Obama Gets Mad in Boston

More democrats acting like fools, upset about AIDS funding, heckle Obama today in Boston, where he's campaigning for Deval Patrick.
Why would you heckle an ally, unless you're a complete idiot? Not even two years into his term and people have given up on voting, on civility and on making things better for everyone.
With that, I hope democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia loses his bid as Senator because of his ad (see below) where he literally fires a shotgun at cap and trade, a la Sarah Palin, and says he will fix "Obamacare." ARSE.

Democrats are losers but not worse than republicans, which is why I remain happily independent.

If tea partiers are going to win this year, I hope they take the House and the Senate because Americans need to get it out of their system. They need to see that tea partiers are just angry and republicans are just republicans. It's the same old stuff. People are so easily manipulated and it seems politics is just about who's better at exploiting the masses.
I'll post the full video if it comes available.

More from the rally:

Obama Thanks New England Emergency Flood Workers

Obama in Maine

In between a health care rally and a pair of Democratic fundraisers, President Obama made a surprise stop in Framingham, Mass. Thursday evening to thank local workers coordinating the government’s response to the floods that have ravaged New England.

“When these kinds of natural disasters hit, what really matters is the people on the ground,” Obama told some 75 workers at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. “I just want to say thanks on behalf of the country as well.”

Obama spent about 15 minutes at the agency, where he received a briefing from Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. The two men chatted as they looked up at large maps and graphics depicting trouble spots, according to a pool report. Politico

Obama's in Boston raising money for the DNC:

President Obama is at the DNC fundraising dinner at the Boston Opera House, where about 150 people purchased tickets at a price of $32,400 per couple.

Before that, he was at a standing-room only event at the State Room in Boston, where about 800 people paid between $200 and $1,000 to attend. Politico

Obama Speaks at MIT Oct. 23

Updated with video
Obama will speak on clean energy at 12:30 pm eastern and then he's off to the races. At 2:45 pm eastern, he'll speak on behalf of Deval Patrick and at 6:45 pm he'll speak at a fundraising dinner for Chris Dodd. I'll post video when it's up. The events should be live streamed at cnn.com and whitehouse.gov. Also, you may want to check out whitehouse.gov at 12 pm eastern, when Michelle Obama speaks on breast cancer awareness.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

President Barack Obama is doing more than promoting clean energy with a tour of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He's pumping some energy of his own into the campaigns of New England allies facing tough re-election bids.

The president's politicking on Friday begins in Cambridge, Mass., with a quick "official" event at MIT to challenge the nation to lead the global economy in clean energy. That appearance significantly brings down the cost of flying the president to fundraisers designed to raise money for two politically anemic Democrats, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut.
Patrick, an Obama friend who faces re-election in 2010, has insisted for months he's not focused on re-election next year, but drops the pretense with two high-profile fundraisers. AP

Deval Patrick's Mother: I love Me Some Kennedy

If you haven't listened to all the Kennedy tributes that I've posted here, you should. They're all such wonderful stories. Deval Patrick said Kennedy convinced him that politics could be a noble calling. He also tells a great story about Kennedy's gesture at the funeral of Yitzhak Rabin, former Prime Minister of Israel.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Deval Patrick on Filling Kennedy's Senate Seat

Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick wants to be able to appoint someone to fill the Senate seat for the five month interim prior to the special election. A law needs to be changed. What's interesting is that the democrats changed the succession law in the first place:

The succession law was changed in 2004, when Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., became his party's presidential nominee and Republican Mitt Romney was the state's governor. Democratic lawmakers changed the law to block Romney from installing a Republican to serve until the next general election. MSNBC

Kennedy Plans for Succession

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, in a poignant acknowledgment of his mortality at a critical time in the national health care debate, has privately asked the governor and legislative leaders to change the succession law to guarantee that Massachusetts will not lack a Senate vote when his seat becomes vacant.

In a personal, sometimes wistful letter sent Tuesday to Governor Deval L. Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, Kennedy asks that Patrick be given authority to appoint someone to the seat temporarily before voters choose a new senator in a special election.

Although Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer, does not specifically mention his illness or the health care debate raging in Washington, the implication of his letter is clear: He is trying to make sure that the leading cause in his life, better health coverage for all, advances in the event of his death.

In his letter, which was obtained by the Globe, Kennedy said that he backs the current succession law, enacted in 2004, which gives voters the power to fill a US Senate vacancy. But he said the state and country need two Massachusetts senators.

“I strongly support that law and the principle that the people should elect their senator,’’ Kennedy wrote. “I also believe it is vital for this Commonwealth to have two voices speaking for the needs of its citizens and two votes in the Senate during the approximately five months between a vacancy and an election.’’

Under the 2004 law, if Kennedy were to die or step down, voters would select his successor in a special election to be held within five months of the vacancy. But the law makes no provisions for Massachusetts to be represented in the Senate in the interim. In the meantime, President Obama’s plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system, the fate of which may hinge on one or two votes, could come before Congress. Read the rest at BG

Obama Announces National Fuel Standard of 35.5 MPGs

Reporters gathered on the White House lawn with the birds chirping in the background. Perhaps they were cheering cleaner air! For me, this is one of the most exciting things Obama has done yet.

Now the industry knows what is expected of them and they can build cars appropriately and focus on new fuel-efficient technologies. The car companies will be smaller and more nimble, able to better innovate. This is really the only way to get car companies to build fuel-efficient and alternative fuel autos.

The new regulations will add to the price of a car until more fuel efficient cars can be developed at a cheaper price. The cost of an SUV will be even higher, which is a good thing in my book. If you need a bigger car, you're taking up more resources. Eventually, there will be cheap big cars and trucks.

Obama thanked Nancy Pelosi for cracking the whip on this.
He thanked governors: "Let me take them in the order of good looks," he said, announcing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California last. Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts and Gov. Jennifer Granholm, of Michigan's, were also in attendance.
Auto manufacturers and environmental groups were on the lawn.

Obama energy adviser Carol Browner:

Democratic Convention Preview Aug. 26

painting by Shel Starkman


Tuesday is Hillary's night. Mark Warner will keynote. Other big names include Deval Patrick and Bob Casey.

Tuesday, August 26 2008: Renewing America's Promise
Hour #1 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM (LOCAL)
Call to Order
The Honorable Shirley Franklin
Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia

Invocation
Reverend Cynthia Hale
Disciples of Christ - Decatur, Georgia

Presentation of Colors
The American GI Forum
Mile High Chapter, Colorado
Congressionally chartered Mexican-American veterans & civil rights organization

Pledge of Allegiance
Koby Langley
From Fort Mead, Maryland, he received the Bronze Star for leadership in the US Army
Credited with design & implementation of 1st Foreign Torts Claims Policy Act - Iraq

National Anthem
Rocky Mountain Children's Choir
A multicultural, multiracial choir committed to forming community around music

Remarks/Video
The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton
Non-voting Member of the US House of Representatives, District of Columbia

Remarks
Ted Sorenson
Special Counsel, advisor and speechwriter to President John F. Kennedy
Researched and drafted Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage"

The Honorable Mike Honda
Member of the US House of Representatives, California

Dr. David Gipp
Member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
President - United Tribes Technical College

The Honorable Linda Sanchez
Member of the US House of Representatives, California

The Honorable Chet Culver
Governor of Iowa

The Honorable David Patterson
Governor of New York

The Honorable Patrick Leahy
US Senator, Vermont

Hour # 2 4:08 PM – 5:00 PM (LOCAL)
Remarks
The Honorable Chris Van Hollen
Member of the US House of Representatives, Maryland

Remarks
Cecile Richards
President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Daughter of the former Governor of Texas, The Honorable Ann Richards

Congressional Black Caucus
The Honorable Carolyn Kilpatrick
Member of the US House of Representatives, Michigan
The Honorable Charles Rangel
Member of the US House of Representatives, New York
The Honorable John Conyers
Member of the US House of Representatives, Michigan
The Honorable Bennie Thompson
Member of the US House of Representatives, Mississippi

Moment of Silence

Video – “In Memoriam”

Remarks
The Honorable Dennis Kucinich
Member of the US House of Representatives, Ohio

The Honorable John Chiang
State Comptroller, California

The Honorable Jim Doyle
Governor of Wisconsin

The Honorable Ted Strickland
Governor of Ohio

DGA - Remarks
The Honorable Joe Manchin
Governor of West Virginia

Hour # 3 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (LOCAL)
US Senate Women
The Honorable Barbara Mikulski
US Senator, Maryland
The Honorable Barbara Boxer
US Senator, California
The Honorable Mary Landrieu
US Senator, Louisiana
The Honorable Blanche Lambert Lincoln
US Senator, Arizona
The Honorable Debbie Stabenow
US Senator, Michigan
The Honorable Maria Cantwell
US Senator, Washington State
The Honorable Claire McCaskill
US Senator, Missouri
The Honorable Amy Klobuchar
US Senator, Minnesota

Remarks
The Honorable Ed Rendell
Governor of Pennsylvania

The Honorable Tammy Baldwin
Member of the US House of Representatives, Wisconsin

The Honorable Xavier Becerra
Member of the US House of Representatives, California

John Sweeney
President of the AFL-CIO

Robin Golden
Autoworker from Michigan scheduled to lose his job

Video - First Time Delegates: Renewing America's Promise

Remarks
The Honorable Rahm Emanuel
Member of the US House of Representatives, Illinois

Live Performance
Alejandro Escovedo
Vocals & guitar

Hour # 4 6:01 PM – 7:00 PM (LOCAL)
Remarks
The Honorable Steny Hoyer
Member of the US House of Representatives, Maryland
Democratic Majority Leader

Katherine Marcano
Cedar Rapids, Iowa flood victim

Anna Berger
Officer with SEIU & 1st Chair of America's newest labor federation, "Change to Win"

Pauline Beck
Homecare worker & member of SEIU from Oakland, California

The Honorable Janet Napolitano
Governor of Arizona

America’s Town Hall - Economy
Moderator: The Honorable Jennifer Granholm – Governor of Michigan
Panelists: Aimee Christensen, Jim Rogers, Jim Bauer, Jerome Ringo

Remarks
Jim Whitaker
Republican Mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska

Pamela Cash-Roper
Unemployed nurse and lifelong Republican from North Carolina

The Honorable Nydia Velazquez
Member of the US House of Representatives, New York

Hour # 5 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM (LOCAL)
Remarks
The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius
Governor of Kansas

The Honorable Frederico Peña
Former Secretary of Energy and former Mayor of Denver, Colorado

Nancy Floyd
Founder of Nth Power – an energy technology investment firm in Portland, Oregon

The Honorable Robert Casey, Jr.
US Senator, Pennsylvania

Lily Ledbetter
Her actions against Goodyear Tire led to the passage of the Fair Pay Restoration Act

Keynote Speech
The Honorable Mark Warner
Governor of Virginia

Remarks
Ret. Rear Admiral John Hutson
President, Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire
Lifelong Republican

The Honorable Deval Patrick
Governor of Massachusetts

Hour # 6 8:02 PM – 9:04 PM (LOCAL)
Remarks
Gloria Craven
Laid-off North Carolina textile worker with huge medical bills

The Honorable Brian Schweitzer
Governor of Montana

Hillary Clinton Segment - Video/Remarks
The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
US Senator, New York

Benediction
Revs. Jin Ho Kang, Yoougsook Kang
Methodists - Aurora, Colorado

Recess
The Honorable Shirley Franklin
Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia

Democratic Convention Speaker Lineup

Update Aug. 19 Al Gore added to final night? I guess he will speak before Obama.
Monday, August 25 – One Nation
Headline prime-time speaker: Michelle Obama
Featured speakers: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senator Claire McCaskill, Maya Soetoro-Ng and Craig Robinson
Tribute to Senator Edward Kennedy
Mayor John Hickenlooper and a video segment introducing delegates and other Convention attendees to the natural beauty and strong voices of leadership in the Mountain West

Tuesday, August 26 – Renewing America’s Promise
Headline prime-time speaker: Senator Hillary Clinton
Keynote Address: Mark Warner, former Governor of Virginia
Featured speakers: Governors Napolitano, Patrick, Rendell, Schweitzer, Sebelius and Strickland; Senator Bob Casey, Jr. and Federico Peña

Wednesday, August 27 – Securing America’s Future
Headline prime-time speaker: Barack Obama’s Vice Presidential Nominee.
Featured speakers: Former President Bill Clinton; Governor Bill Richardson; Senators Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, Jay Rockefeller and Ken Salazar; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid;House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn; Representative Patrick Murphy (D-PA) and Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth.

Thursday, August 28 – Change You Can Believe In
Barack Obama’s acceptance speech: On Thursday night, the DNCC will throw open the doors of the Convention and move to INVESCO Field at Mile High so that more Americans can be a part of the fourth night of the Convention as Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination.

On Mark Warner from the Obama camp:

CHICAGO - The Obama for America campaign announced today that former Virginia Governor Mark Warner will deliver the keynote address at the 2008 Democratic Convention on Tuesday, August 26th, the second night of the Convention.

An innovative businessman known for his ability to work with Republicans, Democrats and Independents, campaign officials said that Warner's vision for Virginia and his leadership style echoed the Convention's theme of Americans coming together for change.

"Barack Obama believes you can't have a strong economy when you have a weak middle class," said Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe. "Millions of Americans are struggling to get by, forced to make impossible choices about their future and the future of their families. Tuesday's Convention program will feature the voices of Americans who share Obama's concerns and strongly support his detailed economic plan to grow the economy, create jobs, restore fairness, and expand opportunity. As Governor of Virginia, Warner used his experience in business to help deliver jobs and hope to the citizens of Virginia. His work creating jobs in Southwest and Southside Virginia is a model for the rest of the Country. Like Barack Obama, Mark Warner is not afraid to challenge the status quo to bring people together and get things moving. It's that kind of spirit and innovation that resulted in his selection as keynote speaker on a night when we will be discussing how to renew America's promise."

Warner, a candidate for the United States Senate in Virginia, will speak on Tuesday night of the Democratic Convention. The theme of Tuesday's night program at the Convention is Renewing America's Promise.