Positive Obama thread

Anonymous

Ya know what, I had to go back and read Amy's first post when she started this thread.  Since it was pointed out by others that this thread was to get away from others because we couldn't stand seeing facts posted.  The truth is I don't remember when Amy started it as I was a Hillary supporter - I think.  I don't believe I was committed at that time like I am now. 

Im so proud to be part of this.  Sharing our feelings about Obama and why we think the way we think.  I don't have much computer time, so I don't know about the rest of you - but when I see post after post of one sided articles and such, it makes me crazy.  I enjoy the fact that we talk here about the issues.  As I think further I realized that is the one thing McCain doesn't talk about, the issues.

Donna:  That video is frightening and it is sad that this all started because McCain and Palin encouraged it.  They set the tone for anger.  So the people in that video, is that an example of the pro American areas Palin is talking about?  Very sad....ugh!

Laura:  What a magnificent picture of that rally.  Can you imagine what it feels like to be standing in front of all those people?  It demonstrates the hope this country has, and in my opinion, only Obama will satisfy that for me.

I have been sitting by the television watching news channels since I got home from work yesterday.  Its all making me feel quite giddy.  I'm gonna put on some good movie.

OTS!  There is a movie on LMN tonight called Living Proof.  Its about the doctor/researcher who found Herceptin and how he did it.  I'm gonna be watching it tonight.  And as I watch it, I'm going to think about McCain wanting to immediately implement an across the board freeze.   That would totally stop research when we are so close to better treatments and possibly a cure.  Bush has already cut spending to research and now McCain wants to stop it all together.  Geesh!

Nicki 

Little-G

Hi Ladies...alot going on this afternoon!  I just want to voice my opinion as far as some of us feeling there will be riots in the street.  I don't see that happening.  Obama is going to be our next President.  The majority of these United States are looking forward to this!  The only way I think there would be rioting is if Obama somehow did not win.  Then I think it would get very, very ugly.  We are not going to tolerate 4 or more years of more oppression from the Republican government.  This country was started by people who were standing up for their rights and now we are at a point of where we have to defend them again.  There are to many of us and we are all getting louder and louder!!  Exactly what is needed to move us into a new era!!   We have been quiet and sheep like for WAY to long!!  Look at the pix that Laura put up!!!  WOW!!!! It speaks volumes for the majority of America!!  It is only the few, angry flock that are left now!!  If they riot, well....then they do.  The day of the Repbulican's in charge is ending.  They know it.  We know it.  Don't fear a riot, because we will win!!!!!!!!!!!  Get ready for some dancing!!

Laura...Thanks for posting those pictures!!  We all need to look at them and see the end goal.  Stop letting the sheep stir you up!!  It's exactly what they want!

OBAMA '08...IT"S ALMOST HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

easyquilts

Hi Guys...Haven't been here for a while...Been busy....Work, grandkids, home, et.....And, I had to do my yearly stress test...which I passed...yay.

Let me  tell you about what happened at Obama's Cincinnati Rally last week.....I went with several ladies who also volunteer at our county's Democratic Headquarters.....After we had treked up a LONG hill at Ault Park, we were scanned, and guided into an area right in front of the podium.....volunteers get special tickets....

Just before Obama was introduced, we were given those blue signs you always see...Well..A youngish wAfrican American woman was standing beside me...She said that she wanted to see Obama...I told her that this old white woman wanted to see him too...She laughed....Well...When the signs were given out, she got one before I did, so I jokingly told here she would have to share hers with me....

So...She did....I looked up, and saw an amazing sight.....One black hand....One white hand.... Holding the same sign....all against an impossibly blue October sky.....I was stunned....Her friend actually took a pic of us.

I'll always have that memory....Those two hands...That one sign....

Sandy

LuAnnH

Sandy, you live in cinti also?  What part?  I'm near cincinnati mills mall. 

LAphoenix

Sandy, what a beautiful story.  Really.  It and the photo brought a tear.  I've had so many moments like that since Obama won the nomination.  And I can't say that about any other politician I've ever supported.  Ever.

On a somewhat unrelated note . . . does anyone have a good sweet potato pie recipe?  I've only eaten it once, but loved it, and ever since Barack mentioned eating it, I've had a hankering.  I want to bake one on Nov. 5th, God willing.  Also, since we've got a number of PA and OH ladies here . . . has anyone ever eaten or made shoofly pie?  My dad's folks were all from southern PA, and my various aunts and great aunts used to bake shoofly pie for us.  As a kid I thought the name was kinda gross, but it was tasty pie.     

NoH8

I have had shoofly pies. They're really more like cake and made in Amish country, about an hour from where I live. I don't really like them, but once in a while I'll eat some. I don't think I've ever had sweet potato pie.

Ivylane

Amy:;; What's IN a Shoofly Pie? I don't believe I've ever had it,  Sweet Potato Pie is really good!

easyquilts

LuAnn...After living in Mason for fifty years, we moved to Lebanon last year.....They call this a Middletown, Dayton area, but I'm still a Cincinnati gal......

My Dad lived in Forest Park after he and Mom divorced....So I know your area.....

Sandy

easyquilts

Thanks LAphoenix.....It was a MOMENT, for sure.

I don't make sweet potato pie, but I do a good sp casserole.....It's st sweet potatoes, brown sugar, dark Karo, a little nutmeg....sometimes an egg, but not often.  I just sort of throw it all together and go with how it tastes and smells.....I usually top it with marshmallows and brown them in the broiler.

Sandy

djd

Well, i must confess - I am watching SNL.  The SP intro was very low-key, easy to stomach, no big deal!

LAphoenix

The shoofly pie I remember from childhood is made from molasses and has sort of a crumbly crust.  There may have been raisins in it.  It's sweet and gooey, which is why it appealed as a kid.  But it's been decades since I had one.  My aunties lived on a farm in Port Royal on the southeastern side of PA.  They all looked and dressed like Auntie Em.

Anonymous

I never had Shoo Fly Pie myself, but after looking at this picture I want one. 

Sandy that was such a nice story.  We arn't getting any rallies here.  Hmmmm guess thas cause I live in Illinois.  This sharing of the wealth thing is getting old, as is Joe Plummer. I see that McCain is still in the attack mode about ugly things instead of talking about issues. 

I missed SNL!  I was surprised I was awake as Im usually sound asleep at that time.  I finally got sick of seeing McCains face all over the news with his sneaky little smile, and watched some no brainer movies to get away from it all.  Then I watched the movie "Living Proof."  It wasnt great, but it got the point across about how hard it is to do research and even if you have something that can cure cancer - it doesn't matter if the money isnt there.  Sadly that brings me to the cross the board freeze McCain is talking about.

I will admit I turned SNL on for one nanosecond.  Got so disgusted and the thought of seeing Palin, I turned off the lights and TV...went to sleep. I sure hope I'm not gonna see Palins face all over the news today.  At least I have an escape.  I can watch football.

Was also thinking about this share the wealth thing.  I make under $100,000 dollar a year.  My DH works part time as a local entertainer.  When you add up our salaries it is still under $100.000 dollars/year  Tax time - means I have to pay more taxes each time because my DH is self employed.  So what little income he brings in gets taken away.  I guess Im that middle class person Obama keeps talking about.  Then I hear about big corporations and multi-millionaires who paid no taxes.  CEO's who were given ridiculous bonus got $700,000 tax cuts.  And here I am Joe Schmoe - the nurse, paying taxes like most of us are.  I like Obamas plan.  Its time that people like me get a break.  Instead of giving it to the rich.  So if we are going to spread the wealth, Im glad people like me will finally get a break.

The newest word coming out of McCains camp is "socialism."  I can't help it.  Both he and Palin make my blood boil. 

I'm from the 60's.  I was a Viet Nam war protester.  So does that make me a terrorist? 

Nicki   

NoH8

I thought SNL was the least funnyv it's been this season with Palin on. The Alec Baldwin thing was funny but tina didn't really get a chance to do her best stuff. Palin was fine, but she's funniest when she's not trying to be funny and trying to appear knowledgeable.

LAP-  the shoo-fly pie I've had was more cake like than gooey. The insides of the "filling" were a bit gooey, but the outsides were like dry cake. I never had it as a child, only an adult so that may be the difference.

Can you believe Obama raised $150 million dollars last month! Obama has a great ground machine. Because so many people have been giving small amounts of money then he can tap into them again. I think his management of his campaign is going to bode well for the mgmt of the country.

nic- maybe you should ask for your fbi file.  I like socialism in parts of society. We have socialized education up to college and I don't hear the republicans decrying that.

T- minus 88 minutes until meet the press and Colin Powell.

NoH8

CNN just reported Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LuAnnH

Susan, even if a middle class person squirrels their money they are given in the bank then it fuels the bank and their ability to lend money.  Isn't that what this bailout is doing?  So if I spend my stimulus in the store it helps the economy and if I put it in the bank if fuels lending ability.  sounds like a win win to me

LuAnnH

I don't know but I was speaking with my younger brother last night outraged about that you tube clip of all the anger and hatred.  I had two older brothers at that Palin rally because they have alot of money and want to be a repub to protect their money.  Anyway I told him to watch that clip and when he put in Johnstown and Palin he found tons of really angry hatred type videos.  He can get away with bringing it up with my older brother without getting flipped out on so he is going to ask them what on earth are they thinking?

pinoideae

Ladysuz, you are going to get bad eggs at every gathering.  Thank God they are the few.  Including one reporter....the secret service even investigated it.

NoH8

Ladysuz- the theory of trickle down ecomonics is simply put, that the wealthy prosper, spend more money and that means companies need to manufacture more, which means hire more people which means less unemployment, which means more people have money to spend. Then with full unemployment wages can go up because there is more competition for good workers which mean they have more money etc. That's an oversimplification of the theory. The concept of laissez faire, which means hands off/deregulation, goes hand in hand with this. Few or no regulations in a free market society means (according to theory) that businesses can prosper better without government intervention.

pinoideae

If you ask me it is Republican Craig MacGlashan that looks like an idiot.

NoH8

Did anyonesee Powell's full endorsement of Obama on Meet the Press? I'm not sure if you could get the whole view by listening or reading the endorsement. To me, the endorsement was so meaningful because Powell spoke positively of  Obama's intellect and intellectual curiosity, his judgment and handling of his campaign and the economic crisis. Powell spoke with what sounded like heavy heard against his friend McCain's  campaign including the dirty tactics, attempts to villify Obama as muslim/islamic which perpetuates prejudice against muslims not just in this country but in the world. Powell spoke of temperment in how the two candidates are handling the economic crisis. He spoke about judgment and McCain's lack of that in selecting Palin. Powell spoke of Obama being the best leader at the right time to restore American's place in the world. Powell made it clear that his endorsement is not without some criticisms of Obama, and he sounded pained to be saying negative things about McCain's campaign. He said that both men would be fine as president, but the best thing for the country and the world would be Obama.

I found the endorsement to be very powerful in that it was thoughtful and I could tell Powell grappled with the decision. He clearly wasn't anti McCain, although he was anti McCain and many republicans' campaign tactics. Here's the link.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz0iStN0TSA  

Sorry suz- I thought that's what you meant. I think proven is relative. You'll find people who swear it works and give you examples (whether or not they actually do show the premise) and those who swear it doesn't work. I haven't taken econ since undergrad 25 years ago and I don't remember any more about what's been proven and not, just that anytime there is a theory folks can manipluate data to make it say what they want it to.

Anonymous

I missed the endorsement.  Went grocery shopping.  Thanks for posting it Amy.  Very powerful.

Nicki

Little-G

Sandy...awesome story..that's what  it's all about!! LAphoenix, if you get the receipe share it and we will all eat sweet potato pie while raising our new flags in honor of President Obama!!!! 

BTW...Colin Powell is endorsing Barack!!!

Little-G

And, this sight has been slow for the last few days...so my bad on the Powell story. I see that's already updated! :- )

LuAnnH

Well I personally am getting a bit concerned.  All this Joe the Plumber and turn in tactics is gaining Mccain some points in the polls.  I want this election done and overwith while Obama is on top.  I would hate to see anything happen that could possibly put McCain in the white house.

NoH8

Luann, if you go to the obama site, you can make phone calls to get out the vote and answer explain any misconceptions people have about him http://www.barackobama.com/index.php . You can call people from your own neighborhood.

Anonymous

LuAnn:  From what I have been watching, they expect the race to get closer.  I too am having a little uneasiness, but then I look at that picture at the with all those people at that rally.  That crowd is awesome. 

The fact that the Chicago Tribune and Colin Powell endorsed Obama is significant.  McCain would only like to bury that with persistent negativity.  Just like people got sick of "my friends."  They will get sick of Joe the Plummer.  Some of the words and attacks coming out of McCains camp are preposterous and it will only make them look bad in the end. 

Nicki

Little-G

LuAnn..Joe the Plumber is the biggest joke since he picked his running mate!!!  I don't think any sane person out there see's it any differently.  Don't worry...he will win!!

LAphoenix

I searched Epicurious and found this sweet potato pie recipe that looks pretty tasty and simple.  It got a "4-fork" rating.  I think the addition of the rum is what sold it for me!  OK, I won't say anything more about pie until after the election.

Ruth Reichl Random House Makes 8 servings. 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds) 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup whole milk 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon dark rum 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and roast them on a shallow baking pan in the middle of the oven until very tender, about 1 1/4 hours. Cool to room temperature. Raise the oven temperature to 400°F, and place a shallow baking pan on the bottom rack. Scoop the flesh from potatoes into a bowl and discard the skins. Mash the sweet potatoes with a fork until smooth. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar. Add the melted butter mixture to the sweet potatoes with the milk and the eggs and beat with a whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining ingredients (the filling will be quite liquid). Pour the filling into the pie shell. Carefully transfer the pie to the heated shallow baking pan on the bottom rack of the oven and bake until the filling is just set, about 40 minutes.

LuAnnH

I sure wish he'd show up at my door and make me famous!    Personally I like any handsome men that want to come to my door  LOL

LAphoenix

Ladysuz, your description of the Joe the Plumber history is correct.  The McCain campaign approached him days in advance of the debate but apparently didn't warn him that he was going to be the centerpiece of McCain's remarks.  And they obviously didn't vet him.  That's their MO.  They don't vet and when the media digs up not-so-great things about their choices, they complain about the media.  Ironically, though, Joe the Plumber has done more press conferences than Palin.

The LA Times endorsed Obama today.  Here it is:

It is inherent in the American character to aspire to greatness, so it can be disorienting when the nation stumbles or loses confidence in bedrock principles or institutions. That's where the United States is as it prepares to select a new president: We have seen the government take a stake in venerable private financial houses; we have witnessed eight years of executive branch power grabs and erosion of civil liberties; we are still recovering from a murderous attack by terrorists on our own soil and still struggling with how best to prevent a recurrence.

We need a leader who demonstrates thoughtful calm and grace under pressure, one not prone to volatile gesture or capricious pronouncement. We need a leader well-grounded in the intellectual and legal foundations of American freedom. Yet we ask that the same person also possess the spark and passion to inspire the best within us: creativity, generosity and a fierce defense of justice and liberty.

The Times without hesitation endorses Barack Obama for president.

Our nation has never before had a candidate like Obama, a man born in the 1960s, of black African and white heritage, raised and educated abroad as well as in the United States, and bringing with him a personal narrative that encompasses much of the American story but that, until now, has been reflected in little of its elected leadership. The excitement of Obama's early campaign was amplified by that newness. But as the presidential race draws to its conclusion, it is Obama's character and temperament that come to the fore. It is his steadiness. His maturity.

These are qualities American leadership has sorely lacked for close to a decade. The Constitution, more than two centuries old, now offers the world one of its more mature and certainly most stable governments, but our political culture is still struggling to shake off a brash and unseemly adolescence. In George W. Bush, the executive branch turned its back on an adult role in the nation and the world and retreated into self-absorbed unilateralism.

John McCain distinguished himself through much of the Bush presidency by speaking out against reckless and self-defeating policies. He earned The Times' respect, and our endorsement in the California Republican primary, for his denunciation of torture, his readiness to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and his willingness to buck his party on issues such as immigration reform. But the man known for his sense of honor and consistency has since announced that he wouldn't vote for his own immigration bill, and he redefined "torture" in such a disingenuous way as to nearly embrace what he once abhorred.

Indeed, the presidential campaign has rendered McCain nearly unrecognizable. His selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate was, as a short-term political tactic, brilliant. It was also irresponsible, as Palin is the most unqualified vice presidential nominee of a major party in living memory. The decision calls into question just what kind of thinking -- if that's the appropriate word -- would drive the White House in a McCain presidency. Fortunately, the public has shown more discernment, and the early enthusiasm for Palin has given way to national ridicule of her candidacy and McCain's judgment.

Obama's selection also was telling. He might have scored a steeper bump in the polls by making a more dramatic choice than the capable and experienced Joe Biden. But for all the excitement of his own candidacy, Obama has offered more competence than drama.

He is no lone rider. He is a consensus-builder, a leader. As a constitutional scholar, he has articulated a respect for the rule of law and the limited power of the executive that make him the best hope of restoring balance and process to the Justice Department. He is a Democrat, leaning further left than right, and that should be reflected in his nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court. This is a good thing; the court operates best when it is ideologically balanced. With its present alignment at seven justices named by Republicans and two by Democrats, it is due for a tug from the left.

We are not sanguine about Obama's economic policies. He speaks with populist sweep about taxing oil companies to give middle-class families rebates that of course they would welcome, but would be far too small to stimulate the economy. His ideas on taxation do not stray far from those put forward by Democrats over the last several decades. His response to the most recent, and drastic, fallout of the sub-prime mortgage meltdown has been appropriately cautious; this is uncharted territory, and Obama is not a master of economic theory or practice.

And that's fine. Obama inspires confidence not so much in his grasp of Wall Street finance but in his acknowledgment of and comfort with his lack of expertise. He will not be one to forge far-reaching economic policy without sounding out the best thinkers and practitioners, and he has many at his disposal. He has won the backing of some on Wall Street not because he's one of them but because they recognize his talent for extracting from a broad range of proposals a coherent and workable program.

On paper, McCain presents the type of economic program The Times has repeatedly backed: One that would ease the tax burden on business and other high earners most likely to invest in the economy and hire new workers. But he has been disturbingly unfocused in his response to the current financial situation, rushing to "suspend" his campaign and take action (although just what action never became clear). Having little to contribute, he instead chose to exploit the crisis.
We may one day look back on this presidential campaign in wonder. We may marvel that Obama's critics called him an elitist, as if an Ivy League education were a source of embarrassment, and belittled his eloquence, as if a gift with words were suddenly a defect. In fact, Obama is educated and eloquent, sober and exciting, steady and mature. He represents the nation as it is, and as it aspires to be.