama?

When John McCain says “I am going to put our country first!” Great. But what does that mean?

When John McCain says “We need more reform,” Great. But for 26 years, he has been calling for deregulation “I am a deregulator!” he exclaims, proudly. Now that he sees that Wall street cannot be trusted, he now calls for more regulation, after the fact! Hindsight is 20/20 my friend. Everybody is calling for regulation now.  Why weren’t you able to make that good judgement before the crises!

In defense, the Republicans like to say “Barack Obama has done nothing.” This one is a bold faced lie, but if you keep on saying it, it will become true in the minds of the American voter. So do you want to just keep saying it and win the election on a lie. What has Barack Obama done?

Obama introduced 2006 legislation aimed at ending home loans based on fraud, abuse or excessive risk. He has long warned against financial losses because of insufficient oversight of high-risk areas, particularly those involving sub-prime mortgages and loans that exceed what borrowers are able to bear.

When John McCain says “Barack Obama is going to raise your taxes. I am not.” Nice try, but I know that Barack Obama is not going to raise my taxes, and I am a member of the middle class, or what once was the middle class. I have a mortgage to pay and I live paycheck to paycheck.  We no longer eat at restaurants and every purchase we make needs to be justified.

John McCain will raise my taxes. He will force employees to pay taxes on their health care benefits.  My taxable income will increase.  He plans to give every family something like $2,600 to purchase their own health insurance, which will become the health insurance for the healthy, while the unhealthy will pay higher taxes because they won’t be able to afford private insurance.  So John McCain is introducing a new kind of tax “cut off” that is not based on how much you make, but how healthy you are!

When you have the opportunity to make a choice

Today, I was listening to a radio talk show when a woman dialed in with a comment. She was sobbing to the point where she could hardly speak, but felt compelled to recount her plight. The show host was patient and gentle, helping the woman tell her story and I found myself listening with sadness and empathy as this terrible story unfolded.

After attending her Evangelical church, as she did regularly, she told us about one horrifying evening that changed her life forever. After church one evening, she had become a victim of rape. To make a terrorizing experience even worse, she became pregnant from this rape. This woman is a pro-life evangelical and she was faced with the most excruciating choice ever to face a woman. The pain was so great, that she had seriously considered suicide, but she had a choice, without which two lives may have been lost.

Yes, she had a choice, and Sarah Palin had a choice to keep her special needs child. Both of these woman are pro-life, and yet, they both made different choices. Our talk show caller terminated the pregnancy because, as she told us while deep in tears, it was the only choice that enabled her to go on living.

Sarah Palin believes that this woman should have been considered a criminal, and yet, she was the victim. When Gov. Palin has her chance to build a supreme court, and she will, she will pick judges that will reverse Roe V. Wade, even in cases of rape or incest.

The idea of criminalizing our talk show caller makes me feel profoundly angry and fear the future of this country. No one can claim to understand how this woman felt and no one should have the right to dictate what this woman must do.

We are all pro-life, and there is no such thing as a pro-abortion movement. All we are asking for in this great free country is the freedom to make the most difficult and personal choice a woman might ever have to make.

Sarah Palin is too extreme for this country. She might make a great leader of a secular nation, but not of this free nation.