There are a lot of good posts here on Vox celebrating President Obama's inauguration, but none so moved me as this one did. Hat tip to Prairie Plains.
Tag Archive: obama
May I wish you all a happy and successful Inauguration Day. I know how proud so many of you feel with the election of Barack Obama as your President. He is a fine man, and I am sure he will do his utmost to fulfil his responsibilities to the very best of his ability. The task confronting him is a daunting one, but I have every confidence that he is equal to it. The hopes and best wishes of the rest of the world go with you.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24599528-12377,00.html
Barack Obama's grandmother dies of cancer
BARACK Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died of cancer at the age of 86.
Senator Obama announced the news today, on the eve of the US election.
"It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer,'' Senator Obama said in a joint statement with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng.
"She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility.
"She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances.
"She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure.''
Obama's "rock"
Ms Dunham was the rock on which the Democrat built his life and his stunning political career.
She had been in fragile health, suffering from osteoporosis and cancer. Her health had further deteriorated after she recently broke her hip.
Knowing her life was ebbing away, the Democratic nominee took the highly unusual step of leaving the White House trail to race to her bedside for a few hours in late October.
Along with his mother, Ann Dunham, a white American from Kansas who died of cancer more than a decade ago, Ms Dunham raised Senator Obama and grounded him despite his rocky childhood after his Kenyan-born father deserted the family.
Senator Obama paid moving tribute to Ms Dunham – who he called by the nickname "Toot", a derivation of the Hawaiian word for grandmother – in his speech accepting the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August.
"She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life,'' he said.
"She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.''
Unlike Senator Obama's wife Michelle and young daughters Malia and Sasha, Senator Obama's grandmother never enter the spotlight during the campaign due to her frail health.
The only contact voters have had with her is through old photographs showing a youthful Senator Obama with his grandmother and grandfather, who served in the US army in World War II.
Ms Dunham worked on a bomber production line.
But she did emerge as an issue in the campaign, when Senator Obama brought her up in a key speech on race while a controversy swirled over the fiery and racially tinged sermons of his former pastor Jeremiah Wright.
He said he could no more disown Mr Wright than he could his "white grandmother".
He said Ms Dunham was someone who "loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe".
http://www.alternet.org/election08/105825/are_you_on_the_edge_of_your_seat/?page=entire
Are You on the Edge of Your Seat?
As the big day approaches, there's a glut of information out there on the election. What follows is a round up of some of the most important and fascinating news from the 2008 race:
Latest polling shows Obama upswing
Gallup/USA Today Poll released on Nov. 2: Obama: 53% McCain: 42%
And CBS released another poll showing similar numbers: 54 percent to 41 percent.
Hope Reborn from DailyKos writes of the Gallup/USA Today results:
"When Gallup allocates undecided voters … Obama's share climbs to 55%, giving him an11-point spreadover McCain's 44%. These are blowout numbers. By comparison, in 1988 (the last time one of the two major parties posted a decisive win, without a significant third-party candidate in the race) George Bush Sr. won 53.4% to Michael Dukakis's 45.7%.
"In other words, if Gallup's final poll is roughly right, John McCain may very well end upunderperforming Mike Dukakis. And how effective have McCain's slimeball attacks on Obama been? One more historic tidbit from the survey: Obama's favorable rating is 62% — the highest that any presidential candidate has registered in Gallup's final pre-election polls going back to 1992."
Sarah Palin Is Still at It
Palin suggests the U.S. is at war with Iran: Speaking to Fox News' Greta van Susteren this weekend, Palin said, "We realize that more and more Americans are starting to see the light there and understand the contrast. And we talk a lot about, OK, we're confident that we're going to win on Tuesday, so from there, the first 100 days, how are we going to kick in the plan that will get this economy back on the right track and really shore up the strategies that we need over in Iraq and Iran to win these wars?"
Sarah Palin thinks her 1st amendment rights are being attacked if the press calls her comments 'negative': ABC News' Steven Portnoy reports, "In a conservative radio interview that aired in Washington, D.C. Friday morning, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin said she fears her First Amendment rights may be threatened by 'attacks' from reporters who suggest she is engaging in a negative campaign against Barack Obama."
Thinking about the possibility of a stolen election
Things might go smoothly in the election, but many doubt that it will. There have already been tens of thousands voter complaints from all over the country.
If voter suppression spreads, machines break down, lines last for many hours, and aggressive legal tactics are employed and together they appear to put the election in jeopardy, it will be vital that tens of thousands of people are mobilized as quickly as possible.
AlterNet will supply readers with instant, accurate information if the vote has to be protected.
But to be serious about fighting back against an election at risk requires an election challenge process in synch with the campaign. It can not function as a PR exercise. Candidates shouldn't concede prematurely.
Citizen assemblies wold have to be generated immediately so people can testify as to where the system broke down on election day. And people who report problems actually need toleave very detailed contact information, so they too can be contacted by attorneys. In Ohio in 04, Kerry asked the OH Dem Party if they could pull together evidence in 24 hours to show how the vote was stolen and they replied no. He then conceded.
As AlterNet's Steve Rosenfeld writes, "1-866-OUR-VOTE (administered by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law) and 1-888-Ve-Y-Vota (administered by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund). These hotlines have legal staff that will answer questions in real time and give advice, regardless of political affiliation. They have 10,000 volunteer lawyers who will answer questions, log problems and take legal action if necessary."
Polls and analysis point to Obama victory — but election system is far from perfect
While hundreds of polls point to a strong Obama victory, and while even top GOP analysts concede they can't see a path for McCain to win, there are still many unresolved issues relating to the election process itself: it is hard to assess what the enormous turnout and huge numbers of mail-in ballots are going to do to the voting and counting process. Recent elections show that there are never enough voting machines in lower income neighborhoods, no matter what the circumstances. Read about the Advancement Project's report identifying the cities and precincts in swing states that may face long lines, poll worker shortages and voting delays in 2008.
Early voting results put Obama ahead in key states:
Political scientist Michael McDonald of George Mason has a comprehensive website displaying the most current information on the status of early voting. More than 25 million early votes have been cast so far, according to McDonald's site, and the numbers clearly favor Obama, writes brownsox of DailyKos:
Florida: Early-voting Democrats are outnumbering Republicans at those sites by more than 20 percentage points, and a WSVN-Suffolk University poll has Barack Obama leading over John McCain 60% to 40% among early voters. Georgia: Two million people, a record, cast early ballots in Georgia. That's 60% of the total 2004 vote. Blacks comprise 35% of Georgia early voters, and women 56%, suggesting that as of right now, Barack Obama and Jim Martin are winning big. Nevada: With more than 600,000 Nevadans already having voted according to the AP, "The early voting in advance of Election Day has been so heavy that Secretary of State Ross Miller increased his total turnout prediction from about 1 million to 1.1 million voters." That lowers the early-absentee balloting percentage — but it's still at 56 percent of the revised total of expected voters. In Clark County, Democratic early voting outstrips Republican by 52% to 31%, while in traditionally Republican Washoe County (where just a couple of weeks ago, Democratic registration topped Republicans for the first time since 1978), 47% of early voters are Democrats to 35% Republicans."
McCain-Palin's focus on Pennsylvania reveals cynical hopes about appeal to racism:
The Mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania said this weekend: "There is no other reason for John McCain and Sarah Palin to be in the state based on what the polls say, except that they're counting on us to be bigots." The past five Pennsylvania presidential polls show Obama with a 6-8 point lead. Said VP candidate Joe Biden on Saturday, "I don't think it will be that close in Pennsylvania. I feel very good about Pennsylvania," he said. "Maybe because I know the state so well. I'm not overconfident about it, but I feel real good there."
If Arizona Gets as close as polling shows, it could take weeks to call
Themost recent poll from Arizona shows only a 1 point lead for McCain over Obama, and the latest news about voting there reveals it may take much longer than Nov. 4 to know for sure:
From the Arizona Republic:
[Maricopa County elections spokeswoman Yvonne] Reed said 827,380 County residents had requested absentee ballots or had voted early as of 2 p.m. Friday. The county has seen 566,656, or 68.4 percent, of those ballots returned. There are about 1.7 million registered voters in the county. Early ballots figure to create a significant delay in the compilation of final results. Officials expect that about 200,000 early ballots won't be marked or mailed early but instead will be walked into a polling place or will arrive via mail on Election Day. Those ballots won't be processed until two days after the election, Reed said, and Maricopa County hopes to have all of them compiled by Nov. 21.
Polling indicates huge landslide for Obama … in Iowa:
Sen. Barack Obama is beating Sen. John McCain in Iowa by a huge 17 point margin, 54% to 37%, according to a new Des Moines Register Iowa Poll. Writes dean of Iowa political reporters David Yepsen: "If that kind of margin is reflected in what happens on Election Day, it would be the largest presidential margin in Iowa since Richard Nixon beat George McGovern by 17.1 percentage points in the state in 1972."
Montana could turn blue for Obama
From the Christian Science Monitor: "With less than 48 hours to go before Election Day, talk of the usually reliable red state of Montana going Obama is being seen as a real possibility. Both CNN and NBC have moved the Big Sky state from leaning McCain to toss-up."
Republicans scramble to save seats in Congress
"With the election imminent, Senate Republicans threw their remaining resources into protecting endangered lawmakers in Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Oregon, while House Republicans were forced to put money into what should be secure Republican territory in Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and Wyoming.
"Sensing an extraordinary opportunity to expand their numbers in both the House and Senate, Democrats were spending freely on television advertising across the campaign map. Senate Democrats were active in nine states where Republicans are running for re-election; House Democrats, meanwhile, bought advertising in 63 districts, twice the number of districts where Republicans bought advertisements and helped candidates."
McCain campaigning in Tennessee?
Another strange move for McCain: On his final day before the election, McCain is making a stop in Tennessee, where he is polling at an average of 15% higher than Obama. From the Huffington Post:
"On Monday, McCain will spend much of the day in the air while traveling to six states — starting the day in Tampa, FL, he then heads to Blountville, TN and Moon Township, PA, Indianapolis, IN, Roswell, NM, Henderson, NV and ending the night with a midnight rally in Prescott, AZ. Palin continues in Ohio, starting in Lakewood before moving on to Jefferson City, MO and Dubuque, IA and Colorado Springs, CO before finishing in Reno and Elko, NV."
Huge discrepancy in cellphone polls vs. landline polls
Nate Silver of 538.com writes: "The cellphone polls have Obama ahead by an average of 9.4 points; the landline-only polls, 5.1 points."
Grey color indicates landline poll, yellow indicates cell phone.
Silver explains, "I [spoke to] Mark DeCamillo of California's vaunted Field Poll, which does include cellphones in their samples. He suggested to me that it was much easier to get the cooperation of cellphone users on the weekend than during the week. How come? Because most cellphone plans include free weekend minutes. Conversely, one might expect that young people are particularly difficult to reach on their landlines over the weekend, since they tend to be away from home more (especially on a weekend when some nontrivial number of them are out volunteering for Obama). So, while I haven't tried to verify this, it wouldn't surprise me if the 'cellphone gap' expands over the weekend, and contracts during the week."
Shadowy campaign by racist abortion activist to hurt Obama's Latino vote:
Will Evans, Center for Investigative Reporting via TruthDig writes:
"In a last-ditch attempt to derail Latino support for Obama, an anti-abortion crusader and anti-illegal immigration activist have teamed up to blast out Gracida's message by email to nearly three million Latino voters and reaching even more people by radio.
"Randall Terry, the aggressive anti-abortion organizer who founded Operation Rescue, says it was his idea. He enlisted Gracida, who made national headlines in 1990 by excommunicating three Catholics for assisting with abortions. In 2004, Gracida gave a special benediction for the Republican National Convention." He told us the emails went to "2.9 million Hispanic voters" as well as "100,000 whites." He corrected that to "100,000 Americans," then quickly said that didn't sound quite right either."
I am posting extracts from Riverbend's blog from the date of her last post until Obama is elected President of the United States.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
And Life Goes On…
The elections have come and gone. The day of elections was a day of eerie silence punctuated by a few strong explosions and the hum of helicopters above. We remained at home and watched the situation on tv. E. left for about an hour to see what was happening at the local polling area, which was a secondary school nearby. He said there were maybe 50 people at the school and a lot of them looked like they were involved with the local electoral committee. The polling station near our house was actually being guarded by SCIRI people (Badir’s Brigade).
It was like an voting marathon for all of the news channels- everywhere you turned there was news of the elections. CNN, Euronews, BBC, Jazeera, Arabia, LBC… everyone was talking elections. The Arab news channels were focusing largely on voting abroad while CNN kept showing footage from the southern provinces and the northern ones.
I literally had chills going up and down my spine as I watched Abdul Aziz Al Hakeem of Iranian-inclined SCIRI dropping his ballot into a box. Behind him, giving moral support and her vote, was what I can only guess to be his wife. She was shrouded literally from head to foot and only her eyes peeped out of the endless sea of black. She stuffed her ballot in the box with black-gloved hands and submissively followed a very confident Hakeem. E. turned to me with a smile and a wink, “That might be you in a couple of years…” I promptly threw a sofa cushion at him.
Most of our acquaintances (Sunni and Shia) didn’t vote. My cousin, who is Shia, didn’t vote because he felt he didn’t really have ‘representation’ on the lists, as he called it. I laughed when he said that, “But you have your pick of at least 40 different Shia parties!” I teased, winking at his wife. I understood what he meant though. He’s a secular, educated, non-occupation Iraqi before he’s Sunni or Shia- he’s more concerned with having someone who wants to end the occupation than someone Shia.
We’re hearing about various strange happenings at different voting areas. They say that several areas in northern Iraq (some Assyrian and other Christian areas) weren’t allowed to vote. They also say that 300 different ballot boxes from all over the country were disqualified (mainly from Mosul) because a large number of the vote ballots had “Saddam” written on them. In other areas there’s talk of Badir’s Brigade people having bought the ballots to vote, and while the people of Falloojeh weren’t allowed to vote, people say that the identities of Falloojans were temporarily ‘borrowed’ for voting purposes. The stories are endless.
In spite of that, we’re all watching for the results carefully. When the ‘elected’ government takes control, will they set a timetable for American withdrawal? That would be a shocker considering none of the current parties would be able to remain in power without being forcefully backed by America with tanks and troops. We hear American politicians repeatedly saying that America will not withdraw until Iraq can secure itself. When will that happen? Our current National Guard or “Haress il Watani” are fondly called “Haress il Wathani” or “Infidel Guard” by people in the streets. On top of it all, to be one of them is considered such a disgrace by the general population that they have to wear masks so that none of them can be identified by neighbors and friends.
The results won’t really matter when so many people boycotted the elections. No matter what the number say, the reality of the situation is that there are millions of Iraqis who will refuse to submit to an occupation government. After almost two years of occupation, and miserable living conditions, we want our country back.
I do have my moments of weakness though, when I wonder who will be allowed to have power. Politicians are talking about a balance that might arise from a Shia, Kurdish alliance and it makes a lot of sense in theory. In theory, the Kurdish leaders are Sunni and secular and the Shia leaders are, well, they’re not exactly secular. If they get along, things should work out evenly. That looks good on blogs and on paper. Reality is quite different. Reality is that the Kurdish leaders are more concerned about their own autonomy and as long as the Kurdish north remains secular, the rest of Iraq can go up in flames.
An example is the situation in Baghdad today. The parties that have power in colleges today are actually the Iranian inclined Shia parties like Da’awa and SCIRI. Student representatives in colleges and universities these days mainly come from the abovementioned parties. They harass Christian and Muslim girls about what they should and shouldn’t wear. They invite students to attend “latmiyas” (mainly Shia religious festivities where the participants cry and beat themselves in sorrow over the killing of the Prophet’s family) and bully the cafeteria or canteen guy into not playing music during Ramadhan and instead showing the aforementioned latmiyas and Shia religious lectures by Ayatollah So-and-So and Sayid Something-or-Another.
Last week my cousin needed to visit the current Ministry of Higher Education. After the ministry building was burned and looted, the employees had to be transferred to a much, much smaller building in another part of the city. My cousin’s wife wanted to have her college degree legalized by the ministry and my cousin wasn’t sure about how to go about doing it. So I volunteered to go along with him because I had some questions of my own.
We headed for the building containing the ministry employees (but hardly ever containing the minister). It was small and cramped. Every 8 employees were stuck in the same room. The air was tense and heavy. We were greeted in the reception area by a bearded man who scanned us disapprovingly. “Da’awachi,” my cousin whispered under his breath, indicating the man was from the Da’awa Party. What could he do for us? Who did we want? We wanted to have some documents legalized by the ministry, I said loudly, trying to cover up my nervousness. He looked at me momentarily and then turned to the cousin pointedly. My cousin repeated why we were there and asked for directions. We were told to go to one of the rooms on the same floor and begin there.
“Please dress appropriately next time you come here.” The man said to me. I looked down at what I was wearing- black pants, a beige high-necked sweater and a knee-length black coat. Huh? I blushed furiously. He meant my head should be covered and I should be wearing a skirt. I don’t like being told what to wear and what not to wear by strange men. “I don’t work here- I don’t have to follow a dress code.” I answered coldly. The cousin didn’t like where the conversation was going, he angrily interceded, “We’re only here for an hour and it really isn’t your business.”
“It is my business.” Came the answer, “She should have some respect for the people who work here.” And the conversation ended. I looked around for the people I should be respecting. There were three or four women who were apparently ministry employees. Two of them were wearing long skirts, loose sweaters and headscarves and the third had gone all out and was wearing a complete “jubba” or robe-like garb topped with a black head scarf. My cousin and I turned to enter the room the receptionist had indicated and my eyes were stinging. No one could talk that way before the war and if they did, you didn’t have to listen. You could answer back. Now, you only answer back and make it an issue if you have some sort of death wish or just really, really like trouble.
Young females have the option of either just giving in to the pressure and dressing and acting ‘safely’- which means making everything longer and looser and preferably covering some of their head or constantly being defiant to what is becoming endemic in Iraq today. The problem with defiance is that it doesn’t just involve you personally, it involves anyone with you at that moment- usually a male relative. It means that there might be an exchange of ugly words or a fight and probably, after that, a detention in Abu Ghraib.
If it’s like this in Baghdad, I shudder to think what the other cities and provinces must be like. The Allawis and Pachichis of Iraq don’t sense it- their families are safely tucked away in Dubai and Amman, and the Hakeems and Jaffaris of Iraq promote it.
At the end of the day, it’s not about having a Sunni or Shia or Kurd or Arab in power. It’s about having someone who has Iraq’s best interests at heart- not America’s, not Iran’s, not Israel’s… It’s about needing someone who wants peace, prosperity, independence and above and beyond all, unity.
I've just read one of the best posts ever on Vox. Do yourself a favour and read this on Prairieplains bog.
Religiously active voters warm toward Obama, poll shows
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 11:30 AM
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Along with the other good polling news Democrat Barack Obama has received this week comes this tidbit today: He's closing the God Gap.
At least a little.
One of the most striking results from the 2004 presidential race was the huge majority of the active religious faithful backing the re-election of President Bush, an evangelical Christian. Exit polls show he won more than 60 percent of those voters, leading many analysts to conclude that this was the key to Bush's victory, especially in closely contested states such as Ohio.
That margin was soon dubbed the God Gap.
But a new study shows that while those who participate in worship services at least weekly remain in the Republican camp, less-frequent attenders are sidling up to Obama. Sixty percent of those who take in worship just once or twice a month are supporting Obama, compared with 49 percent who backed Democratic Sen. John Kerry four years ago, says a survey released this morning by the nonpartisan group Faith in Public Life.
Younger Roman Catholic voters are especially likely to back Obama.
Another turnaround revealed in the study: Obama is viewed as slightly more "friendly" toward religion than Republican Sen. John McCain. In past surveys, the Republican candidates virtually always prevailed in this measure.
Other findings from the study:
* The economy, energy, gas prices and health care were ranked as the most important issues, with the economy No. 1 among all religious groups.
* Those old wedge issues, abortion and same-sex marriage, are regarded as the least important matters in the 2008 election. Even white evangelicals don't place these issues among their top five.
* A generation gap on same-sex marriage is large and increasing. The difference between young adults and older Americans has nearly doubled in the past two years; only 29 percent overall say gay couples should be allowed to marry, while 46 percent of young adults do. The ratio is even more pronounced among white evangelicals: 9 percent overall oppose gay marriage, 25 percent of young adults approve.
The telephone poll of 2,000 American adults was conducted from Aug. 28 through Sept. 19, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. The survey was conducted for Faith in Public Lie by Public Religion Research.
The study can be seen at www.faithinpubliclife.org.
http://news.smh.com.au/world/world-backs-obama-readers-digest-20081007-4vrq.html
World backs Obama: Readers Digest
October 7, 2008 – 6:55PM
If Australians could vote for US president, Democrat Barack Obama would win by a landslide, according to a survey that was part of a global poll.
In fact if the whole world could vote, Obama would win by a landslide in all but one of the 17 countries polled by Reader's Digest magazine.
The odd one out was the United States where Republican John McCain was preferred by a narrow margin, the magazine said in an article posted on its website.
However, the surveys – with about 1,000 participants in each country – were conducted from June 2 to July 7 and since then Obama has been leading in opinion polls.
In Australia, 76 per cent of respondents said they would vote for Obama, to McCain's 10 per cent.
When asked if they were paying attention to the campaign, 85 per cent of Australians said they were, with 24 per cent of claiming a high level of interest.
But a resounding 71 per cent said they would not want to live in the United States.
Of the global picture, the magazine's polling director John Fredricks said: "It's Obama by a landslide – except in the country in which he's actually running for president".
"What is most striking is the margin of his support."
Obama was preferred by more than 90 per cent in the Netherlands, by 85 per cent in Germany and by similar margins on all six continents, the magazine said.
Polling was conducted in Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Taiwan, and the United States.
An interactive reader survey by The Economist delivered another resounding victory for Obama.
The Economist has created a "Global Electoral College" in which readers in all of the world's 195 countries can cast votes on its website.
Mirroring the US system, each country is allocated a number of votes in proportion to its population.
In the US electoral college, a candidate needs to win 270 of a total 538 votes to win the White House. US voters cast ballots to decide who wins their state's electoral college votes, rather than voting for president directly.
"With over 6.5 billion people (worldwide) enfranchised, the result is a much larger electoral college of 9,875 votes," the Economist said of its global version.
"But rally your countrymen – a nation must have at least 10 individual votes in order to have its electoral college votes counted," it said.
Voting at http://www.economist.com/vote2008 will conclude on November 1 at midnight London time.
So far, Obama had tallied 8,455 global votes and McCain 16 – from Andorra, Georgia and Macedonia.
© 2008 AFP
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