BARACK OBAMA supporters ONLY thread

[IzzyS]

I thought our man Joe and the Clintons were on fire in Scranton today!

Oh YEAH!, did they rock the town or what? Probably Dunder Mifflin was on fire, too!

I'm kind of tentatively planning a party for Election Night, just a few friends and family, but I won't make it official until right before when I think the statistics make the win inevitable. I decided if I do have the party it will have a Hawaiian theme . My mom can't wait.

to y'all--there's only three weeks and two days left. We can make it!

[madison]

Sunday editorial: Barack Obama for president

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the...for-president/

"Nine Days before the Feb. 5 presidential primaries in Missouri and Illinois, this editorial page endorsed Barack Obama and John McCain in their respective races.

We did so enthusiastically. We wrote that either Mr. Obama’s message of hope or Mr. McCain’s independence and integrity offered America “the chance to turn the page on 28 years of contentious, greed-driven politics and move into a new era of possibility.”

Over the past nine months, Mr. Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, has emerged as the only truly transformative candidate in the race. In the crucible that is a presidential campaign, his intellect, his temperament and equanimity under pressure consistently have been impressive. He has surrounded himself with smart, capable advisers who have helped him refine thorough, nuanced policy positions.

In a word, Mr. Obama has been presidential."

The rest of the editorial is outstanding, also.

[Krista]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/spor...palin-boo.html

Sarah Palin booed at hockey game in Pennsylvania

[madison]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice2008/

[Krista]

Moron puts Obama sticker on Curious George Doll and takes it to rally Nope, no racism there!

[Dream Again]

Moron puts Obama sticker on Curious George Doll and takes it to rally Nope, no racism there!

Such a classy conservative.

[Terri]

Oh YEAH!, did they rock the town or what? Probably Dunder Mifflin was on fire, too!

I'm kind of tentatively planning a party for Election Night, just a few friends and family, but I won't make it official until right before when I think the statistics make the win inevitable. I decided if I do have the party it will have a Hawaiian theme . My mom can't wait.

to y'all--there's only three weeks and two days left. We can make it!

Yay for parties! I think they'll be having a pretty big blowout at campaign headquarters here. I don't think anyone wants to think that far ahead yet. Too much work to be done. They had two parties for the primary. A party, then an after party. Too bad I got sick that evening and couldn't make it. I definitely hope to make it to the party for election night. We had a volunteer party last night that was pretty fun. I just have to say again, how much I wish that I had been involved in earlier campaigns.

Rather than calling off of lists we're now calling off of the Vote Builder software. That goes so much faster. I hope that we'll be able to use that same site for election day, but I think we'll be going off lists again. I still really dislike calling people, but it's getting easier. We have a very persuasive field office manager who always seems to get me to make calls.

The campaign is really encouraging people to vote early so I think I'll be voting next week. I encourage everyone to do so if it isn't too much of a hardship for you. I think you can expect high turnout at the polls this year.

I talked to my mom today and she tells me that my sister has mentioned twice that we'd better not vote for Obama. I guess I shouldn't tell her about my volunteering with the campaign?

If anyone is noticing a lack of lawn signs, t-shirts, and such, you should be seeing an improvement with that in these last couple of weeks.

22 days and counting!

[Krista]

lol Terri. I know what you mean with having to keep quiet with family members. My parents and I have been getting into "heated discussions" about the election lately. My Dad sent me something about Obama that was a chain email, concerning his Financial advisors, and it was false, so I sent him a link back to factcheck.org. lol

Here is factcheck's take on that email going around http://www.factcheck.org/askfactchec..._economic.html

also I sent them this link lol http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/pol/874903192.html (warning, contains one cuss word)

[Krista]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081013/...gEYOvY7fNg.3QA

10 points

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is leading his Republican rival John McCain 53 percent to 43 percent among likely voters, according to a Washington Post-ABC News opinion poll released on Monday.

[Terri]

Sister Cecilia Gaudette hasn't voted since 1952.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7665925.stm

[Terri]

I missed the unveiling of Obama's new economic recovery plan this afternoon, but MSNBC went over what new changes had been made. I'm glad that Obama's at least putting forward ideas that may offer greater relief to taxpayers.

OBAMA'S MIDDLE CLASS RESCUE PLAN
JOBS.
(1) Tax breaks for companies that create jobs in U.S. (not new)
(2) Eliminate capital gains taxes for new small businesses and start ups. (new)
(3) Fast track loan guarantees for car makers (not new)
(4) Jobs/Growth fund -- aimed at local municipalities to keep jobs that might have otherwise been cut for budgetary purposes. (new)

FAMILIES.
(1) Middle class tax cut (not new)
(2) Calls on Congress to give rebates by Winter (new)
(3) Extend employment benefits for those who lost their jobs (not new)
(4) No taxes on unemployment benefits (new)
(5) Retirement Savings: Welcomed McCain's proposal to let people withdraw from their 401Ks, but went further: proposing people could withdraw without penalty up to $10,000 from their 401Ks through 2009. (new)

HOMEOWNERS.
(1) Mortgage Tax Credit -- worth 10% of mortgages (not sure the specifics)
(2) Three-month moratorium on foreclosures (new) -- give people breathing room to get back on their feet.

INCREASED $ FOR BANKS
(1) Have Treasury move faster on his plan to inject money directly into banks.

MAKE LOANS AVAILABLE.
(1) Create a Small Business Lending Fund (already proposed)

[madison]

I missed the unveiling of Obama's new economic recovery plan this afternoon, but MSNBC went over what new changes had been made. I'm glad that Obama's at least putting forward ideas that may offer greater relief to taxpayers.

OBAMA'S MIDDLE CLASS RESCUE PLAN
JOBS.
(1) Tax breaks for companies that create jobs in U.S. (not new)
(2) Eliminate capital gains taxes for new small businesses and start ups. (new)
(3) Fast track loan guarantees for car makers (not new)
(4) Jobs/Growth fund -- aimed at local municipalities to keep jobs that might have otherwise been cut for budgetary purposes. (new)

FAMILIES.
(1) Middle class tax cut (not new)
(2) Calls on Congress to give rebates by Winter (new)
(3) Extend employment benefits for those who lost their jobs (not new)
(4) No taxes on unemployment benefits (new)
(5) Retirement Savings: Welcomed McCain's proposal to let people withdraw from their 401Ks, but went further: proposing people could withdraw without penalty up to $10,000 from their 401Ks through 2009. (new)

HOMEOWNERS.
(1) Mortgage Tax Credit -- worth 10% of mortgages (not sure the specifics)
(2) Three-month moratorium on foreclosures (new) -- give people breathing room to get back on their feet.

INCREASED $ FOR BANKS
(1) Have Treasury move faster on his plan to inject money directly into banks.

MAKE LOANS AVAILABLE.
(1) Create a Small Business Lending Fund (already proposed)

I thought these plans were excellent. He is excellent in his thoroughness.

[IzzyS]

I *love* these plans, and I don't see how they can be viewed as "partisan."

I love the moratorium on foreclosures. By taking away the immediacy of the problem, homeowners and banks can step back, take deep breaths, and then make some very important decisions.

I loved the way Obama mentioned that many of us have been living beyond our means. It's true, and giving people a moratorium on a foreclosure can give them time to stop and decide if they indeed bought more house than they could afford. It's putting responsibility on individuals as well as the government to clean up the mess. It doesn't sound partisan; it just sounds smart.

[madison]

Wis. poll: Obama's lead over McCain up to 17 points
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/309399

"""""Barack Obama's commanding 17-point lead in Wisconsin over John McCain shown in a new independent poll released Tuesday is the largest he's ever enjoyed in the state.

The Quinnipiac University poll also shows large leads for Obama in Minnesota, Colorado and Michigan with the election just three weeks away. One poll was done before last week's debate, and another was done after."""""

[Terri]

Even the Rasmussen polls have Obama ahead in every batteleground state, with the exception of NC, where they are tied. Some of these polls though, I'm having a hard time believing, like the WV polls.

I read that Hillary Clinton first suggested the moratorium on foreclosures. They mentioned on CNN that only 2% of homeowners are facing foreclosure. It's amazing how such a small percentage can cause such havoc on the financial sector. I wonder what the average rate of home foreclosures is during normal economic times.

[moxie]

Only 2% might be facing foreclosure now, but that's because so many thousands already have lost their homes; the foreclosure moratorium is too late for them. It is the thousands of defaults in 2007-2008 that caused much of this mess we're seeing now.

[Krista]

Only 2% might be facing foreclosure now, but that's because so many thousands already have lost their homes; the foreclosure moratorium is too late for them. It is the thousands of defaults in 2007-2008 that caused much of this mess we're seeing now.

yeah that's sort of like the unemployment number that only counts those taking unemployment, not those that their benefits have run out.

[Terri]

Only 2% might be facing foreclosure now, but that's because so many thousands already have lost their homes; the foreclosure moratorium is too late for them. It is the thousands of defaults in 2007-2008 that caused much of this mess we're seeing now.

It's really interesting to me, because as always has been the case, the real estate market is very much about locality. And where I live it has been largely unaffected by foreclosures and falling home prices. My home has actually appreciated through all of this. I think that's in part because housing prices never rose here as much as elsewhere. They did rise, but much slower. Also, when I bought my home 2 years ago my real estate agent was very much against ARM's. I wasn't considering one, but it's nice to know that there were some real estate agents that were looking out for their clients.

[IzzyS]

Terri, I live in Southern California and I saw this bubble growing and growing and I just knew it was going to burst. I bought my condo in 2000 for $70K. Before the bubble burst, someone in my building bought the same type of unit for over $300K. I knew that they were overpaying. We've had two or three foreclosures and units sitting empty for months. The unit directly across from me has been on the market for nearly a year at a much-reduced price--no takers.

Meanwhile, I've never sold real estate in my life and I couldn't have picked a worse time to do it, but I had no choice. After my dad died last year and my stepmom moved to Guatemala (she has very advanced Alzheimer's), we put their condo on the market. It's a big condo in a nice area and when they bought it, it went on the market in the morning and if they hadn't put a bid in that day, it would have been gone already.

So, fast forward four years and it's sitting there, unsold, for months on end while we scramble to pay the property taxes and HOA dues. No one in Southern California is buying. Foreclosures are everywhere. It's a mess, and I saw it coming with these ridiculous, inflated prices and insane loans.

Greed, pure and simple, that's all it is.

[madison]

65 U.S. Nobel laureates endorse Obama

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008...7491224015215/

"""""This year's presidential election is among the most significant in our nation's history," the scientists wrote. "The country urgently needs a visionary leader who can ensure the future of our traditional strengths in science and technology and who can harness those strengths to address many of our greatest problems: energy, disease, climate change, security, and economic competitiveness. We are convinced that Senator Barack Obama is such a leader, and we urge you to join us in supporting him."""""

OK, OK, I will!

[madison]

Is McCain pulling out of Wisconsin?

http://thisweekwithbarackobama.blogs...wisconsin.html

The Republican National Committee hasn’t booked ads for the next week in Wisconsin TV markets after running a series of spots attacking Barack Obama and congressional Dems, according to TV sources.

[madison]

CNN Electoral Map: Obama would win if election held today

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/...nge/index.html
# CNN unveils new Electoral College Map showing good news for Obama
# Map: If election were held today, Obama would have 277 electoral votes
# 270 electoral votes are needed to win the presidency
# Obama's recent gains in Virginia have helped create changes

[Terri]

Thank goodness that's over! I know it's silly, but I find these debates nerve-wracking. Again, I'm hard on my candidate and Obama had me very nervous for the first part. Too much smiling, too much chuckling, and McCain was getting his hits in. He also didn't have a strong enough response on why Biden would be a good VP or president. He should have hit that one out of the park. But I think Obama did better later on in the debate. McCain got more irritated as time went on. How the undecideds and independents score this will be interesting.

[madison]

Thank goodness that's over! I know it's silly, but I find these debates nerve-wracking. Again, I'm hard on my candidate and Obama had me very nervous for the first part. Too much smiling, too much chuckling, and McCain was getting his hits in. He also didn't have a strong enough response on why Biden would be a good VP or president. He should have hit that one out of the park. But I think Obama did better later on in the debate. How the undecideds and independents score this will be interesting.

Terri,
I watched the CNN tracker of undecideds - Obama did just fine, especially with women. Not to worry!

Crowley: We finally get a show
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...ly-get-a-show/

[Terri]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...neheaded-move/

I know that a lot of people won't accept his explanation. I always wondered what the heck he thinking when he made that statement. But I'm glad that he just came out and said that it was stupid to say, whether you believe the explanation or not.