WHY WE PROTEST
September 6, 2008 by Will Bower
WHY WE PROTEST
submitted by an anonymous PUMA
In this historic election year, when the press has been interested, it has expressed confusion regarding why some Clinton supporters won’t get behind Obama and support the Democratic Party. Many commentators, news analysts, op-ed journalists and others have stated that it seems unfathomable that someone who supports Clinton’s values and platform would not support Obama. What they fail to realize, however, is that the issue goes far beyond candidate preference. The core of the issue now lies in how the candidate came to be the Democratic Party’s nominee in the first place.
It is has often been stated that Obama won fair and square and Clinton’s supporters, who have been described as “bitter”, “vitriolic”, and “rabid”, need to “get over it”. However, Obama did not “win” fair and square, and herein lies the problem.
Media
- The media was calling upon Senator Clinton to drop out of the race after Senator Obama won the Iowa caucus and continued the pressure her to drop out of the race throughout the primaries. This was done despite what ultimately resulted in Clinton winning more primaries than any other candidate in history. In a refreshing and well researched piece, journalist Eric Boehlert (4/30/08, Media Matters for America) describes the media’s pressure placed upon Senator Clinton to drop out of the race as being “unprecedented”. He notes that, historically, there has been no example of the media intervening in the primary process by telling a candidate when they should end their campaign. Boehlert cites numerous examples in the press, ranging from small city newspapers to national publications such as The Washington Post providing example after example of the media’s relentless pressure for Clinton to drop out.
- The media did not vet Senator Obama, and instead gave him a free pass on numerous very important issues that deserved scrutiny. The mass media literally swooned over Senator Obama from the get go, from the now famous references about getting chills up his let uttered by Chris Mathews on MSNBC to gushing op-ed pieces in which even journalists themselves commented that they had to make an effort “not to drink the cool aid”. The debates between Obama and Clinton revealed enormous discrepancies regarding how the candidates were treated. And after the final debate, moderated by Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos ended, the media pounded with voracity, claiming the debate was “shoddy”, “despicable” and “embarrassing”. Why? It appears that Senator Obama was finally held to the same degree of scrutiny as Clinton. Meanwhile, as Obama enjoyed cheers, support, sympathy and applause from the media, Clinton was persistently painted in a negative light. She was cast as a “shrill”, “driven solely by ambition” “untrustworthy” candidate who only got to where she is today because of her husband. The media pounded away, day after day, with disrespectful caricatures of Clinton, leaving no stone unturned. They ridiculed her laugh, her body size and form, her wrinkles, her earrings, her “bitchiness” her emotional “instability”. The Gallop Poll, among others, validated that most in the country agreed that Clinton (and McCain) were treated more harshly by the press than Obama.
DNC
- The DNC was calling on Senator Clinton to drop out of the race early on in the primaries.
- The DNC, repeatedly referring to “rules”, initially “punished” Florida and Michigan for holding their primaries earlier than they had been allowed to do, depriving millions of voters from having their votes fully and honestly represented. On May 31, 2008, The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to give the Florida delegation a half vote each. The committee’s ruling pertaining to Michigan was even more complex, whereby the committee allocated votes to Senator Obama that had literally not been case for him. Both Michigan and Florida were states where Senator Clinton won. Once Senator Obama’s nomination appeared secured well in advance of the convention, the Obama campaign and the DNC then decided to give Florida and Michigan full voting privileges. Their willingness to make a dramatic shift in their position regarding the rules leaves anything thinking person suspect as to their motives for their decisions and the timing of these choices.
- The DNC did not defend Senator Clinton when the media bombarded the American public with relentlessly biased coverage, coverage that often treated Senator Clinton in a disrespectful way due to her gender. While Senator Clinton was subjected to a deluge of outrageous treatment by the media, the Obama campaign and the DNC fell silent. After the fact, Howard Dean offered a sad excuse by saying that he doesn’t watch television. And, two weeks after Senator Clinton suspended her campaign, Speaker Nancy Pelosi half-heartedly acknowledged that Clinton had been subjected to sexist treatment by the media.
- Although Senator Clinton ultimately won more primaries than any candidate in history and won the popular vote, the DNC continued to press her to withdraw from the race throughout the primary season. In so doing, they sent the message that they already had the candidate in mind who they wanted to be their nominee, irrespective of the fact that millions and millions of Democrats continued to go to the polls to cast their vote for Senator Clinton.
Super Delegate Votes Bought
- It appears that Super Delegates votes were bought and that the dollars show a heavy financial influence from the Obama campaign, in particular. Per Foon Rhee’s 2/14/08 article in The Boston Globe, since 2005, Senator Obama’s pac contributed over $694,000 to the political campaigns of various superdelegates as compared to a total of $195,000 in contributions from Senator Clinton’s pac during that same time period. In addition, at the time the article was written, nearly half of the 81 superdelegates who had already come out in support of Senator Obama had received donations that totaled more than a quarter of a million dollars. In contrast, only 13 of the 109 superdelegates (less than 10%) who had announced their support for Senator Clinton had received contributions and the total amount of those contributions was less than $100,000. In sum, Obama’s pac gave more money to more superdelegates who came out in support of him, compared to Clinton’s pac which gave far less money, if any, to a much smaller percentage of the superdelegates who supported her candidacy.
Caucus System and Voter Fraud
- The very nature of a caucus system is undemocratic and disenfranchises voters. Succinctly stated in The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA) regarding the caucus system, “This method of nominating presidential candidates is outdated, undemocratic and limiting.” Huge blocks of voters are disenfranchised for countless reasons, including those that are too old or ill to attend a caucus, people working split shifts, those who working in the helping professions who must be on call 24/7, people whose religious obligations prohibit them form being able to partake of a caucus held at a specific time, parents with young children, those who are unable to cope with the often hectic and disorganized environment of a caucus, voters with no transportation to get them to and from caucus sites that are often far from home, as well as voters who may not want to announce their vote (typically a very private thing) in public in front of friends and neighbors.
- Voter fraud and intimidation was rampant in many states, particularly caucus states. Clinton supporters were accosted, some were even physically attacked. Sign in sheets were stolen, rules were not followed, and votes from people who did not live in the county or who were not living at all were registered, individuals voted without having to show any identification, among other offenses, all to the benefit of Senator Obama. The litany of violations is long and disturbing and is documented in pain staking detail in an ongoing research project initiated and written by Dr. Lynette Long.
Rigged Democratic Convention
- In the days leading up to the Democratic convention, the Obama campaign and the DNC made it clear that having Senator Clinton’s name placed in nomination was not a done deal. Senator Obama engaged in negotiations with Senator Clinton regarding this issue and it appeared from several press reports that Senator Obama had the ultimate power and final say so on this issue. With precious few days remaining until the convention, in order to ensure Senator Clinton’s name be placed in nomination, many pledged delegates began to collect the required number of signatures to be presented on the convention floor as an alternative avenue toward this goal. Some states discouraging pledged delegates from collecting signatures, urging them to hold off until the results of these negotiations were known. At the same time, Senator Obama’s campaign began contacting delegates to inquire into how they planned to vote.
- The Democratic Convention roll call vote was a sham. Per an August 27th, 2008 CNN report replete with video footage, pledged delegates were pressured before voting to avoid any “drama” on the convention floor. The subtext being quite obvious: Cast your vote for Senator Obama in order to reduce the number of votes for Senator Clinton during the roll call thereby skewing the results so as not to reveal how very close this election was. Video tapes from the breakfast meetings of the California delegation at the convention show speaker after speaker touting Obama, calling for delegates to chant “We will unite” and “Yes we can”. What message did such relentless speeches send to delegates who were pledged to cast their vote as assigned, each vote reflecting thousands of Democratic voters who went to the polls during the primary to cast their vote, 18 million of whom cast their vote for Clinton. Ultimately, the roll call vote was a sham and did not even come close to reflecting Senator Clinton’s historic achievement. As of this writing, all of what went on behind the scenes has yet to come to light. From what we know thus far, it is apparent the vote was rigged. Unlike Jesse Jackson’s historic campaign for the Democratic nominee in 1984 when his name was placed in nomination and his 465 ½ delegate votes were accurately recorded for the history books, Senator Clinton’s delegate votes ultimately did not reflect the will of the voters. As a result, the fact that she won more primaries than any candidate in history and that she was a woman will forever remain obliterated from the official record.
This is what many of us are railing against. We cannot support a candidate or a party that selects a candidate in the face of so many egregious acts. Nor can we support a candidate or a party that condoned and nurtured such corruption. It goes against the very fabric of our democracy.
This is why in past years many of us who had our preferred candidate lose the nomination but who still voted for the Democratic ticket cannot do so this year. Because this is about far more than the fact that our candidate “lost”. This is about the very nature of how Barack Obama came to be the nominee. The journey has been anything but fair and square, honest and open.
For many of us who are Democrats, it is unacceptable for our party to operate in this way. We will not tolerate it. It will not stand.
The fact that Barack Obama is so inexperienced and has a history of affiliating himself with highly questionable characters is bad enough. The fact that the Democratic Party selected him as they have and exhibited a tolerance for misogyny and fraud is even worse. It would appear from an analysis of the data, that the Obama campaign and the Democratic party stole the election from Senator Clinton.
So, yes, we do protest and will do so for as long as we see fit. This is America, after all. We treasure our democratic values. And we hold our right to dissent and speak out freely in the face of wrong doing near and dear.
You have a perfect right to dissent and speak out freely.
You must also consider the repercussions of your dissent.
I won’t go in to point by point rebuttals of your giant diatribe, except to say that a one-line charge of “Superdelegate votes were bought”, with no substantiation, no proof, no elaboration, is just pure bunk. The Superdelegates would have flooded over to Hillary’s side if she had had the delegate math in HER favor at the end of March, and you know it.
The logical repercussions of your dissent, if carried to the desired conclusion of “punishing” the Democratic Party establishment, of “punishing” Dean, Pelosi, etc., of “punishing” the media, of “punishing” candidate and team Obama, would be that the ticket elected in November would be the very ANTITHESIS of what Hillary Rodham Clinton stands for.
I would hope that you believe in, and support, a candidate, ANY candidate, because of what they stand for, what they represent, who they fight for, what they’ll do in office.
We know the things Hillary Rodham Clinton stands for. We know she wants EVERY American to have health insurance. We know she wants EVERY American to have equal rights and protections under the law, including EQUAL PAY for women. We know she is a fighting advocate for women’s right across the board, including reproductive rights. We know that she favors a progressive Supreme Court that will help defend those rights for the next 50 years….and we know the next President will make Justice selections that could dramatically influence those rights.
Please understand that there are repercussions, with respect to the continued dominance of ideological conservatives in the Executive branch of our government, that will dramatically, destructively affect all of you as women.
And please understand the Hillary Rodham Clinton stands AGAINST that destructive ideological conservatism. You have seen, in this election, John McCain slowly court, and win, nods of favor from the likes of James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Bill Bennett, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, etc. etc.
These are agents of intolerance. Many of them have been informal advisers to President George W. Bush over the last eight years.
Do you, as women, feel that the progress made over the years has been well served over the last eight? Do you, as women, feel that the agents of intolerance courted by John McCain will serve your interests in the next four years?
You have to ask yourselves whether the rights and freedoms you value as women, and which surely you would want for your daughters, granddaughters, and nieces, are best served by an action of revenge that gives ideological conservatives a continued lock on the White House.
It’s important to note that the words and actions of your favored candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, STILL MATTER. There is a reason she brought Bill to heel at the convention, and made him go up on that stage and deliver a fighting tough speech in favor of the Democratic nominee. There is a reason she got up on that stage and did the same. There is a reason she’s hitting the campaign trail for the Democratic nominee.
YOU are the reason: tough, strong, proud, independent-minded women…..whose rights and freedoms have been hard-won, and are continuously imperiled by rigid ideologues who think THEY have the right to legislate YOUR bodies, and YOUR minds.
You have to ask yourselves whether you are really serving the best interests of women with this protest crusade. Hillary Rodham Clinton has moved on, because she knows what’s at stake. She sees the Big Picture. I hope you will consider following her lead.
Please don’t back Obama he’s doing just fine without you. There are Smarter people in American than retards. People that cares about issues and want a change for better will vote for Obama. your logic sound so retarded I can’t even get mad. I know your job is secure, I know you have Healthcare and it is affordable. I know you either have a house that you can afford no matter what happens or you don’t have a house and is not planning on getting one in next four years. I know you don’t have a problem getting less for doing the same work. I know you don’t mind having a baby from your own father or from someone who raped you. I know you don’t care about babies without healthcare. you don’t care about those loosing their jobs, Homes and life savings. I know you are very Selfish person, and a cruel person. I know you are the kind that sees someone fall and instead of helping, you would laugh at them. I know you are unhappy person. You probably have no man cause who would want a bitter person like you. If and that a big If, you do have a man he’s cheating on you with someone better. He most be so unhappy and he stay out alot to get away from you and don’t blame him. Obama is and will be ok.
P.S. McCain/Palin were so happy when they made $1 million 24hrs after her speech but shut up fast when they found out Obama made $10 million in the same amount of time. So my question is who should be worried? Obama Will be fine. If this is what God wants for him, there’s nothing you can do to him.
Last time I checked, God wasn’t the sole property of Obama. HE (meaning GOD, not the false messiah) has a plan for all of his children. Surely He will bless Hillary Clinton after she was severly wronged by the party she and her husband have done so much for. Maybe it will be blessing enough to see the party fail without her. As far as Obama goes, he’s caught up in a big bad machine that’s STILL run by powerful white men who will make sure that the only real change that happens in Washington is calendar days and underwear.
God helps those who help themselves. I sincerely doubt He helps those who wallow in bitter resentment because their preferred candidate ran an inferior campaign.
I’m not sure if God will help Obama or McCain, but I do know that the Clintons are helping Obama, because they understand the longview.
People who pretend to support Hillary and what she stands for, while trying to kneecap the Democrats and hand off the Presidency to more right-wing zealots and arch-conservative cronies, need to ask themselves whether they are really working in the best interest of America. If such people really think they are doing a good and noble thing, God help them.
I am so tired of being told to vote for men who are working “women’s issues”!
I want to see a woman as President of this country. It is important…I’m tired of waiting.
I’m not trying to punnish the media or the party. I’m voting to get what I want… period.
Obama could have selected Hillary as his running mate. He chose not to. I am choosing not to vote for Obama. Its that simple.
A woman will be President of the United States. It will happen, and sooner rather than later.
But for it to happen, the woman who makes it happen will have to run a disciplined, efficient, winning campaign. She will not be able to run as the candidate of “inevitability”.
She will have to become the nominee of her party. And to do that, she will have to win more delegates.
If, at the end of the nomination period, a candidate crosses the finish line with less delegates, less votes, and a multi-million-dollar debt, can anyone truly say she is the better candidate? And that she ran the better campaign?
We must shed this entitlement attitude. John McCain is trying to become President with the same attitude: “It’s my turn, dammit! I was a POW. I’ve been in Congress for 26 years. I got smeared by Bush in 2000. I waited my turn. It’s my turn!!!”
Also, we should dispel the notion that voting for a white male conservative this November is somehow going to advance the cause of social justice.
Barbara Boxer, a woman, said this:
At the Republican National Convention, John McCain used the word “fight” more than 40 times in his speech.
In the 16 years that we have served together in the Senate, I have seen John McCain fight.
I have seen him fight against raising the federal minimum wage 14 times.
I have seen him fight against making sure that women earn equal pay for equal work.
I have seen him fight against a women’s right to choose so consistently that he received a zero percent vote rating from pro-choice organizations.
I have seen him fight against helping families gain access to birth control.
I have seen him fight against Social Security, even going so far as to call its current funding system “an absolute disgrace.”
And I saw him fight against the new GI Bill of Rights until it became politically untenable for him to do so.
John McCain voted with President Bush 95 percent of the time in 2007 and 100 percent of the time in 2008 — that’s no maverick.
Check it out: http://www.denverpost.com/opinion
Emily2012
I feel you in wanting a woman President to deal with Women issues. I would Vote for Palin If she was about women issues. She’s not for choice, she’s not for equal rights and pay. She’s not for health care for, not just the rich but for every American. On wednesday i thought she might even talk about any women issues, just one but she didn’t. How can i knowingly vote for that just to get a woman in the white house? We need the right Woman not just any Woman. Palin is not it. Please vote because of issues
You are correct, I do have an entitlement attitude.
Its because, we are in fact entitled! That’s right, we have a right to representation!
Yes, its true with more than 50% of the population, we should expect to see women in every level of political office.
I’m not not going to wait for the right candidate/opportunity…the right moment in time.
The deck has been stacked against women for far too long. In a pefect world, I would vote as you suggest, but I recoginize that there may not be another opportunity to elect a woman into office in my lifetime.
Emily2012
lol haha you sound like your going to this earth tomorrow. Hillary has a good chance in 2012 or 2016. til then, i don’t want this country to go into a depression. Think Obama will start the changes needed and Hillary will finish it and put us a great path to a good future for us and our children. Obama and Hillary are students of Ivy league schools just like Bill Clinton. Smarts is needed to turn this country around not a hell mary pass pick
So with McCain and Palin saying victory is “right around the corner” in Iraq, and the threat that they will continue a war that cannot be won, because you want to prove a point you risk putting the lives of others at stake, including the lives of my children. (You do remember the draft during the Vietnam War, do you not? Don’t think it won’t happen again when our forces are being “burned out” by continued redeployments)…
If you believe in “Democracy”, then get yourselves elected to leadership positions in the Democratic Party and CHANGE the caucus system and the other things you are upset about. DON’T PUNISH THE WHOLE COUNTRY BECAUSE OF PERCEIVED INJUSTICES…..YOU WANT TO PUNISH THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, BUT YOU ARE PUNISHING GOOD, TRUE, LOYAL PROGRESSIVES LIKE ME WHO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH PARTY POLITICS. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?
It is widely documented that Super Delegates received almost $700,000 from Obama and $195,000 from Clinton for their own campaigns. No one has rebutted that. Does that seem a bit crooked to anyone??? And it goes back to my problem with this Party….it is no longer about representing US but all about them and their little club keeping their power. It has become the party of the elite. They only care about us on election day.
Hm…being called a retard, how enchanting! That’s even better than old, bitter, uneducated & racist. I feel that my vote is my individual right and that makes it my decision, not yours . Why don’t you put your energy into convincing Senator Obama and the DNC that they need to fix what was wrong during the primaries. The Senator can speak out about the Palin children’s right to privacy but chose to ‘not notice’ the sexism and voter disenfranchisement when they were giving him an unfair advantage. An honorable man would have spoken up. You see, I simply don’t like the man.
I’m glad Hillary isn’t going for V.P. If Senator Obama doesn’t get elected , he will blame Hillary; If he did get elected and she was V.P., he’d only blame her for his administration’s failures. If I don’t speak out about the sexism now the same thing will happen again the next time a highly qualified woman runs. I’m thinking of the big picture.
There is an assumption out there that no Hillary supporter will risk their ‘right to choose.’ Talk about fear tactics. It will be interesting to see if all those men who were not forced to pay support for their ‘unwanted children’ will let that happen. I doubt women would have ever been granted this right if men didn’t see a benefit for themselves in it. What good is a woman’s ‘right to choose” if she doesn’t have the right to be treated with respect? It seems to me that historically , respect is not granted to those who suffer indignities silently. I think perhaps you who would attack me are not only afraid that my vote will matter but of the truth behind my reasons.
I really can’t beleive people are even considering voting for OBAMA. What is this all about? Let’s go run and tell the DNC that “Hey, it’s ok that you took the election from us, that you selected the dude and that you really could care less of women. You just told us to get in line.
I can’t believe women on this group is falling for this.
Go ahead… Vote for the DNC and see where that will get women.
I’m with McCain who had the BALLS to put a women where Obama couldn’t.
It was the Republican Party who has always fought for women’s right (ERA!)
I’m voting for McCain/Palin.
you know…during any election it’s about voting for the candidate that is the lesser of 2 evils. i think all politicians lie and finagle their way to the top. and that includes mccain, palin, obama, and biden. there are inconsistances with all the candidates at times. i can applaud both palin and obama for being able to survive and succeed in a white male dominated business. whether you choose to acknowledge it or not women and minorities are not treated as equals in this country compared to white males. if you notice, none of the candidates have quit their day job in order to run for president and vp. whomever doesn’t win is still going to have a job, just not that job. therefore you are not punishing a candidate for not voting for them, you are only punishing yourselves. since the citizens are the ones who are effected by what candidate is chosen, you have to analyze the candidates policies and decide what candidate can do the most for you.
also something that gets overlooked when discussing the dnc primaries is that at the beginning of the primary season, both clinton and obama signed an agreement that florida and michigan votes wouldn’t count and that they would not campaign in those states. the voters of florida and michigan need to hold the representatives of that state accountable for moving the date of the primaries so that the voters’ votes wouldn’t count towards the dnc primaries. at the time i think that i read it was mostly the republican representatives of the state that voted to move the date of the dnc primaries up knowing that the votes wouldn’t count. so you should hold florida and michigan accountable, not the dnc. make your politicians work for you and not against you.
Palin has my utmost respect. I think she is highly intelligent, full of common sense, and I feel she will keep her legislative actions geared toward making America fairer and stronger with a centrist slant.Unlike Hillary, she put it all on the line in AK, taking on her own party. She stood by her convictions. I do not agree with her on all the issues, but I am not afraid of differing viewpoints. I can hold my own and continue to have the energy to campaign for what I feel is right. I have been a life long Democrat, until May 31, 2008. The DNC, after 40 voting years, can no longer count on me. Now I am an independent voter and I will gladly vote for McCain and Palin. I trust them to maintain a centrist platform, and not be swayed to either polar end of any scale, something that has been missing from politics for at least 8 years, and something that has diminished the American middle class nearly to ruin. Socialism is not America, and the SPP is not America. I feel Sarah Palin is eminently qualified to be our VP pick, with eye on the future of the Presidency.
GAPEACH,
Isn’t it sad that we are resigned to “voting for the lesser of two evils”? Do we really have to accept that all politicians “lie and finagle their way to the top”? Can’t we use our vote to stop rewarding this. Shouldn’t we vote for someone to clean up the Party? Can’t we demand that that Politicians who cross that line be removed? (Think William Jefferson, Barney Frank, etc.) And I am only naming a couple of the more outrageous - I am aware that BOTH parties have their problems - it is not my intent to set of a firestorm of which party has the bigger list - which would only serve to make the point - Washington is broken.
But I do find it disturbing that Jefferson is still serving (after being taped taking a bribe, after they found the cash in his home, after his staff tesitified it happened) and BOTH parties said their offices were off limits to ANY investigation. What in the world is going on?
I hate to sound like a broken record, but too many of these politicians are all about preserving their own power, and their own little elite club. Dems and Repubs alike .
We need to fix this. With our vote.
Let’s see here…..
Facts:
1. Obama member of radical ACORN community service group with numerous violations of voter fraud
2. Media loves Obama ( Remember the SNL debate piece with Obama./Clinton)
3. Sexism obvious but ignored in Dem primary and by Press. No Dem women spoke out against the DEM party good ol’ boys in support of Hillary exposing Sexism comments. Shameful.
Results:
1. Obama beats Hillary with less votes, less experience
2. Obama pleads for Hillary support
3. Obama rejects Hillary VP
4. McCain selects Plain for VP
5. Obama begs for Hillary support
Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
When will Hillary stop taking this abuse?
Enough is enough.
Dems talk about McCain using Palin to gain Hillary voters as an insult to women. If that is the case, what is Obama doing any different? And why does Hillary continue to do so?
Lieberman may have it right when the Dem party went against him and he ran and won as an Independent. Sometimes it takes a lot of guts to go against the established party, but good intelligent voters support their candidate, not their Party.
With the unfair sexism and bias against Hillary in the primary and her willingness to refuse to stand up against those issues and continue to support the machine to elect someone with questionable qualifications as she and Biden have stated, the real question for me is……….
Wouldn’t it be great if Hillary just told Obama to forget it. You are on your own! I wish, but it will not happen.
If McCain wins, he will only be in office for 4 years. In 4 Years, it would be Hillary against Palin.
If Obama wins, he will be in office 4-8 years. Best case, Hillary runs again in 2016 and will be 69 years old.
Imagine if you will , where Ms. Brazile would be sitting if her, “Mama had followed the rules.”
Imagine the Supreme Court if Anita Hill had been respected.
Imagine how you’d feel if next time around the DNC decided it was time to punish the voters of the former Confederate States or those that didn’t allow women to join the Augusta National Golf Club.
Imagine a world where women’s rights were inalienable, too. That’s change I can hope for and believe in.
mbander,
if you are looking to vote for someone based on sainthood then you are sol. politics is a business. survival of the fittest. eat or be eaten. and ALL politicians participate in this. if you want to change how government runs then you should support whatever politician is the most saintly or run yourself.
GAPEACH,
Your comment is a very sad commentary on our system. I hope you are in the minority in believing we have to elect crooks.
I don’t think that I am looking for sainthood - just people who believe in the oath they take. Are you saying we cannot expect DECENT people to serve? I guess you are.
We get the government we deserve - by voting. I always wondered who the people were who continued to vote for people who continue to vote for these people of questionable character, and I guess I have found at least one. We DO have the power to hold these people accountable - by our vote.
I am tired of watching my hard earned money given to their friends, I am tired of policies that screw up my life, and reward their “big” donors - I do not have enough money to attract their attention. Then in November they come around and ask me to donate to their campaigns so they can take their BS to the voters and talk them into pulling the lever for them so they can continue to distribute MY money and favors to their buddies.
It is time for us to take a stand. This election (at all levels) needs to be about US. We need to vote for those who MEAN it when they swear that oath - and there are some of those (albeit not very many) in both parties. There would be more if they thought they would be held accountable. If you continue to vote for liars and panderers - then shame on you. You are part of the problem.
i choose to understand the reality of the situation. you are voting for humans and humans are not perfect. no matter who you vote for you are supporting what you say is wrong with the whole system. thus EVERYONE who votes only enables what it is you say you don’t like. so i’m guessing you don’t vote…ever. you can make a difference 2 ways. put forth the issues that you want changed and see what politician gives you the best outcome or campaign yourself.
also i feel no shame in who i vote for because i actually vote. not voting is just insane. you can’t complain about government if you don’t use what little say so you have in it.
What about my post lead you to believe I don’t vote? I haven’t missed an election (with the exception of a couple of unopposed local elections) in the 38 years I have been registered.
I find your total acceptance of all of them being of questionable character very sad , but I like I said, it is the reason they are allowed to continue this charade. If you really do see through them and vote for them - like I said - shame on you.
My point is this, we cannot need to reward the obvious offenders with our vote. It just reinforces their contention that it doesn’t matter - they are above morals and laws.
I do put the issues I want changed first and foremost when I vote - and the politics of corruption is one of my biggest issues. When you vote for a corrupt official, it’s a safe bet that his corruption doesn’t include the rest of the issues - no matter how near and dear those issues are to your heart. We must let them know we believe in accountability.
I just heard on the news that the reason Governor Palin hasn’t conducted an interview with the media is because the McCain campaign doesn’t think she is READY yet. The speculation is that they want to USE her as a draw for McCain rallies before they ALLOW her to speak for herself. I can already hear you rapid PUMAS out there howling (sound and fury signifying nothing) that the media is sexist and that she will be (has been) unfairly treated by them and that’s why she hasn’t spoken without a pre-written speech in front of her. Your argument is OLD NEWS! I believe they don’t trust her to parrot their acceptable campaign line. They fear that she will say what she thinks; her far right wing conservative views, and their little charade will be exposed for what it is…pandering!
I have read the analogy “the glass ceiling” bandied about a lot on this site. I prefer to look at the struggle not as people ‘pulling’ other people through a “glass ceiling,” but rather as a relay race. Sort of a ‘marathon’ relay race, where we are all runners carrying a baton and that baton is women’s rights…human rights. Some of us run faster and some of us run farther, but we all run in the same direction. We try never to drop the baton and we are never so STUPID as to give the baton to a runner who is not on our team…not running in the same direction…for the same outcome. When the last runner makes it across the finish line, our ‘whole’ team stands on the podium to accept the medal. There is not ONE winner…we are all winners for running the race!
I don’t intend to visit this site any more; it is bad for my blood pressure. Moni wrote one intelligent thing to me. I’ll paraphrase, “I have better things to do than waste anymore time on this unproductive dialog.” To use a quote that was popular back during the anti-Vietnam war protests, “We have met the enemy and they are us!”
P.S.
Here’s a BIG silly for you WasHRCnowPalin…these ‘avatars’! How ‘little GIRL make believe’!
It sounded like she only watched Hillary Clinton on Fox News and Obama on MSNBC. I do agree that the media seemed to favor Obama at the end but some of this sounds like she only heard Clinton being talked about by Sean Hanity.
whosez
I was watching it Too. Palin is not ready for news interview. On fox of all places. McCain has hires Bush Foreign adviser to teach Palin Our Foreign Policies. Talk about Before On the Job Training. Since McCain has not been able to draw big crowns, They will be using Palin Just for that. GOP are saying Palin has became More Popular than McCain and he needs to Control that. I guess we can’t have that woman getting more attention than the man huh.
No, I don’t think McCain has been able to draw big crowns. The queens in P-Town have them all! Sorry, he’ll just have to wait his turn! LOL
i think it’s quite entertaining that palin isn’t answering any questions. with all that executive experience running for mayor and governor she should be used to reporters asking her questions, right? all i can say is cramming never works. and she has less than a month before her first debate which will probably be her only round of questions. go get’em pitbull
You believe that it’s ‘eat or be eaten’ and ‘all politicians are like that’ ; I can understand why you find Senator Obama acceptable and even justify the name- calling you resort to on this site. Your new task seems to be devour Governor Palin like this is the Big Brother house. Maybe its the Obama Alliance and he is HOH…seems as if we might have the Power of Veto.
Why doesn’t Senator Obama try sweety-talking me. Or he could admit to and apologize for the disenfranchisement and sexism that cost Hillary the nomination….Oh, but he can’t do that can he? What would his next sentence have to be? ( )
NO WE WON’T cooperate with our own oppression…What I really don’t understand is why you are so angry.
Are you the change I’m supposed to believe in?
You believe that it’s ‘eat or be eaten’ and ‘all politicians are like that’ ; I can understand why you find Senator Obama acceptable and even justify the name- calling you resort to on this site. Your new task seems to be devour Governor Palin like this is the Big Brother house. Maybe its the Obama Alliance and he is HOH…seems as if we might have the Power of Veto.
Why doesn’t Senator Obama try sweety-talking me. Or he could admit to and apologize for the disenfranchisement and sexism that cost Hillary the nomination….Oh, but he can’t do that can he? What would his next sentence have to be? Suggestions welcome.
NO WE WON’T cooperate with our own oppression…What I really don’t understand is why you are so angry.
Are you the change I’m supposed to believe in?
I was a John Edwards supporter. Then my candidate lost (thankfully, in retrospect. What a disaster if he had won the Dem. nomination!) and I
switched to Obama, largely because I believed that he had a better chance
of beating McCain than Clinton. I’m a big fan of the Clintons but felt that Hillary,
with all the Bill baggage, was a more polarizing figure for the Republicans. The Clinton-Obama race was close but, in the end, Hillary lost. I do think it was fair and square and don’t share the views of those who believe there was some conspiracy (there was some sexism in the media and elsewhere, but I don’t believe the primary was “stolen.”).
I must say that, although I certainly understand the disappointment of Hillary
supporters, I fail to understand why they would want to go as far as stepping
on their own feet by voting for the Republican ticket. McCain-Palin represent everything Hillary opposed. Hillary herself wouldn’t understand you! Having Palin be the first woman vice president would be a bitter irony, because she’s a right-wing ideologue who opposes everything Hillary and many other women have worked hard for. She doesn’t deserve to be the first woman vice president. I want the first woman president or vice president to be Hillary or someone like Hillary—someone with real qualifications who really cares about women’s issues (since when does “hockey mom” qualify someone for a top leadership position? Give me a break).
If Obama wins, I think Hillary would make a great attorney general or Supreme Court justice. She certainly won’t have this opportunity in a McCain administration.
It’s hard being a grown-up, but this is what democracy requires—accepting painful losses and supporting the candidate who is most likely to forward the policies Hillary supported—in this case, Obama.
For all of you who believe “it was fair and square” but are willing to consider evidence to the contrary, please listen to the NO WE WON’T Blog Talk Radio shows
for Sept 6th and 7th. Make sure you watch the video ‘We Will Nor Be Silenced’ about what went on at the caucuses. I agree with all of you who understand the importance of this election. It would be lovely to be able to believe in our (Democrat’s) nominee; I certainly think we owe the planet an apology for 8 years of Bush but not at the cost of democracy. Please write back after you listen.
I have more belief in McCain / Palin then I would Obama the socialist. Sorry, he will never have my vote.
These people who claim to fight for a fair vote, I wonder where they were in 2000 when the Supreme Court handed the presidency to George Bush. I also wonder how many PUMAs are using all kinds of excuses not to vote for Obama, when deep inside the real excuse for SOME may be simply that Obama is black.
That’s right Angela,
if you can accept his radical associates, his socialist views, his marxist ideas, his flip-flopping and pandering and you STILL just can’t vote for him, you must be a racist. Man, you read me like a book.
Please stop with the race card! Is is about issues and judgement..
PS: Your VP nominee is being shielded from dealing with the media simply because she is not ready to talk about issues. This is the same VP who would be likely to become President within McCain’s first term.
Angela: I was mad as hell about the ruling; So what does the DNC do but disallow the individual voters in Florida and Michigan; I was also in DC to protest that. In order to insure his ‘united victory’ Senator Obama rigged the caucuses and convention. See posting above for information about this issue.
I have only been on this web sight for a couple of days and after reading some of the pro-Obama posts, I know that I’ve gone from undecided; to not voting at all; to the McCain camp. This made me question if it was possible that the Republicans (my usual enemy) were posing as pro-Obama people in order to get this response from Hillary supporters. I asked a friend who has been involved since the beginning and she said that pro-Obama “unity” people have been this way all along.
Governor Palin’s political ideas don’t mesh with mine but then neither do my sister’s and I love my sister.
If it makes you feel better, I will only disagree with the white half of Senator Obama.
“Badlybehaved”, I have looked at Dr. Lynette Long’s accusations. If these were really true, do you actually think that Hillary’s campaign would not have gone to court to challenge the results?
Angela: Go to the Radio broadcast NO WE WON’T, Gloria Allred was a guest last Saturday and addressed why Hillary didn’t gring this up. As we speak, others are preparing to.
The video, We Will Not be Silenced is attached to Sunday’s broadcast and can be found on U-Tube. It was directed by GiGi Gaston and documents what went on during the caucuses. Let me know what you think..maybe we can turn this into an actual dialogue.
“Badlybehaved”, as you say, others are preparing to challenge the results in court. The foundation of our justice system is innocent until proven guilty. So, we will soon find out the verdict from the courts.
By the way, EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK. Obama helped protect 330,000 more Illinois women from pay discrimination. Obama co-sponsored the Illinois Equal Pay Act, which provided that no employer may discriminate by paying different wages solely on the basis of gender. McCain opposed legislation that would help women achieve pay equity. McCain opposed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which sought to overturn a recent Supreme Court decision making it harder for women to challenge pay inequity.
Sarah Palin sounds like she was FOR Obama before she became an attack dog against him. See for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO6dmBm1SFw
Angela….
Regarding your comment about 2000 and the Supreme Court giving the Presidency to Bush….
What do think the chances are that this year’s election will have the most voter fraud in history of US elections?
ACORN will be in full force in all major cities using their strong arm tactics and unlawful voter registrations in inner city precincts.
Obama and ACORN are connected at the hip.
It might be the foundation of our justice system but we have to vote before that can happen; the DNC was not surprisingly unwilling to listen to complaints lodged at the time; Did you watch and listen?
About equal-pay issues, the only reason this is still a issue is WOMEN have not demanded it…we can no longer allow men to hand out our ‘rights’ like candy given to children in order to manipulate their behavior. Our right to be equal citizens needs to achieve the status of inalienable. Once the Democratic Party understands why so many feminists (both male and female) are deserting them, I still think they are our best hope in the future. You see, my vote is the candy they don’t get this time around..but I’ll be back if they behave.
Tonight is is too late and I am too tired to be as intelligent as all of you whom I’ve been reading. So much wisdon, so many good points.
But after even the brief exposure I’ve had to Palin, I know she is not the model for “woman” I want to represent me. So she has the right plumbing. …so what. She wants nothing for me that I want for myself or women I love. Assisting McCain appoint Supreme Court judges that deny women the right to make decisions about their own bodies. Standing in front of the world in almost complete ignorence of its complexities. “I am woman ..hear me sneer.”
I would rather win in a straight up fight … which we can and will win. I was and am an ardent Hillary supporter, admire her immensenly — and know that she made errors in her campaign, the same way men do, and lost, the same way men do.
Anyway, sorry for the rambling, but reading people actully justifing a vote for an incompetent person without regard for themisery that vote will cause for millions of other women all around the world, the ones who will not get help with birth control, for their other life struggles … what kind of satisfaction can any woman get from that.
Moni, what are you doing to try to prevent ACORN in engaging in these practices that you are alleging? According to your comment, you sound resigned, and powerless.
Badlybehaved, you talk about the DNC as if a majority of DNC members are Obama’s family. Many of these people are from the Clinton era. May be the fact that they made rulings that were on Obama’s side actually means that the law was on Obama’s side? You know what? If you really think that you will be better off by voting for McCain/Palin, go ahead. The same last minute impulsive decision-making that McCain used to pick Palin would definitely be part of his rule. If they win and they get us into a war with Russia, I will be comfortable with myself knowing that I did not vote them into power.
PS: Exactly one hundred years ago, the Democratic Party was afraid to speak out against lynching black people. Worried that their racist base would not vote for them. Last month, the same party nominated a half-black man (considered black by most Americans) for president. http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/349600
Angela,
I was only 44 years ago that Democrats were filibustering the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Yes, we have come a long way in just a few short years (relatively speaking) but now we are being asked to follow a group of people more concerned about their own power than us and our country.
We must each do all we can to get our OWN information on each candidate and not believe the hype that is being thrown out there, unsubstantiated. We must do everything in our power to assure that elections are fair and honest. We need to clean up Washington - BOTH parties. They work for US. We hire them with our vote, and we can fire them with our vote.
Having a “D” after their name does not always mean they have our best interests at heart. Dig a little deeper, find out what they really stand for, read between the lines, and vote on issues that REALLY matter. Vote for each candidate by the person, not the Party.
Mbander, I totally agree with you on voting based on issues. That’s why I was surprised that a McCain campaign leader would say on the record that they will run an election based on personality, not issues. Personally, I have sifted through the McCain web site for his platform. I have also sifted through Obama’s. I am personally convinced that the Obama platform will create a better America. I definitely understand people who like McCain’s platform. Obviously, their wishes for America’s future are different from mine. Which I totally understand because we are a democracy. In short, I totally agree with you that people should look at the issues and vote based on the issues, not on whether the candidate is a woman or whether the candidate is black.
if you look at history, the democrats (or dixiecrats) from 1964 that were against the civil rights bill became republicans (ie. strom thurmond). two democratic presidents (truman and lbj) forced desegregation and they lost interest in their democratic party thus switching. so the republicans of 2008 have the same philosphies of democrats of 1964. african americas switched as well. when lincoln unitentionally freed the slaves and they had the right to vote they were republicans. once they got the right to vote again they became democrats.
might have something to do with why mccain didn’t think it was necessary to have king holiday thus voting against it.
Angela I certainly appreciate your civilized dialogue. The posts can be a bit rabid here! You bring up a good example of interpretation here.
Rick Davis actually said’ “This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates.”
You interpreted that as Davis saying that is how he intends to run McCain’s campaign. I interpreted it to be a chastisement of voters who seemed to be picking candidates based on personality. (Maybe I have self-esteem issues!?!) I now need to see in what context he said that.
GAPEACH, thank you (seriously) for clarifying the history of the dems post-’64, I didn’t think that people needed that but apparently they do. good grief. This is getting ridiculous, all of you first and second-wavers need to get on board, being a feminist is NOT about having a vagina and ovaries. I respect everyone’s right to vote how they please, whether it be for a particular candidate or against another, but clearly the stakes are far too high to put someone like ‘08-McCain in office. As a first-term-Bill and primary-season-Hill supporter, I understand (and am still annoyed) by the “boy’s club” marginalization, but I also know that the clintons understand the nature of campaign politics just as well as anyone. Its not now, nor has it ever been solely about ideas, it is unfortunately also a popularity contest. And Obama makes for an appealing prom king–a worldwide obama-embrace has shown this to be the case. That is not a bad thing. A centrist who is not afraid to be seen with progressives is a hell of a lot better than a hawkish turn-coat who dangles a novelty carrot in front of you. C’mon, Palin is a willing participant in this thinly-veiled pandering. Talk about a sellout! Conservatives realized that they were losing the “culture war” with white haired old men so they figure they’ll put a young “strong independent woman” on stage and get results from a voting public too stupid to see through it. Ann Coulter is laughing at you right now.
Matt,
Are you calling Obama a centrist?? I must have misread that.
GAPeach,
Good to see you defend the segregationists of the past. Who besides Thurmond changed parties? Certainly not Byrd or Al Gore, Sr, or any number of Dems who opposed the Civil Rights Act. When LBJ tried to move it forward he was warned by advisors “We (the Democrats) will lose the south.” And they were right. When the Southern Dems continued to oppose the bill, the southern states went Republican.
Broken record time: being a Democrat does not necessarily make you the best choice. Weigh out each candidates record and their INTEGRITY.
Mbander, I too appreciate civility. After all, we are all Americans first. Despite our differences, we still need to share this nation peacefully. Not just now, but in the future too.
I totally understand your point about interpretation. It happens a lot to all of us. Personally, the reason why I do not agree with your interpretation is as follows:
- I saw the video and Rick Davis’ tone did not sound like he minded the election not being about issues.
- He never used words such as “unfortunately”, or “sadly” to describe this situation.
That’s why for me, I took it to mean that Davis was pretty much happy that the election seemed to him not to be about issues.
mbander,
stating facts and knowing history doesn’t mean i defend segregationists (the idea is quite laughable. you will see why if you keep reading).
part of an article from cnn.
Through the course of American history, the allegiance of the African-American vote has swung between the two major parties, often dictated by events.
It was naturally aligned with the Republican Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln, in the post-Civil War era. That allegiance, however, began to shift during the early decades of the 20th century.
Many African-Americans migrated to the northern industrial cities, and northern Democrats, with their eyes on electoral gains, began to woo their vote. At the same time, Republicans, facing electoral losses after being branded the party of African-American voters, began to retreat on their promises, Fauntroy says.
Two pivotal events followed: President Truman, a Democrat, integrated the armed forces in 1948, and another Democratic president, Lyndon Johnson, aided by a number of Republican lawmakers, enacted the Civil Rights Act in 1964.
Meanwhile, many white southern Democrats, who did not embrace the politics of their northern brethren, began a steady migration to the Republican Party following the presidential election of 1964, further cementing the allegiance of African-American voters to the Democratic Party.
Since the 1964 presidential election, the Democratic Party has won overwhelming majorities of the African-American vote, Fauntroy said.
Despite the appeal of charismatic Republican presidents like Reagan, who managed to win voters across the aisle, or outreach efforts during the last two decades, polls suggest that the outlook for the Republican Party’s performance among African-American voters this election year is bleak. Read about the GOP’s outreach efforts
The Democratic Party has a considerable edge when measuring party identification among African-American voters, according to a Pew study released in March. Of those surveyed, 72 percent identified themselves as Democratic. In contrast, 4 percent identified themselves as Republican.
In 2004, African-American voters encompassed 11 percent of the electorate, according to a U.S. Census Bureau study published in March 2006, and new voter registration statistics suggest that those numbers may rise this year.
actual quote to LBJ by Richard Russell Jr about the civil rights act “will not only cost you the South, it will cost you the election”.
LBJ to Kennedy aide regarding the civil rights act “I know the risks are great and we might lose the South, but those sorts of states may be lost anyway.”
i will also note that the civil rights act included women’s rights as well. so that people weren’t discriminated against based on their ethnicity or GENDER.
i agree with you that the democrats lost the south which is why the south is republican because they opposed integration thus going from democrat to republican.
you are also right that it’s an issue of integrity.
what i do know about mcpalin is that they have nothing to offer to minorites
hence the makeup of the rnc convention. mccain has had very weak attempts
in reaching out to minorities. and he only started these attempts during his election year but not during his 20+ years of experience in the senate. this is the first year that he has ever shown up at the lorraine motel for the anniversary of the assassination for mlk so that he could apologize for not voting to make king holiday a national holiday. at the time he didn’t understand the importance of mlk. however while he was a pow (which he likes to emphasize) they announced all the way over in vietnam on the radio that king had been assassinated. he came to speak before the naacp (something bush didn’t do) and told them he would improve education by offering school vouchers for private schools. but why not make the public schools that taxpayers are already paying for better? (he thinks there is nothing wrong with “no child left behind”) he has voted against the civil rights act of 1990 (which once again also benefits women). for these reasons amongst others i won’t vote for mccain.
Interesting. - I can find an 18 second clip of this but I would like to see the whole video - can’t seem to find it. I can find transcripts where he says what followed that comment, but no video. It is cut off rather short after that remark.
Can you tell I am a news junkie??
i saw him say this on the news on the actual anniversary when he and hilliary where there. i was very interested to see what he would have to say in response to a group of african americans for not voting for mlk holiday but low and behold you show up at the place where he got shot because it’s now a museum. but there are several articles about his pathetic apology on the internet. you can’t pretend like you are all of a sudden for a group of people that you have ignored come election time.
even fox news couldn’t spin this one
President George W Bush put a black male and femal Secretary of State in Office. They also promoted a black supreme justice along with other hispanic and asians to high offices -Attorney General and Secretary of Labor.
I’m sorry - what have the Democrat’s done to promote people of ethnic backgrounds.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 at his family home in Atlanta, Georgia. King’s grandfather was a Baptist preacher, and his father was pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. King earned his own Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozier Theological Seminary in 1951 and earned his Doctor of Philosophy from Boston University in 1955. As a Baptist Minister, he was an eloquent civil rights movement leader from the mid-1950’s until his death by assassination on April 3, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee where he was there to support striking sanitation workers. King registered as a Republican in 1956.
As pastor of a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama, King led a black bus boycott. He and ninety others were arrested and indicted under the provisions of a law making it illegal to conspire to obstruct the operation of a business. King and several others were found guilty, but appealed their case. A Supreme Court decision in 1956 ended Alabama’s segregation laws enacted by Democrats. After this success, King was made president of the newly established Southern Christian Leadership Conference. King led the 1963 March on Washington where he delivered his most famous “I Have a Dream” speech. King became a national hero as he promoted non-violent means to achieve civil rights reform. He was awarded the 1964 Noble Peace Prize for his efforts, and President Ronald Reagan made King’s birthday a national holiday.
General Colin Powell rose from humble beginnings in New York City, where he was born in 1937 as the son of immigrants, to become a highly acclaimed diplomat, soldier and author. Upon graduation from the New York City University in 1958, Powell received a second lieutenant’s commission and became a career army officer, serving with distinction in Vietnam. He was promoted as one of only ten four-star army generals, and in1989 during the Ronald Reagan administration, he became the first African American to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. From 1987 to 1989 he was a presidential assistant for national security and was the highest ranking African American in the Reagan administration. Powell received international recognition during Operation Desert Storm, the American-led United Nations war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in 1990-1991. He was appointed as secretary of state by President George W. Bush and was the first African American ever to hold our nation’s highest cabinet office.
i saw him say this on the news on the actual anniversary when he and hilliary where there. i was very interested to see what he would have to say in response to a group of african americans for not voting for mlk holiday but low and behold you show up at the place where he got shot because it’s now a museum. but there are several articles about his pathetic apology on the internet. you can’t pretend like you are all of a sudden for a group of people that you have ignored come election time.
if you look up mccain and king holiday you will get several articles.
furthermore, tavis smiley hosts an “All American Presidental Forum” for both the republicans and democrats to discuss minority issues. so what top repubs didn’t show up due to “scheduling conflicts”? guiliani, thompson, romney, and mccain. but the top dems did show up. biden, clinton, edwards, obama. for me that’s a HUGE red flag concerning the ISSUES these candidates are interested in.
sparky,
i’m gonna put you in charge of finding out what democrats have done for ethnic groups.
and if you scroll up you will read my previous post about the african american switch from the republican to the democratic party after 1964. and why african americans were originally republicans. interestingly enough although king was registered to vote…was he actually allowed to vote? because although african americans were given the right to vote (15th amendment), they weren’t actually allowed to vote. hence a need for the civil rights act of 1964. how many african americans were registered to vote and then able to vote without being terrorized until 1964?
so when the issue of the king holiday came up, mccain opposed it several times. and despite mlk having that community organizer resume and becoming recognized by the world for his efforts, he still said NO. (thanks for posting king’s background).
and that supreme court justice (clarence thomas who was replacing thurgood) that got his job because of affirmative action is now against affirmative action (the irony).
yes bush appointed two republican african americans in high positions (thank goodness african americans have progressed since 1964). however bush nor mccain listened to the more militiary experienced powell (who also had first hand experience during the gulf war) in which he strongly urged them NOT to go to war in iraq. something else that scares me about mccain. he doesn’t listen to experience but claims his own experience instead. instead of listening to a man that went to war several times (powell), he listened to his own military experience in vietnam and a man that dodged the war (bush).
interestingly enough (after 8 years of being in a top office) rice recently made a statement that there are not enough african americans in the state department.
because king was against the vietnam war he was accused of being unpatriotic. because king wanted to integrate he was accused of being a radical and causing disruption to society. change can be so hard sometimes.
GAPeach,
The Democratic Party has traditionally been more inclined to support diversity issues than the Republican. I have been involved in these councils for decades.. however, over the years the Democratic Party became less inclusive as more leftist radicals highjacked the Democratic Party agenda… as that developed they began to lose the broad middle. The Republicans stepped in the gap….and their administrations began to adopt those of us in the middle and our agendas… this year they have proved once again that they care more about helping women break the glass ceiling than Obama and his good ol boy network the Democratic Party insiders.
Sarah is more than qualified for the top position… more qualified than Obama… and even though you disagree with her you must step back from any single issue for the greater goal. The Democratic Party throws you a bone (called abortions rights) and by that they hope to keep you in line.. faithful and obedient… a stepford wife. I refuse to be controlled by them.
GAPEACH,
I am not sure where you were going with all that but it WAS the Dems who prevented black people from voting, wore the white hoods, and voted against the Civil Rights Act. Martin Luther King was a Republican. And Republicans won the South because the Democrats were opposing integration.
And Clarence Thomas only got the job because of Affirmative Action?? So when the Dems opposed his appointment…………….. are they against affirmative action?? I am having trouble following your point.
Anyway, I don’t believe this election is about race and it is not about Party. It is about character, and judgement and what is best for the country. I didn’t mean to start a debate about the 60’s. We are past that, thank god, and need to continue to move forward, and build on what has been accomplished.
I for one, will vote for a ticket that says I can become and accomplish anything that I want, not someone who claims I am nothing without the government.
Nicely presented mbander and WasHRCnowPalin, I couldn’t agree with you more.
My mother is a die hard Democrat. She likes to call herself a Kennedy Democrat, but some parts of the party have become fractured and have turned very socialistic (Obama/Biden).
She became a US Citizen in the 1950’s. My father became one in the 1940’s. Both of my parents are immigrants.
For the first time ever, she is going to vote for a Republican.
Forty-five years ago, on August 28, 1963, The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was a Republican and embraced the traditional values that made this country great delivered his inspirational civil rights “I Have a Dream” speech.
Today, Senator Barack Obama, with the most liberal voting record in the US Senate, is delivering his political acceptance speech, in an apparent attempt to assume for himself the mantle of Dr. Martin Luther King.
Dr. King did not embrace the type of secularist agenda promoted by Obama and the Democratic Party of today, which includes fostering dependency on welfare that breaks up families, supporting same-sex marriage and partial-birth abortion, and banning God from the public square.
Obama is no MLK!
You’re right Sparky,I think it is reasonable to assume Martin Luther King Jr. would NOT vote for Obama.
Angela:
I left work on a Friday afternoon and drove all night to make it to the DNC Rules and By-Law Meeting on May 31, People from not just Florida and Michigan but probably 15 other states were there; though some were Hillary supporters, many were just there to protest the disenfranchisement of any individual voter. To me, disallowing individual voters was a line no one has the right to cross.
There was one Senator Obama supporter that I know of who felt the same.( the Senator had told his supporters not to go).
When we arrived we were told that the 1/2 vote per delegate was already decided. That’s why there were signs about ‘not 3/5th’ of a person ( from when slaves were counted as such). We were kept outside and fenced in by police crime scene tape. I will say that judging by the number of cars with Obama bumper stickers going into the hotel, it was definitely a pro-Obama meeting. As for the DNC being the Clinton’s, I would say they were more of the Kennedy’s. Ted Kennedy ( see Mary Jo Kopechne)anointed Senator Obama in January; I would suspect that he did this because he didn’t like Bill ( maybe because Bill didn’t do a good job silencing Monica like he (Ted) did Mary Jo. )
Would you please listen to Gloria Allred on No We Won’t radio, SHE’S VOTING FOR OBAMA you know but she also talks about her experiences at the convention. We Will Not Be Silenced by GiGi Gaston is documenting testimony of what went on at the caucuses.
As for the civil rights movement being about women, the ERA was defeated; if it had been passed maybe those showing up at a Clinton rally with an ‘iron my
shirt ‘ sign could be prosecuted for a hate crime the same way anyone showing up at an Obama rally with a noose would be. Maybe Obama could win some voters back by promising the ERA now that he’s lost the evangelicals he was courting ( defining when life begins as “above his pay grade”) before Governor Palin came along.
In The Audacity of Hope, Senator Obama talks about how he was indifferent to his wife’s needs when he was out organizing the community. It would seem that he still doesn’t ‘get it.’ He benefited from the sexism and voter disenfranchisement and chose to do so. I don’t find that honorable. McCain is the devil I know, Obama the one I don’t.
Well said badlybehaving! It IS about honor. I cannot reward his actions with a vote - just because the letter after his name is a “D”.
wow…i don’t know you would read what i typed and not understand what i was trying to get across. i will try again. i thought i was clear…maybe not? here goes.
the majority of african american before 1964 were republicans. the southern dems were against integration. after truman and lbj (both democrats) imposed integration laws, african americans then switched to democrats. before 1964 african americans weren’t allowed to vote although they had the 15th amendment due to jim crow intimidation. after 1964 there was a shift in the south. the south became republican and newly registered african american voters became democrats. hence why the majority (but not all) of african americans now are democrats. (just an aside: just because a law is decided upon doesn’t mean it goes into action immediately. for example brown vs board of education. my mother was born the same year that case was at the supreme court and her school system didn’t get integrated until her senior year in high school)
yes clarence thomas got his appointment due to affirmative action. it was no coincidence that thurgood stepped down and thomas was appointed. thurgood was then the only african american supreme court justice and thomas is now the only african american supreme court justice. there you have affirmative action. i’m singling thomas out as being a person that doesn’t realize he got the job due to the very policy he is against. for me that has nothing to do with being a dem or repub just a thomas issue.
hopefully this election isn’t about race. it may not be for some people but it is for others. whether you choose to believe it or not america isn’t beyond the race issue. the sad part is we really haven’t gotten that far removed from the 60’s when african americans and females are still making 1sts. ethnic and gender accomplishments are not a norm for this country. shouldn’t we be beyond this 40 years later?
i simply pointed mccain’s flaws in judgement about minority issues, education, and his “military expertise”. for me that says something about what he stands for and what his policy interest are. it seems that as soon as i called out mccain on his flaws there was a reaction. just as you stated “I for one, will vote for a ticket that says I can become and accomplish anything that I want, not someone who claims I am nothing without the government”. because mccain isn’t interested in minority issues and making education reform he can possibly hinder what can make people become what they want and making them better.
although you now see mlk as making this a better country. at the time very few people saw what he was doing as a good thing. people that were against what he was about called him a communist. but now he is well regarded.
i hope that was clearer.
btw…powell and rice have yet to publicly state who they are for.
Today Obama made a disgusting comment about Sarah Palin. He said (I saw this on TV with my own eyes):
What is the difference between a Pig and Sara Palin - Lipstick.
Unbelievable - the Audacity!
Actually, he stated it this way - I pulled it off the web to make sure I remembered it right, and let’s think about his metahpor on the “fish” joke - what an A-hole!
Posted September 9, 2008 6:56 PM
by Mike Dorning
LEBANON, Va.–If Barack Obama wasn’t thinking about the joke Sarah Palin told about lipstick and hockey moms at the Republican National Convention last week, the crowd here this evening certainly was.
Remember the joke? What’s the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Answer: Lipstick.
Well, in the midst of an extended riff on why Republican rivals John McCain and Sarah Palin would not bring change to Washington, he blurted out a familiar metaphor that took on added meaning given the Palin’s tongue-in-cheek definition of her kind.
“You can put lipstick on a pig,” Obama declared. “It’s still a pig.”
No mention of Palin. But the audience roared and jumped to its feet.
Obama paused to take in the applause and then moved on to another (also overused) metaphor.
“You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change,” he began. “It’s still gonna stink after eight years.”
you guys blame the dnc for what happened to hillary but not the people who voted in michigan and florida to move the primary date ahead of what the dnc determined would be the start of the dnc primary voting period. why don’t you hold issue with those states? the other 48 did what they were supposed to do but not those 2.
Obama didn’t seem to have any problems taking half their votes - did he….then he pushed Hillary out of the way and wanted all of their votes.
I hope he goes up in flames in these two states.
GAPEACH:
The individual voters had nothing to do with it; An individual’s vote is their only voice. Who did the DNC think they were? Assuming you’re from Georgia, tell me how you would have felt if they decided to disallow your vote because the Augusta National Golf Club doesn’t allow women members. It is simply a road we can’t go down. You could have used Florida and Michigan in the general election. The irony in Donna Brazile’s, “My Mama told me to follow the rules” statement coupled with Senator Obama message of change will no doubt be noted in herstory as one of the Democratic Party’s most shameful times. Lo and Behold, at the convention the Enlightened One had a revelation and the sea was parted so that the delegates could count as whole people as long as they toed the party line. By the way each 1/2 delegate represented thousands of individual votes and Senator Obama was in Florida “fund raising.” Go to fact checker.