Blue State Rising

Governor Markell Signs SB 121, ends legalized descrimination based on sexual orientation

2009-07-04T09:42:00.007-04:00

Guest Post by Vikki Bandy

The bill signing ceremony for SB 121 took place in Rehoboth Beach on Thursday July 2, 2009 at Camp Rehoboth. More than 150 people, including Legislators from both sides of the aisle were there to celebrate this long overdue legislation that places sexual orientation into Delaware's Civil Rights Law.

The eleven year battle for equal protection in housing and employment was started by Bill Oberle in the House eleven years ago and went through many incarnations over the years only to hit a roadblock in the Senate with each Legislative session. This year, the legislation started in the House under Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf as HB 5 and met the same fate as previous efforts in the Senate. Sen Dave Sokola re-introduced the bill as SB 121 and was finally able to get the bill assigned to a committee that would act swiftly and favorably to bring the measure to the floor for a vote. In the final hours of the Legislative year, the bill moved swiftly through the Senate and then through the House with a significant majority of the vote.

The speakers at Thursday's bill signing event demonstrated in true bipartisan fashion how legislators from both sides of the aisle can come together in the interest of civil rights and equality. Sen Sokola praised Dru Fennell of the ACLU and Republican Bill Oberle for their tireless efforts to keep this issue alive. He thanked all of the legislators who voted for the measure and recognized several who attended the event including Sen. Karen Peterson, Sen. Sorenson, Rep Pete Schwartzkopf, and Rep Oberle. Lt Gov. Matt Denn was also in attendance along with several Sussex County local leaders.

Health Reform Supporters Gather at Paper Mill Park Saturday

2009-06-30T13:21:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, June 27^th, The Delaware Committee of Organizing for America gathered at Paper Mill Park in Newark for a “Walk for Healthcare Reform” to demonstrate their support of President Obama's health care reform initiative. There were refreshments and T-shirts available for all. The event attracted supporters with diverse backgrounds and perspectives on the health care system. The motorists driving by the park honked their horns in support of the Obama-Biden healthcare initiative, while dozens of park-goers signed up in support of the initiative and took part in the Walk.

The Obama-Biden Healthcare Reform proposal strengthens employer-based coverage, makes insurance companies more accountable, and ensures a patient’s choice of physician and medical care without government interference. Under the Obama-Biden proposal, if an individual is happy with his or her health insurance plan, nothing will change, with the exception of an annual cost reduction of up to $2,500. If an individual does not have health insurance, the Obama-Biden proposal provides a new affordable health insurance option that will compete with the private health insurance companies.

While waiting for the walk to begin, event attendees traded stories about why they believe health care reform is necessary. Cairi Pinder, a Drug Rehabilitation Nurse, said that approximately 90% of her patients do not have health insurance. “I am their only contact for getting health care. I have to work outside my specialty a lot,” she said. Ernie DiStefano of the Public Defender’s Office reminded the crowd that even if an individual is satisfied with his or her coverage, we cannot afford to be complacent. “In my profession, I see firsthand how the cost of health care impacts people's finances, and ultimately even fosters crime,” DiStefano said.

Peg and Peter Saenger offered their perspective as small business owners: "My husband and I are self-employed, and we pay $900 every month for our insurance- and we still have a $6000 deductible! We can't afford to hire additional employees, because of the cost. It actually hurts our business. We're lucky because we are healthy- my son was diagnosed with a pre-existing condition that doesn't require any treatment, but his insurance costs $1500 per month. We can't afford that."

Event organizer Lois Parker was pleased with the reaction to the event. "We were able to build awareness and support for the health insurance program. It was great to see how much support there is out there, but we have a lot of work to do to make sure we keep up the momentum that President Obama will need to pass the bill." The New Castle County for Health Care Reform Committee is planning several other events to continue raising support for the program, including town hall meetings, round table discussions, and a summer picnic in Battery Park for supporters.

Governor Signs Open Government Legislation

2009-06-12T15:49:00.003-04:00

This afternoon, Governor Markell signed H.B. 1 into law, which allows for public access to meetings and records of the Delaware General Assembly. Supporters of the legislation have been working for many years to see it passed. Governor Markell was joined by Senator Karen Peterson, Speaker Bob Gilligan, Representative John Kowalko, and many activists wearing their signature green OOGA shirts.

Governor Markell's Annual Summer Bash

2009-06-12T10:29:00.004-04:00

Guest post from Kirsten Louis, Markell for Delaware.

I had never been to the Annual Summer Bash before, but had always heard great things about the event. This year all of the proceeds of the Bash went to the Food Bank of Delaware.

With over 700 people attending, it was hard to believe you were standing in Corey & Doug Marshall-Steele’s backyard. The menu for this event isn’t like any other picnic I’ve attended either. It included appetizers, main entrees, side dishes, and a whole array of desserts and tasty treats. Noah Mathay, who is the Head Chef for the Food Bank of Delaware, prepared all of the dishes and desserts with his team. They did a really superb job. Guests also had the pleasure of being served Dogfish Head brews by its very own president, Sam Calagione!

The main event this year was Grammy-winning country star Pam Tillis. Pam was carried to the stage on a lavish bed by two men singing, Cleopatra Queen of Denial. Gov. Jack Markell and Lt. Gov. Matt Denn joined the stage fanning her with palms and feathers! She was a huge hit with the crowd and sang for over an hour with her acoustic trio.

All in all, the event was a great success. I’m glad the hard work of the Jack Pack volunteers and the Food Bank of Delaware really paid off. The event was able to raise much-needed funds and food donations for the charity. I can’t wait to attend the Bash next year!

For more information on the Food Bank of Delaware or to make a charitable donation, please visit www.fbd.org.

Newark Nite a hit!

2009-06-11T12:25:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, members of the 23rd Representative District Committee set up a table at the Newark Nite festivities to register voters and spread the word about our Democratic values and programs. Committee Chair Mike Gritz offers the following recap of the event:

"This year's Newark Nite came close to a very crowded street carnival. The food offerings were extensive and there were numerous other opportunities to part with your money. The interest in the 23rd RD Democratic Committee booth were many and quite varied; from sincere youth and adults to mild hecklers. People even took pictures of our booth! Looking forward to next year. "

As part of the display, the committee had a poster titled "I am a Democrat because..." which event attendees filled in with their own reasons for supporting the Democratic Party. Here is a sample of the responses:

Republican was the only other choice!
Democrats serve the people, their interest, and economy.
Because when we all do better, we all do better.
America is a democracy
I love Barack Obama!
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I agree with their policies.
Tolerance and open to new ideas.
Cuz eco-friendly is the way to go!
I love America and the Constitution.
Because people matter more than corporations.
I respect others’ opinions but value my own.
I believe all people should be treated equally.

Why we need healthcare reform

2009-06-09T09:22:00.004-04:00

This weekend marked the summer kickoff of President Obama's grassroots campaign for healthcare reform. Volunteers from across the country hosted Healthcare Reform Kickoff events, gathering in diners, coffee shops, and living rooms across the country to share their stories and brainstorm ways to help President Obama build support for his agenda. In Wilmington, one such gathering yielded the following stories:

*One health care professional stated that her company paid 5 different medical insurances to include malpractice insurance, workers compensation, employee health care insurance, and medicare taxes. She wondered why these insurances and insurance payments couldn't be combined to save money and become one payment or even no payment if the government took over the healthcare system.

*Another individual told the story about how his families' life savings were wiped out by one stay in the hospial.

*Individuals who previously lived in Hong Kong and Australia expressed a very positive attitude toward the government supported healthcare programs in both countries.

*Several people stated that their child was about to graduate college and had not gotten a job. Therefore their child would be without healthcare insurance. This caused them great concern. To insure them and their families would cost more than they could afford.

*Another person said that they had seen many people with diabetes who could not afford to buy the insulin they required. As a result several had to have their limbs amputated.

*Another women said that when investigating nursing homes for her father, she found that homes supported by medicare payments were generally better than those supported by private funds from the residents. One reason for this was that government supported homes tended to make the residents get up out of bed every day. This was not the case for the privately supported homes.

*Another man wrote that he had grown up in Trinidad and Tobago, but moved to the US about 20 years ago. In Trinidad and Tobago, everyone has free medical coverage. Here in the US, he is unable to afford insurance. He does not understand how a poor country such as Trinidad can provide free medical insurance for its citizens but a rich country like the US is unable to provide medical assistance or care for its citizens.

*Another man said that he recently attended the Howard Dean Healthcare rally in Elsmere Delaware. He stated that in Governor Dean's home state, the people went to a single payer health plan. For this plan the Health insurance companies wanted to charge a minimun fee of 10% of total costs just to administer this plan. However, the state was able to administer the plan for 4% of total costs. Therefore, the state decided to administer the health care plan.

* Another women stated that her son had recently lost his job and therefore lost his healthcare insurance. The minimum amount required to buy a reasonable healthcare insurance policy was $740.00 per month, even though he was healthy. He has Asburger Syndrome and will be lucky to be able to earn that much in a month so he will be forced to go without health insurance as he will never get a job that will pay enough to live in

* One women stated that being a private business owner, she had to buy her own insurance policy. She got a special rate through the local chamber of commerce of $960.00 per month. She had to pass this cost to her customers. In addition, if she got sick she would be unable to work and therefore would lose her insurance.

Stay tuned with what local Delawareans are doing to fight for health care in their communities at this link: http://www.universalhealthcarecoverage.info/

Open Government Passes the Senate!

2009-06-04T11:59:00.003-04:00

Kavips has a great description of Senator Karen Peterson's bold move to bring HB 1, which provides for public access to records and proceedings of the Delaware General Assembly, onto the floor for a vote. The bill passed the house unanimously on Tuseday (20-1, one absent).

Council of Economic Advisors releases "Economic Case for Health Care Reform"

2009-06-03T13:09:00.005-04:00

On Tuesday afternoon, the President's Council of Economic Advisers released a report detailing the economic advantages of health care reform. Some key points include:

Reducing the growth in the cost of healthcare from 6% to 4.5% annually
Creating approximately 500,000 new jobs
Saving the average family $2,600
Reducing the burden to states for covering emergency care to unemployed individuals

Read the whole report here: http://www.politico.com/static/PPM119_090601_healthcarereport.html

In His Own Words, McCain Wrong Choice in Economic Crunch

2008-10-29T19:52:00.006-04:00

Watch the new Obama ad.

From Bush to Obama; 26 Newspapers Defect

2008-10-28T20:11:00.006-04:00

Pundits are using every barometer imaginable to measure success in this presidential race, and Barack Obama seems to be leading in every category -- from points in the polls to money to crowd size. But Editor and Publisher’s recent measuring stick is very telling of just how wrong John McCain is on the issues most important to voters and those who help shape public opinion.

It has tallied 26 newspapers that had backed Bush in 2004 that have now endorsed Obama, compared with just 4 that swapped Kerry in 2004 for McCain 08.

Taking a look at our daily endorsement tally so far, the Obama-Biden ticket has a hefty lead in both total newspapers and total circulation. But another figure that favors the Democratic candidates is the number of newspapers that have endorsed Sen. Obama despite supporting President Bush’s reelection in 2004.

[...]In California alone, the Obama-Biden ticket picked-up six newspapers that endorsed President Bush in 2004.

He also gained a few papers, such as the Los Angeles Times and Cleveland's Plain Dealer that did not endorse either candidate in 2004. Editor & Publisher, 10/28/08

At this point, though, the only numbers that really matter are the Election Day results. Fellow Obama supporters, while it’s OK to read those headlines, don’t forget in order for all these grand predictions to come true you must actually get out and vote. And don’t stop with just Obama-Biden… keep going all the way down the ballot.

Matt Denn's on Your Side

2008-10-23T20:46:00.004-04:00

Matt Denn, candidate for lt. governor, is on your side. He's spent the last four years fighting for your insurance rights and will bring the same kind of commitment to the lt. governor's office.

Learn more about how Matt Denn is helping Delaware families in his latest
ad.

Slipping Fast

2008-10-20T19:52:00.003-04:00

For a good two weeks, Governor Palin went after Sen. Obama hard with negative personal attacks. But now, as the McCain-Palin numbers slip, she’s even calling for McCain to ease up.

"It's getting so bad that even Sen. McCain's running mate denounced his tactics last night. You know, you really have to work hard to violate Gov. Palin's standards on negative campaigning. You gotta work hard," Obama told the crowd of about 8,000 in Tampa. "He's on the attack. That's what you do when you're out of touch, out of ideas and running out of time." [Dallas Morning News, 10/20/08]

Obama Attacks Country's Problems, McCain Attacks Obama

2008-10-14T21:41:00.007-04:00

As he usually does, Senator Joe Biden had a terrific line Monday night at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Dover.

“Barack Obama and I want to attack America’s problems,” Biden told the crowd of more than 1,000 supporters. “It appears that all Sarah Palin and John McCain want to do is attack us. We want to attack problems. They want to attack us.”

Fittingly, in this election of change, politics as usual isn’t working, and McCain’s negative attacks are starting to turn many voters against him.

The McCain campaign’s recent angry tone and sharply personal attacks on Senator Barack Obama appear to have backfired and tarnished Senator John McCain more than their intended target, the latest New York Times/CBS News poll has found.

…Six in 10 voters surveyed said that Mr. McCain had spent more time attacking Mr. Obama than explaining what he would do as president; by about the same number, voters said Mr. Obama was spending more of his time explaining than attacking. NY Times, 10/14/08

It’s really sad to see McCain who decried attacks in the 2008 election resort to using them now as the campaign slips out of his grasp.

Reviews are in: McCain Can't Connect on Key Issues

2008-10-08T13:48:00.003-04:00

In a debate formatted to suit McCain’s strengths, Barack Obama was the one who scored an overwhelming victory, making a clear case for change that will rebuild the middle class.

In CBS’s poll of undecided voters, 39 percent declared Obama the debate winner, with 27 percent saying McCain won.

After the debate, 68 percent of uncommitted voters said that they think Obama will make the right decisions on the economy, compared to 54 percent who said that before the debate. Fewer thought McCain would do so - 49 percent after the debate, and 41 percent before.

Before the debate, 60 percent thought Obama understands voters' needs and problems; that rose to 80 percent after the debate. For McCain, 35 percent felt he understands voters' needs before the debate, and 46 percent thought so afterwards. [CBS News, 10/8/08]

It’s hard convincing people you’re the guy to solve the country’s economic crisis with rhetoric alone, especially when it was the policies you supported the last six year that led to the problem.

…[A]part from promising to buy up troubled mortgages as president, he offered no real answers for how he plans to solve the country’s deep economic crisis. He is unable or unwilling to admit that the Republican assault on regulation was to blame. [NY Times, 10/8/08]

When foreign policy came up in the debate -- a subject on which McCain claims to be an expert -- things went only slightly better for the Republican.

Obama turned McCain’s smug charges from the last debate about not understanding a whole lot about the world against him.

"I don't understand how we ended up invading a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, while Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda are setting up base camps and safe havens to train terrorists to attack us. That was Senator McCain's judgment and it was the wrong judgment. When Senator McCain was cheerleading the president to go into Iraq, he suggested it was going to be quick and easy, we'd be greeted as liberators. That was the wrong judgment." [Boston Globe, 10/8/08]

Apparently, the McCain campaign has been right about something, though: If they keep talking about the economy... and the issues in general, they’re going to lose.

Not Winning on the Issues, McCain Starts Slinging Mud

2008-10-06T19:28:00.003-04:00

How McCain has changed in eight years. Back in 2000, he denounced negative political ads, saying "if all you run is negative attack ads, you don't have much of a vision for the future."

Fast forward to ’08 and it’s McCain going negative after realizing that he couldn’t win the debate on America’s most important issues -- economics and health care.

Checkout the DNC’s newest ad called "Negative Attack Ads," which follows reports that McCain's campaign is preparing a last ditch barrage of desperate negative attack ads aimed at "turning the page" from the economic crisis facing working families. Recent reports show that McCain has already shifted virtually 100 percent of its ads to negative attack ads.

We can't afford anouther leader with no vision.

McCain Stacking Deck for Gambling Lobby

2008-09-29T20:15:00.004-04:00

A New York Times report shows more double talk from McCain. It outlines McCain's pattern of using his position as the chairman of a key Senate committee to tip the scales in favor of casino lobbyists with connections to his family and campaigns.

Senator John McCain was on a roll. In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table. When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m., the Arizona senator and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.

[...]Mr. McCain was betting at a casino he oversaw as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and he was doing so with the lobbyist who represents that casino, according to three associates of Mr. McCain.

[...]As factions of the ferociously competitive gambling industry have vied for an edge, they have found it advantageous to cultivate a relationship with Mr. McCain or hire someone who has one, according to an examination based on more than 70 interviews and thousands of pages of documents.

Mr. McCain portrays himself as a Washington maverick unswayed by special interests, referring recently to lobbyists as “birds of prey.” Yet in his current campaign, more than 40 fund-raisers and top advisers have lobbied or worked for an array of gambling interests — including tribal and Las Vegas casinos, lottery companies and online poker purveyors. [NY Times, 9/27/08]

In these tough economic times, Americans need a sure thing. We can’t afford to gamble on a flip-flopper like McCain.

Read the NY Times article...

Catch the new DNC video on High Roller John.

Suspending Disbelief, Not the McCain Campaign

2008-09-26T13:54:00.004-04:00

After all the rhetoric to suspend the campaign and run back to Washington to help fix the economic problem, John McCain showed up late to the negotiations and helped House Republicans ruin a bipartisan deal. McCain and House Republicans put forth a proposal that does NOTHING to further protect taxpayers or homeowners, provide independent oversight, or hold CEO’s accountable.

John McCain didn’t go to Washington with a rescue plan for our economy. He went with a rescue plan for his campaign and it looks like it backfired.

[O]ver the intervening 24 hours, McCain saw what at first looked like a brilliant political gambit turn into a nightmare, as an apparent done deal to save the financial industry devolved into a partisan shouting match at the White House that left congressional negotiators back at square one. [Washington Post, 9/26/08]

McCain Would Leave Health Care to Wall Street’s Whims

2008-09-23T19:18:00.006-04:00

For years, John McCain supported legislation taking more and more oversight out of the banking industry. This week we’re seeing the painful effects of those Bush-McCain policies.

Now, McCain wants to leave our health care to the whims of Wall Street the same way he left our retirement and savings.

Despite the current economic crisis, McCain wrote in this month's issue of Contingencies Magazine that it would be a good idea to deregulate the health insurance market "as we have done over the last decade in banking."

With more than 100,000 uninsured in Delaware facing skyrocketing costs, we don't need to give insurance companies an even freer hand over what they charge, who they cover, and what they'll cover.

That’s just plain unhealthy – physically and economically.

McCain Consistently Inconsistent on Economy

2008-09-18T18:41:00.004-04:00

It’s a good thing McCain has so many houses; he needs a lot of closet space for all of those flip-flops.

After spending the week trying to backtrack from his “fundamentals of the economy are strong” statement, McCain took another about-face on government bail outs.

With the economy in turmoil and the country's second-largest insurer faltering, John McCain was unequivocal Tuesday: "We cannot have the taxpayers bail out AIG or anybody else." By Wednesday, he had changed his mind. [LA Times, 9/18/08]

Reading the LA Times article, one gets a real sence that McCain’s overall economic policy is like that old Midwest saying about the weather: If you don’t like it now, wait five minutes it will change.

In a matter of days, McCain shifted from invoking small-government icon Ronald Reagan to quoting Franklin D. Roosevelt, the architect of the modern regulatory state.

And he and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, dropped their promise, as Palin put it, to "get government out of the way of private-sector progress," and are now pledging "stringent oversight" to deal with "a toxic waste there on Wall Street." [LA Times, 9/18/08]

Time after time, economic issues seemed to have caused dramatic "shifts" in McCain’s philosophy.

Six months ago, as signs emerged of a slowdown in the housing market, McCain chided Hillary Rodham Clinton, then still competing for the Democratic nomination, for offering a plan to help homeowners facing foreclosure, noting critically that it looked "very expensive."

After McCain was criticized for appearing unsympathetic, he came back several weeks later with a plan he said would help "well-meaning, deserving homeowners" facing foreclosure. [LA Times, 9/18/08]

In May, though, McCain was back to attacking government intervention. In a speech to the National Restaurant Assn. in Chicago, he mocked Obama's and Clinton's plans for "more federal regulation, more government control of the economy," according to a text of his remarks.

And in July, when a report showed that the nation had shed 62,000 jobs the month before, McCain issued a statement warning: "We cannot . . . increase regulation."

But wait, what happened to keeping government out of business?

Yet while campaigning in Michigan on Wednesday, McCain twice quoted Roosevelt, calling the president who triumphed over Republicans to create a vast system of regulatory agencies and government programs "one of our great presidents." (McCain was reminding autoworkers at a General Motors plant in Lake Orion that Roosevelt had urged optimism even in the depths of the Great Depression.)

Instead of attacking government, McCain and Palin now routinely call for robust federal action. "We've got to get a more coordinated and a much more stringent oversight regime," Palin said Wednesday in an interview on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes." "Government can play a very, very appropriate role in the oversight."

We can’t trust a president to protect us in tough times when he’s consistantly stayed on the sidelines while markets have been tanking, people have been losing their jobs and workers close to retirement have watched their life savings dwindle.

In these tight economic times, Americans can’t afford McCain’s flip-flops.

Economy Still Not McCain's Strong Suit

2008-09-16T18:51:00.004-04:00

On the heels of McCain saying the “fundamentals of the economy are strong” -- as we watched the stock market plunge, saw our savings and retirement dwindle and witnessed two major financial institutions go belly up -- McCain’s top economic advisor says, “I don't think John McCain could run a major corporation.”

While this is one of the first times the McCain campaign has actually given us some straight talk, his top economic advisor shouldn’t be publicizing that on MSNBC.

“If John McCain’s top economic advisor doesn’t think he can run a corporation, how on Earth can he run the largest economy in the world in the midst of a financial crisis? Apparently even the people who run his campaign agree that the economy is an issue John McCain doesn’t understand as well as he should,” Barack Obama’s campaign responded.

McCain’s day didn’t get any better from there. After trying to backtrack from his "fundamentally strong" comment, he proposed appointing a commission to study the financial meltdown.

Senator Barack Obama scoffed at a proposal offered Tuesday by Senator John McCain to create a commission to study the turmoil in the nation’s financial markets, declaring: “We know how we got into this mess.”

“Instead of offering up concrete plans to solve these issues, Senator McCain offered up the oldest Washington stunt in the book – pass the buck to a commission to study the problem,”

“It’s hard to understand how Senator McCain is going to get us out of this crisis by doing the same things with the same old players,” Mr. Obama told a cheering crowd of about 2,000 people here. “Make no mistake: my opponent is running for four more years of policies that will throw the economy further out of balance. His outrage at Wall Street would be more convincing if he wasn’t offering them more tax cuts.” [NY Times, 9/16/08]

Americans really can’t afford a president who just doesn’t get the economy, especially now.

Not Rove? Rove Said McCain Went Too Far?

2008-09-15T18:57:00.002-04:00

It’s pretty bad when Karl Rove, architect of the Bush political empire, calls out a fellow Republican for his campaign attacks.

In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Rove said that the McCain attacks have gone one step too far and are beyond the 100-percent-truth test

"In case anyone was still wondering whether John McCain is running the sleaziest, most dishonest campaign in history, today Karl Rove -- the man who held the previous record -- said McCain's ads have gone too far," Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor wrote in a statement minutes after Rove's on-air comments.

In 2000, McCain claimed he would “not take the low road to the highest office in the land.” But the ‘08 campaign has traveled so far to the south, it needs a map just to find its way back to the low road.

See for yourself.

Remembering September 11th

2008-09-11T12:47:00.002-04:00

Today, the nation honors the memories of those lives lost on September 11, 2001. On the seventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks, Senator Barack Obama has released the following statement which can serve as a guide for the tone we should all take today:

"Today, we honor the memory of each and every life that was lost on September 11, 2001, and grieve with the family and friends who lost a loved one in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We will never forget those who died. We will always remember the heroic efforts of our firefighters, police and emergency responders, and those who sacrificed their own lives on Flight 93 to protect their fellow Americans. And we give thanks for the Americans defending our security in our communities at home, and in our military abroad."

"On 9/11, Americans across our great country came together to stand with the families of the victims, to donate blood, to give to charity, and to say a prayer for our country. Let us renew that spirit of service and that sense of common purpose. Let us remember that the terrorists responsible for 9/11 are still at large, and must be brought to justice. Let us resolve to defeat terrorist networks, defend the American homeland, stand up for the enduring American values that we cherish, and seek a new birth of freedom at home and around the world."

Too Late For a Refund on Mavrick's Soul

2008-09-05T14:42:00.005-04:00

Too bad John McCain sold his soul to the conservatives to win an election because parts of his acceptance speech could have been truly inspiring – had he still actually believed in those proposed bipartisan initiatives.

But all his rhetoric about an effort to bring about change in Washington was nothing more than the same old do-anything-to-win, Karl Rove like campaign stump. It was just more empty words.

How can you bring change when you’ve voted with Bush and the conservatives 90% of the time?

Mr. Maverick traded in his galloping horse for a lap dog a long time ago on the most critical issues, such as tax breaks for the rich, environmental protection, and lobbying and ethics reform.

“John McCain said that his party was elected to change Washington, but that they let Washington change them. He's right. He admonished the 'old, do-nothing crowd' in Washington, but ignored the fact that he's been part of that crowd for twenty-six years, opposing solutions on health care, energy, and education,” said Obama spokesperson Bill Burton.

McCain talking about change is like Bush actually talking – it just doesn’t make any sense. But let him blabber on about it. Voters know that Obama and Biden are the real change agents. They haven’t let Washington change them and are ready to bring change to Washington.

The parts of the speech where he wasn’t flip-flopping show McCain has been in lockstep stride with Bush the last eight years.

“It was mostly a rerun, retread of a lot of old Republican ideas that have brought us to where we are now. I think the country is looking for fresh answers. It's hard to separate yourself out from President Bush when you essentially have the same economic policies as President Bush. I thought that the policy presentation was a little thin,” said David Gergen. [CNN, 9/4/08]

On issues from health care to education to expanding job opportunities, there was no departure from the failed policies of Bush in McCain's speech.

Even though McCain has proven he can morph from rebel to Republican conformist, American’s know there's no flip-floping on that one. He’s so indebted to conservatives that they’ll never return McCain's maverick soul he needs to change Washington.

Palin Speech Proves McCain's No Maverick

2008-09-04T15:20:00.007-04:00

Any independent spirit McCain had left, he lost with Palin’s speech.

She claims McCain’s a maverick, but with every word, Palin confirms -- by choosing her -- he offers nothing more than the same failed conservative thinking, especially when it comes to energy independence.

PALIN: "Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems -- as if we all didn't know that already. But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all."

In Reality -- she does think drilling alone is reasonable way to solve our energy problem, according an article in Investor’s Business Daily.

"I beg to disagree with any candidate who would say we can't drill our way out of our problem or that more supply won't ultimately affect prices. Of course it will affect prices," Palin told the reporter. [Investor's Business Daily, 7/11/08]

When she had chances as governor to help develop alternative energy technology, she vetoed the bills.

PALIN: "Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we're going to lay more pipelines, build more nuclear plants, create jobs with clean coal, and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources."

In Reality -- Palin vetoed $20 million in spending toward a Fire Island wind farm project in 2007.

In Reality -- Palin cut $20 Million for Chugach Electric Association wind farm. [Anchorage Daily News, 6/30/08]

Pailin’s speech may have gotten rousing cheers from a friendly audience, but it doesn’t make what she’s saying true. Her rhetoric about drilling won’t bring long-tem energy independence. It won't help families struggling to fill up their cars or their fuel tanks for the winter.

It will help fill the McCain-Palin war chest with oil money though.

Wow!!

2008-08-29T11:06:00.005-04:00

Once again, Sen. Barack Obama demonstrated why he accumulated 19 million primary votes, attracted a crowd of more than 80,000 to watch his acceptance speech and will bring the change this country so desperately needs as president.

In every way, this speech lived up to its billing, from the size of the crowd to the way Sen. Obama executed on the delivery of his campaign message.

This was a comprehensive dialogue with America, addressing nearly every issue of the campaign.

Obama established why he – not McCain – will bring necessary change, restore our economic and national security, and rebuild America’s reputation as a respected global leader.

He engaged doubters by explaining that he – not McCain – made the right decisions on the most important issues facing this country over the last several years.

Obama also stressed the importance of finding a respectable balance to some of the most highly debated topics of our day, including the second amendment, a woman's right to choose and equal rights for all.

And key to any Obama speech, he inspired Americans and reminded us why this is such a great country and why we should be proud of our accomplishments and our spirit to persevere, even though our leader has let us down.

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