United we stand? Divided we fall?

Has Clinton insulted less-educated voters?

Senator Clinton has recently suggested, for example, that other journalists refer to an Associated Press story including, “how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me.” Most of those ‘uneducated’ white voters are capable of hearing the underlying text, and being insulted at the implication that their support is linked to their educational level in a sort of class-based oppression that’s familiar to them, but not welcome.

Visit any Union hall, or construction site, and you will find that most know who among their “peers” is conversant with the subtleties of any major issue, that there are on-site pundits without college degrees who garner more respect than most of the talking heads and media experts. No, not everybody agrees with these "not college educated" backroom philosophers and professors, the differences are present, but that’s just the point: differences ARE present, and Senator Clinton arrogantly lumped all of these people together as though individually they don't matter - as though none will notice.

There could hardly be a more fundamental difference between the presidential candidates, as demonstrated by campaign strategies: The Rove tactical toolset and playbook, targeting specific groups to shave a few points in carefully selected spots vs. the Obama vision of "strength through unity" trusting savvy voters to act for the common good.

Barack Obama’s vision of a country increasingly united can be likened to the recognition that while copper is a soft metal which can become brittle, and zinc is also brittle, mixing them yields: brass -- which is stronger than either separately. He trusts the voters to think, to act for the good of the whole, to resist divisive assaults on our freedoms, to respond in ways that resonate with patriotism that once rallied the nation to put a man on the moon.

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Getting down to brass tacks on the Hope front

Getting down to brass tacks on the Hope front
I was talking with a friend of mine the other day about relationships. She is a white woman married to a white man. I am a white woman married to a half Philippino man who looks more, say, Samoan. I have never considered myself to part of a "mixed race" marriage, though I suppose that, technically, I am. I can tell you flat out that we have never seen any discrimination and our children, who both look plain ol' white, have never faced any, either.

I have been in relationships, however, where this wasn't the case. I have, in my lifetime, had relationships with two black men. In the first, he was much more open about the relationship than I. I come from a Southern family and we were living in Virginia and while I wasn't embarassed to be with him, per se, I was fearful of people's reactions. I was afraid to hold hands in public. He would laugh at me, but was patient.

In the second relationship, about five years later, I was the one who was more confident. Granted, we were living in the nineties instead of the eighties and I had worked this ground before. But we were still in Virginia and let me assure you that it was not universally OK.

My friend and I started talking about these relationships because she had come across an article from The Dallas Morning News talking about Barack Obama as the "symbol of acceptance" for some mixed-race couples. It's old news by now that Sen. Obama is, himself, the product of a white mother and a Kenyan father. If I thought that my relationships faced discrimination in the eighties and nineties, that was child's play compared to what Obama's parents must have faced in the early sixties.

To be sure, that discrimination has not passed entirely. And interractial couples are keenly aware of that. They are also keenly aware of the issues that their children, who grow up with the same identity issues Obama discussed in his books, face and the discrimination they can face from both races.

When my husband, the product of a white father and a Philippina mother, was a child, he found himself first not white enough for his classmates in Wilmington, DE, and then not black enough for his classmates in urban Pittsburgh. When Obama used this same language in his speech on race on March 18 of this year, he was speaking directly to my husband and the millions like him in this country who have been straddling the racial divide their whole lives.

In the midst of the policy talk and the endorsements and the super delegate count, some of the more powerful and simpler messages of Obama's candidacy can get lost. And some of them aren't even about what he has to say. Some of them are simply about who he is. He is a singular candidate, symbolizing, with his person, a message of Hope to millions in this country about what is possible for their lives. This isn't high brow talk about economic policy that, let's be honest, leaves most people glassy eyed. This is the Hope that tells millions of Americans that it's OK to be who they are. And it tells millions of others that it's OK to let those people be who they are.

Discrimination, in this country or any other, won't go away. We can never be so polyanna to think that human beings will ever lose the capacity for hate. But we've come a long way and Obama is helping us go farther faster than we might have thought possible.

SF 49ers Stadium Endorsed By SF Chron; Niners Punt On Santa Clara Stadium

The San Francisco Chronicle endorsed Proposition G, which if it passes, will -- in the words of the Chron

offer a nonbinding but nevertheless critical public expression of support for a proposal by Miami's Lennar Corp. to develop up to 10,000 homes, about 700,000 square feet of retail space as well as artist studios, green-tech-research facilities and more than 300 acres of parks and open space in and around the old shipyard. As part of the project, Lennar also would rebuild the Alice Griffith public housing project.

The endorsement came along with the news that the SF 49ers are abandoning the Santa Clara stadium project.

SF STADIUM GETS BOOST WITH SF CHRON ENDORSEMENT

The San Francisco Chronicle endorsed Proposition G, which if it passes, will -- in the words of the Chron

offer a nonbinding but nevertheless critical public expression of support for a proposal by Miami's Lennar Corp. to develop up to 10,000 homes, about 700,000 square feet of retail space as well as artist studios, green-tech-research facilities and more than 300 acres of parks and open space in and around the old shipyard. As part of the project, Lennar also would rebuild the Alice Griffith public housing project.

The endorsement came along with the news that the SF 49ers are abandoning the Santa Clara stadium project.

Religious intolerance is alive and well in the USA

"Muslim!" Now Available In Insult Form:

In a 2004 survey by Cornell university, almost half of the national respondents favored curtailing the civil liberties of Muslims. 40 percent of Republicans wanted American Muslims to register their whereabouts. There are some Americans who recognize the demonization for what it is... but we all need to look fairly at religious discrimination.

As Ali Eteraz's article points out, even Mitt Romney, a Presidential candidate who comes from a marginalized religious background, cannot accept the idea of a Muslim in the cabinet. Why? There is resistance among many Americans to the obvious truth that Muslims are a diverse group: 1.2 billion humans, living in virtually every nation on the planet cannot possibly be less diverse than, say, the registered Republicans in the USA. When all Republicans can agree on an issue then we can ask the question again.

Meanwhile, Congressman Keith Ellison's faith raises eyebrows (except in his Minnesota district, that is, where he is highly regarded,) and the suggestion that Illinois Senator Barack Obama who has attended a Christian church for decades might be a Muslim is circulated as a smear - the very fact that this can be seen as a potential way to undermine his bid for the Democrats nomination to run for the Presidency of the U.S.A. speaks volumes about the mindset of those who repeat it (never mind those who generated the emails.) Who is the real Barack Obama - and why in a country founded in part to insure religious freedom for its citizens should it even matter what faith he - or anyone else - practices?

"First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me."

Those words are attributed to Reverend Martin Niemoeller, who had been a German U-boat commander in the first World War. They were his explanation of why he spoke out against the Nazis. He spent eight years in concentration camps for leading Protestant church opposition to Adolph Hitler. The Nazis imprisoned him at Sachsenhausen in 1937 for criticizing the Third Reich. He was freed from Dachau in 1945 by US troops. He died at the age of 92 on March 6, 1984.

The very first amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbade, expressly, government interference in matters religious:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Can we, the people of the United States of America, now hold ourselves to a lower standard? Can we accept religious intolerance? If we let them come for the Muslims, if we let it happen here, now, as it did in Germany decades ago, who will be there to protect our rights when they come, at last, for us?

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SNL Hillary Clinton Opening: "My Supporters Are Racist"

This is the most biting Saturday Night Live sketch since the Chris Rock / Obama one of a year ago, and is rooted in some truths. But also it sends a message to Senator Clinton that she can't influnce the SNL comedians. It also shows how they feel about her.

Check out this video: Saturday Night Live - Chris Rock Open



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Like a good comedy work about politics should do, it's got some people upset. Of course, Clinton supporters, who are branded --- perhaps forever -- as racist.

Let's see how the Clinton camp responds.

New World Order Video Against World Government

This video going around repeats the phrase "New World Order" as if it's a bad idea. The feat is that a "World Government" will take freedoms away from people.

Personally I object to this point of view. I'm not sold on the idea that our current World order, which promotes racism and separatism and nationalism, is the best way for us.

At any rate, it's a great video. Here it is:

Obama Passes Clinton In Superdelegate Lead

The one authentic claim that Hillary Clinton has voiced for months now is that she has a significant lead over rival Barack Obama in the superdelegate count, thus indicating that her colleagues and Democratic allies overwhelmingly support her quest for the nomination and would echo that sentiment come convention time.

Well, that argument, like many others she's made has now been eliminated. For the very first time in this hotly contested and sometimes combative Democratic race, Barack Obama has gained the upper edge after generating increased support and approval this week from many superdelegtes. As presently constituted, Obama holds a 5.5 lead over the self-destructive junior Senator from New York, 276 to 271.5.

Coordinator of GOP St. Paul Nominating Convention quits

Trouble for the RNC's St. Paul convention!

According to an AP story published by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Doug Goodyear, the man picked by the John McCain campaign to run the 2008 RNC resigned Saturday after a report that his lobbying firm used to represent the military regime in Myanmar. Goodyear, chief executive of DCI Group resigned and issued a two sentence statement, after Newsweek reported online was he paid $348,000 in 2002 to represent Myanmar's junta. According to Newsweek, Justice Department lobbying records show DCI pushed to "begin a dialogue of political reconciliation" with the regime and led a public relations campaign to improve the junta's image.

Newsweek said the firm drafted news releases praising Myanmar's efforts to curb the drug trade and denouncing claims by the Bush administration that the regime engaged in rape and other abuses.



The Newsweek article also reported that some of Goodyear's allies worry that worry the choice of Goodyear could fuel perceptions that McCain is surrounded by lobbyists. DCI Group earned $3 million last year lobbying for ExxonMobil, General Motors and other clients, the report said.

Newsweek further reported DCI has been a pioneer in running "independent" expenditure campaigns by so-called 527 groups, the kind of operations that McCain has denounced in his battle for campaign finance reform.
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Chevron Ecuador Scandal - Claims That Chevron Polluted Ecuador Not True

There's a little war going on regarding Internet-based claims that Chevron was responsible for oil spills in Ecuador.

If one types "Chevron Ecuador" there's a littany of results that point the finger at the oil giant but without solid evidence. Moreover, it seem the people on the anti-Chevron side have launched an effort to block information that would protect Chevron from false claims.

But the fact is that Chevron did not spill oil in Ecuador. The State-Owned oil company Petroecuador did. But Ecuador itself, not a rich country, and influnced by Venezualan President Chavez, has launched a full-scale legal and PR assault on Chevron mainly because Texaco, which Chevron now owns, was partnered with Petroecuador.

Texaco had long ago taken steps to clean up it's matters in this issue, but Ecuador has not.

Look, I'm not a fan of big companies just because they're large, or small firms for the opposite reasons. But I do support telling the truth, and Petroecuador has not been forthcoming in this at all.

More soon.

Obama Camp: Problematic if or how to help w/ Hillary's debt

Will Obama pay Hillary's debt?

Many of Obama's grassroots and netroots backers appear to be somewhere between concerned and irate at the thought that the Obama for America campaign might step in to lend a hand to get Clinton out of a financial hole -- and out of the race...And further outraged that skunk Mark Penn would be standing in line with his hand out, as Clinton reportedly owes Penn a very large sum.

From the FEC:

According to an associate of mine who decided to call the FEC for the straight scoop asked their opinion of the situation. Here are the relevant facts, quote from the email I got earlier today:

"I just called the FEC to get some clarification. (Nothing like going to the source.)

• Obama can only donate $2300 to Hillary's campaign. [Ed: Michelle Obama could, also, bringing the total to $4600 obviously]
• He can donate money to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and they can donate money; that is limited to $5000.
• The DNC can pay for a variety of things, such as commercials, out of hand expenses, but that is limited to the general election.

If Obama wants to help Hillary with her debts, he has to do it with a separate funding program."

Now I'll be the first to admit it's not carved in stone since it was a verbal exchange, but it seems to suggest there are some real limits to just how magnanimous Obama can be financially regardless of his willingness to make gestures in the pursuit of party unity.

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Bill Clinton Argues With West Virginian Voter Over Health Care - Video

Well, here's Bill Clinton fighting again and this time with a West Virginia voter who turned out to be an Obama supporter and who dared take on the former President at a rally yesterday. Clinton always seems like he's itching for a fight in situations where his speech is interrupted by a heckler, and where Senator Obama just goes right on talking, Bill stops his entire speech to enter a confrontation.

I used to think this was part of some weird strategy but now I think it's just Bill being a meany. See, President Clinton's done a lot for a lot of people and so he has to -- to a degree -- run on his Presidency all over again and almost as if he's running for a third term. In his mind we should remember all that he has done and we should think of Senator Clinton as by extension to his administration. And more to the point, we all should be grateful.

But all are not. Well, it's not so much that as people do remember that Bill and Hillary didn't succeed in passing health care reform and then did kind of give up on it. But Bill's having none of that. Coupled with the face of losing to Senator Obama for the Presidential Race and a drying well of donors -- or more to the point, seeing his wife lose the race and money -- Bill had to lash out at someone. And so he did:



But it's not what they need at this time. Of course, as an Obama supporter myself I watch with glee, but also with some sadness because I thought Senator Clinton would make a great VP choice, but now I'm reconsidering. Not sold on Jim Webb - yet.