Positive Obama thread

djd

Regarding Powell's endorsement...it is a good thing.

I read Powell's autobiography 10 years ago, and I developed tremendous respect for and trust in his judgment.  If not for Powell's presentation to the UN in 2003, I doubt that Bush would have been able to gain enough support to declare preemptive war against Iraq.  I know that is what made me doubt my instinctive reaction that going to war with Iraq was ridiculous!  I remember thinking to  myself, "if Powell says we are in danger, then it must be true.  He wouldn't lie."

Now, Powell has expressed regret for his role, for caving in to pressure from Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld.  I struggle to reconcile my deep respect for who he was with who he allowed himself to become.  But I'll give him credit for speaking out, finally.

I watched the movie "W" last night.  Oliver Stone was very kind to George Tenet and Colin Powell, as the script went out of the way to show them both expressing doubt, concern, and cautioning against rash action, only to be bashed and berated by Cheney in particular.

Today's endorsement by Powell was good, but it didn't require a great deal of courage at this stage of the game.

Anonymous

I don't know about others, but I do care what the world thinks of us.  It has taken Bush 8 years to destroy good friendships and isolated our allies.  We need someone who will reach out to World leaders.  Now I'm off to work.

Nicki 

NoH8

I care a lot about what the world thinks of us. An isolated USA is a more vulnerable USA, in my opinion and that's oneof the reasons I feel so strongly about Obama. The McCain ads mocking Obama's popularity in the world is one of the reasons I fear his presidency.

Anonymous

"I think the victory will be rapid, within about three weeks."
John McCain, January 28, 2003.

2000 days since Mission Accomplished.

McBush lied to Americans and the World.

LuAnnH

This election can't come fast enough for me.  I keep watching the political ads and everyone is starting to come around endorse obama.  Says alot for what americas feel about king george and his court jesters running the white house.  I read others saying that the last two years democrats had control in the house & senate but what about the other 6 that the repubs ran the whole gov't and we went into a tailspin?  By the time the good guys got in there everything was in such a spiral no one could stop it.

I also read that reagan had to clean up carters mess but to be honest I didn't follow polotics then.  I do know that as much as people complained about clinton and his sex-capades he did alot for our country.  Got us out of somalia (I lived down the street from a woman whose husbands jeep was blown up in the streets of somolia and they waved his body parts around the town like suvineers....how horrible) which was a big task.  Took from a huge defeicit to a nice large gov't surplus.  Then king george comes in with his regimne and gets the worst presidential ratings in our countrys history, has us in a huge deficiet and two wars started and many more promised.  If someone can make a dent in all his problems he left will be northing short of a miracle!

Little-G

Happy Monday, Ladies!!  Yesterday I went to a volunteer meeting at Obama Headquarters here in Portland. I am going to start canvassing and picking up ballots this week!!  I really feel I need to do something, especially in this final stretch!!  I got my ballot on Friday!!  I ripped it open and checked off Obama right away!!!  So..just a reminder to anyone else in a "mail in" state, get those votes in early!!!!!  Keep spreading the word!!!!  And help others (if you can) get out there at vote OBAMA!!!!

Most of my family lives over in Europe, only a handful of us came to the US but my cousins were here visiting over the summer and they made no secret that Europe is aching for Bush to get out and Obama to get in.  They had news I didn't even hear of!  It was very enlightening.  I was in Europe last year and took my kids.  We seen so many anti-american protests and Burning of the Bush..it was crazy! 

As I said before, our time has come!  Just keep the momentum going for these last couple of weeks.  Do what you can!!  Support the team!! :-)

OBAMA '08..it's almost here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

PSK07

LuAnn, I am right there with you. My state has a very contentious governor's race going on as well. I am so sick of the negative ads and constant blather.  Thank God for TiVo and the mute button!

Colin Powell's endorsement was interesting. (I lost a lot of respect for him when he stood up in front of the UN and said what he said before the war, but he gained some back when it came out how he was thrown under the bus by the gang in the WH.)  Naturally, the right wing says he's being racist....that he's never endorsed an 'inexperienced white man' before, so the only reason he's doing it is because of race.

A friend's father is a retired full Army colonel - head of a university ROTC at one point, career army, and is so anti-McCain/pro-Obama he puts all of us to shame. 

I'm tired of all this talk of socialism. As if going back to the tax rates of 8 years ago is socialist. People in the highest income levels do pay most of the taxes because they make the most money. Go figure!  Thing is, the lower your income, the higher the percentage you pay in taxes. There is a redistribution of wealth right now - straight from low income people to high income people.

PSK07

Hey Little G - in Portland?  I'm up in Seattle.  Boy, you guys certainly have the Senate race going on, don't you? 

We spent our vacation this year camping in Oregon...we got so tired of the commercials....A CREDENZA?  A CREDENZA?  We - me, husband and teen daughters - would start shrieking every time one came on.  And how the Repub candidate had to back down from what appreared to be an endorsement of Obama...too funny! 

Is it all mail-in balloting in OR?  No polls? 

pip57

g

You might be interested in my recent post on the 'other side.'  I do hope American's starts to pay attention to what the international world is saying. 

LAphoenix

I've never understood why people confuse patriotism with jingoism.  You can love your country and take pride in it without dismissing the wisdom of other nations.  I suspect where Obama is concerned, the rest of the world has a clearer view of what he represents than many Americans do, because they're not blinded by party loyalty and oldtime prejudices.  They see him as Colin Powell does -- transformational.

I don't know how influential Powell's endorsement will ultimately be, but I was moved by his observations, especially his story about the mother mourning her Arab American son's death at Arlington.  I think it took some courage to say that, maybe more so than the endorsement itself.    

But hey, Obama's already promising to give a job to a famous black guy, just as his detractors warned he would.  Yeah, he's offered Powell a place in his administration.  Scary.   

djd

I'm hearing that Limbaugh and his ilk are all smearing Colin Powell now.  All of Powell's deeply honorable service to his country is thrown out the window by the hypocrites who now, essentially, dismiss him as "just another black guy endorsing a brother."

it's simply disgusting.

NoH8

But hey, Obama's already promising to give a job to a famous black guy, just as his detractors warned he would.  Yeah, he's offered Powell a place in his administration.  Scary. 

Yeah watch out for any competent black people Obama puts in the adminstration, Rush and his repugs will be on him for that. I couldn't believe Pat Buchanan said it was obvious Powell only endorsed Obama because he's black. He said Powell was a traitor to the republicans. Harsh words. One of the female black pundits, a republican, Michelle (I forget her last name) said she doesn't feel like there is a place for blacks in the republican party. I personally think they few that do support his campaign are all spokespeople because they do seem to show up to talk up the campaign's talking points.

Ivylane

Ok, it's happened....a day late, but it happened.  Rush Limbaugh said today that Colin Powell endorsed Obama simply because he is black.  I was hoping that we as a country had gotten past these kinds of statements.  I guess I am not surprised at Limbaugh, given the mentality. It does make me sad though.  To their credit, the last time I checked, I haden't seen this on the Repubs thread.  Now I'm afraid to look.

On another note, I must say that the sketch that Palin did on SNL the other night was funny.  She is quite likable in that venue.....VP...not so much 

LAphoenix

I guess I can understand Pat's indignation.  That's how I feel about Lieberman.  Traitor.  But unlike Lieberman, the Bushies dumped on and used Powell, so you can't really blame him for deserting.  That said, I'm sure it wasn't easy for Powell to say no to a fellow Vietnam vet, a fellow military guy, a fellow Republican, and someone he'd been friends with for 25 years.  That's a lot for race to trump so easily.    

I've had the same feelings about the black GOP pundits on TV.  You never see any (or very very few) blacks at their rallies and conventions, but every other GOP spokesperson on TV is black.  Go figure.   

Ivylane

Sorry for the typo in my previous post..... I DO know how to spell hadn't...

Anonymous

Colon Powell was very articulate about the reasons he endorsed Obama.  Has nothing to do with race.  Makes me sick people are saying that.  His choice of Palin, his changing his mind everyday during the economic crisis, his negativite adds, blah blah blah. 

McCain is a very desperate man.

Nicki  

djd

More disgusting behavior from the "pro-America" crowd;

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200881020067

CULLOWHEE - A dead bear was found dumped this morning on the Western Carolina University campus, draped with a pair of Obama campaign signs, university police said.

Maintenance workers reported about 7:45 a.m. finding a 75-pound bear cub dumped at the roundabout near the Catamount statute at the entrance to campus, said Tom Johnson, chief of university police.

"It looked like it had been shot in the head as best we can tell. A couple of Obama campaign signs had been stapled together and stuck over its head," Johnson said.

University police called in N.C. Wildlife Resources officials to remove the body and help in the investigation. Bear season is currently under way in Western North Carolina.

"This is certainly unacceptable," Johnson said. "Someone was wanting to draw attention to the election. If we find out who they are, we'll make sure they'll get some attention themselves."

djd

And yet more civil discourse...McCain supporters heckling early voters in NC,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R75OMc2SkvA&eurl=http://thinkprogress.org/

Anonymous

A reporter was attacked and is in serious condition.  Because she has a small part isn "W."  JMO, but I hold McCain and Palin accountable for all of the heckling and anger that is going around.  Shame on both of them.

Nicki

Blundin2005

Hi Nicki,

Roll up your sleeves because there is work to be done.  We need to live the peace every day...every day.  This I think is one of the lessons to come out of this social/economic/political implosion.    

I agree fully that the campaign across the board bears responsibility for the riotous crowds.These crowds are not going to go away after the election. 

My husband and I crossed the states four times by car between 1970 and 1973.  There is a familiar feel to the tension in the US now...it's palatable.  I feel the peace that was hard won will require the same attention....again...and again...and again.  Working for peace....nice job if you can get it!  Yes we can.

If I might add, this is not exclusive to the US.  

Marilyn

NoH8

I feel so sad about Obama's grandmother. She's always been such an important figure and role model in his life and I hope the news isn't as bad as it sounds. I;m hope she can survive a few more weeks to see her grandson elected president.  I'll bet some of the nastiest repubs are cheering for this latest turn of events. I hope they're not mean enough to express them. I don't think this will effect his numbers, Obama has enough of a ground game to carry him through his time away from the campaign. I wonder if McCain will suspend his attacks during this time. Nah. If he didn;t when he said he was suspending his campaign, I doubt that he will.

djd- I can't believe that stories like the one you posted. On one hand I hate that those terrorists are getting the publicity for what they did. On the other hand the we need to know what's going on and I hope this will give kinder repubs a chance to reflect on some of their words, particularly those on the campaign trail for McCain.

pinoideae

As with every election, things will cool down afterwards.  Like always.

IllinoisNancy

This is long but well worth the time.

The article below was written by  syndicated columnist, Thomas Sowell, a black man.  He wrote it in a humorous way this past week in a column titled 'Random Thoughts' and  published it in newspapers nationally, so maybe you've already seen it. If not, be my guest:  Senator John McCain could never convince me to vote for him. Only Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama can cause me to vote for McCain. After long and serious thought, I have decided to endorse Senator John McCain for President. I have always voted for the person and have not voted for anyone because some political party was telling me who I should vote for. We all know the choices by now and, that said, I do believe that the process of selecting a chief executive is deeply flawed. The words 'money' and' special interests' come to mind, among many others.   Here's the way I see it: Barack Obama, you are a fine public speaker. You are also an extremely liberal Senator from the State of Illinois , which has a long and rich history of political corruption of the first magnitude. You are indeed a child of that system. You have finally insulted my intelligence far beyond my capacity to tolerate your insults. It has nothing at all to do with your skin color. As a matter of fact, it would be so COOL to finally have an African-American for President. What a great statement that would be to the entire world that we are indeed the greatest country on earth! But, unfortunately, General Colin Powell is not running, and YOU are NOT the man for this job ! Barack, baby, you want me to believe that you have never heard the sermons of your own pastor, the Right Reverend 'God Damn America ' Jeremiah Wright. It is a matter of record that this has been your church for over 20 years. It is a matter of record that you were married there by this very pastor, and that your children were baptized there. The good Reverend saw fit to visit Khadafy in Libya with you and to give a lifetime achievement award to Louis Farrakhan, of all people. We have all now seen excerpts of his sermons all over the airwaves by now.   And you have publicly stated that this man IS your 'spiritual mentor.' BUT, your pastor is NOT the reason I am NOT voting for you. His words were disturbing enough, but it is your own HUGE church congregation, seen jumping, hooting and howling to his words in the background that disturb me the most. And please don't tell me you attended church there and never once heard a 'discouraging word' in the 20 years you attended there. Don't tell me, that in addition to the good reverend, that you are now not having anything to do with all those other people seen hooting and howling out in the audience in the background of his fiery tirades. Even Oprah Winfrey got disgusted and walked out on your campaign. I am no Oprah fan, but still she did the right thing. Now you look me in the eye and ask me to believe that you never heard such language in all the years you attended there! This is like me telling you that I attended dozens of Klan rallies and never once heard the 'N' word. Yep. And Bill Clinton 'did not inhale'. Yes, Mr. Obama, we all have friends who have said stupid things that embarrassed us, but NOW you have asked me to believe something that is so incredibly stupid that you are telling me that I  am just stupid enough to believe you. THAT is the main reason that I will never vote for you. I am deeply sorry, that in a country teeming with enormously talented African Americans who would make a good President, that the political system has chosen YOU. You are a pathetic and plastic excuse for an American, who will not even salute the Flag during the Pledge of Allegiance. God forbid you ever get near the Oval Office. Which leaves us with Senator John McCain. John, you are a flawed man. You are a bit old, a bit looney, and you have a notoriously bad temper. This perfectly qualifies you, in my humble opinion, to lead us for the next eight years. I WANT your trembling hand on the nuclear button. Think about it. We have Kim Jong IL, Chavez and Ahmadenijad all running around like lunatics, threatening America and threatening to plunge the world into nuclear Armageddon. We have Putin and the Chinese blustering and rattling their sabers at us. I want John McCain in the Oval Office and I want him to be really ticked off at all these other nut jobs around the planet. John, once you are elected, I want you to go into the Oval Office and throw one of your perfect FITS. Jump up and down and throw something through a plate glass window. Rip the drapes down and foam at the mouth a bit. And I want the whole thing on camera so thatAhmadinejad can see it. I want ALL of these 'world leaders' to lay awake at night and to break out in a cold sweat every time they think of messing with the United States of America . I want the nuclear button sitting right next to the alarm clock on your night stand. I want pictures of this to be sent to Iran , Russia , China , Venezuela , Cuba , Libya , Syria , Pakistan , and those other dopes in the sheets, the Saudis. On the domestic front, poor John did try and reach across the aisle to the opposition in a desperate effort to compromise and to get the Congress to do something. You may not agree with his efforts, but at least he TRIED. For all his efforts, all he got handed to him was his head in a basket. The liberals are ticked at him and the conservatives are ticked at him. Just my kinda guy. One heartbeat from the Oval Office. Finally. John McCain knows on a most personal level what it is to suffer horrible torture for years and to see others die, right in front of you, for their love of America . When you ask him about it, he will tell you that what he did was 'nothing special. ' Even more incredibly, he states that ANY American who truly loves his country would do exactly the same as he did in that situation. You and I will have a hard time believing that, but the real point is that John McCain believes that about the 'average American,' and that, dear friends and neighbors, is why I will cast my one poor ballot for on election day for John McCain -- warts and all.'

pip57

To be fair she did post it on both threads.  It was also noted on the 'other' thread that it has been verified as a hoax.

AnnNYC

Thanks, PIP...  I wouldn't have seen that it was a hoax if you hadn't posted!

Here's a link to the debunking:
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/t/thomas-sowell.htm

And, just for fun, here's a link to a real article by Thomas Sowell, from January 24, 2008 -- back when the Republican primary was still a contest -- saying that it was proper to question whether John McCain might be too old for the presidency.

NoH8

lady suz-  she's a trouble maker- not worth our energy.

Little-G

Hi Ladies,

 I had a nasty 24 hour flu bug. Yuk..I am starting to feel a bit better, but still sitting here in my robe.  Well, again lots of things going on.  I see some crap piling up on our positive Obama board!  Well, they are under alot of pressure, they are a sinking ship and trying to pull anyone they can down with them.  Sadly I seen a snippet of the trolls side kick on SNL.  Wow, really republicans..that looked like presidential material to you?  It was an angry skit as well, obviously with the moose killing and all, but she looked like she loved it.  Personally, I think this woman is happy just getting her 15 min.of fame and having everyone tell her how hot she is.  When she dosn't win VP, we'll be seeing her in an issue of Penthouse or Playboy.  The troll would have been better suited to pick her as court jester.  And picked someone he really believed in for a running mate.  Again, what a joke that campaign is.  And for them to start spewing this "socialist" stuff.  They may want to look at themselves and see if the word Fascist comes to mind.  I can't remember who asked me which way I was voting in our Senator election here in OR, I have decided to swing way left this year.  I'm voting democratic down the line.  Like Bush's supposed "no child left behind" I want "no republican's left behind!"  Well, I will type in more later.  I'll be sending Barack positive energy as he visits his grandmother.  I hope all will be OK for her.  The rest of us...keep the word and energy moving forward!!!   We are almost there!!!!  Obama '08...it's almost here!!!

LAphoenix

Amy, I feel terrible about Obama's grandmother.  I hope she can hang on until Nov. 5th. 

The McPain-Failin campaign seems to be spiraling into total idiocy.  Each time you think they can't get any loonier or nastier, they do.  Talk about tin-foil hat conspiracy theories.  The GOP is promoting the biggest one of all with this Obama is really a socialist-commie, a one-man sleeper cell mantra.  And the McCarthy-like comments of morons like Bachmann.  Where did that come from?  Why do they keep using this "real America" divide-and-conquer tactic anyway?   It's so Bush.  Where's the reform and change?  Where's the "country first?"  As Randi Rhodes likes to say, when people show you who they are, believe them.  And McCain has shown us who he is by the way he's run his campaign.  Thanks but no thanks.    

LAphoenix

I hope the perpetrator of the hoax gets his ass sued off.  I can't imagine anything more damaging to a columnist's career than something like that.  And though it has been identified as a hoax, I'm still curious as to why it was deemed significant?  Because the writer is black?  That makes his opinion carry more weight?  We're supposed to go, ooohhh, he endorsed a white guy even though he's black.  That must mean McCain's really terrific because we know how they all stick together!  Give us a break!    

Little-G

LOL  LAphoenix....I got a chuckle out of that one!!