The Youth Vote Goes to.... Obama

"In South Carolina, Obama drew more under-30 votes than all Republican candidates combined, according to exit polls."

Time

The Year of the Youth VoteTIME -

news of the day.....
In his own words: Bill Clinton on Barack Obama and Jesse JacksonLos Angeles Times -
New York Post shuns hometown senator Clinton, backs ObamaAFP - NEW YORK (AFP)
Obama campaign reports $32-million infusionLos Angeles Times
Clinton, Obama campaigning Monday in ConnecticutNewsday
Clinton, Obama make appeals for Edwards backersSan Diego Union Tribune
Clinton, Obama scramble over who can beat McCainAFP - DENVER, Colorado (AFP)
Imagine: McCain vs. ObamaChicago Tribune -
'Unknown' Obama struggling to woo California HispanicsAFP -
The Year of the Youth VoteTIME -
TIGER WOODS VOTING FOR BARACK OBAMA?
Barack Obama and Vote Rankings
Congressman Earl Pomeroy Endorses Barack Obama
African Americans and Sen. Barack ObamaBarack Obama.
Congressmen Larson, Murphy to endorse Barack Obama

Senator Claire McCaskill is the highest-ranking Democrat in Missouri, and Missouri picks Presidents. The Show-Me State has voted for the winner in 25 of the past 26 elections. This is why the contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination fought so hard for McCaskill's endorsement. As her wary advisers helped her weigh the risks and rewards of siding with powerful Hillary Clinton or charismatic Barack Obama, neutrality began to look appealingly safe.

But there's something about an 18-year-old that can't abide careful hedging and cautious steps. The Senator's daughter Maddie Esposito had seen the way her mother teared up whenever she heard Obama speak. And now it was happening again as mother and daughter sat side by side on the family-room sofa in a suburb of St. Louis, watching the results of the Iowa caucuses on TV. "You know you believe in him," Maddie admonished her damp-eyed mother. "It's time to step up." The next morning, Maddie, a college freshman home for the holidays, added a threat: "You have to do it, or I'm never talking to you again."

McCaskill endorsed Obama — a big boost in an important Super Tuesday primary state. And the story of that endorsement is the Democratic-nomination battle etched in miniature. Kids like Maddie Esposito are the muscle of Obama's army. His campaign has become the first in decades — maybe in history — to be carried so far on the backs of the young. His crushing margin of victory in Iowa came almost entirely from voters under 25 years old, and as the race moved to New Hampshire and Nevada, their votes helped him stay competitive. In South Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 26, Obama's better than 3-to-1 advantage among under-30 voters more than neutralized Clinton's narrower edge among over-65s. Now, as the candidates shift to the coast-to-coast, Dixie-to-Dakota battlefield of Feb. 5, Obama is counting on a wave of Democrats experiencing their own McCaskill moments, roused to his banner by the fervent — if sometimes vague — urgings of youth.

Obama in California Photos

at the Kodak Theater


live blog from where the debate will be held tonight!

Sweet Mining Deal, Money for Clinton

Obama is not mired in all this kind of icky stuff.
and this blechy stuff.

and the republicans were so dreadful last night. like little children. worse.

he's some refreshment for you:

Obama in Kansas

another fab speech. obama tells the story of his grandparents of kansas.

Hallmark Meat Packing Horrific Torture of Cows

update feb. 18: this from the human society, take action.
update feb 17: meat recalled
update Feb. 15: cruelty charges filed
Update Feb. 6: The company's president was reportedly surprised that cows were being abused. Well, that's no surprise. he probably fired a few workers, looked stunned and promised to do better. Hallmark and Westland were temporarily shut down. but the companies shouldn't be let off the hook. take action.
here's what obama had to say.
factory farming campaign reports with videotaped evidence that Hallmark (and Westland Meat Co.) are brutally abusing cows, the ones called "downers," which are the sick ones. They're trying to force them into the slaughterhouse. the video is disgusting. and leaders of that company ought to be severely punished.
take action here.
CNN also is reporting this.
here is the story:

Undercover Investigation Reveals Rampant Animal Cruelty at California Slaughter Plant – A Major Beef Supplier to America’s School Lunch Program
January 30, 2008 Posted 10 A.M.

See video from the undercover investigation, and take action to stop this cruelty. WARNING: Very graphic images of cruelty.
Video evidence compiled by The Humane Society of the United States shows inhumane handling methods that may have endangered the health of children.

A shocking undercover investigation by The Humane Society of the United States reveals widespread mistreatment of "downed" dairy cows—those who are too sick or injured to walk—at a Southern California slaughter plant.

The investigation at the Hallmark Meat Packing Co., of Chino, pulls open a curtain on the scandalous treatment of animals slaughtered to supply the National School Lunch Program and other federal aid programs.

Video evidence obtained by an HSUS investigator shows slaughter plant workers displaying complete disregard for the pain and misery they inflicted as they repeatedly attempted to force "downed" animals onto their feet and into the human food chain.

Cruelties that Defy Belief

In the video, workers are seen kicking cows, ramming them with the blades of a forklift, jabbing them in the eyes, applying painful electrical shocks and even torturing them with a hose and water in attempts to force sick or injured animals to walk to slaughter.

"This torture is right out of the waterboarding manual. To see the extreme cruelties shown in The HSUS video challenges comprehension," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS.

"This must serve as a five-alarm call to action for Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Our government simply must act quickly both to guarantee the most basic level of humane treatment for farm animals and to protect America's most vulnerable people, our children, needy families and the elderly from potentially dangerous food."

Beef Distributed for School Lunches and the Needy

Hallmark's Chino, Calif., slaughter plant supplies the Westland Meat Co., which processes the carcasses. The facility is the second-largest supplier of beef to USDA's Commodity Procurement Branch, which distributes the beef to needy families, the elderly and also to schools through the National School Lunch Program. Westland was named a USDA "supplier of the year" for 2004-2005 and has delivered beef to schools in 36 states. More than 100,000 schools and child care facilities nationwide receive meat through the lunch program.

Hallmark Meat Packing has no connection to Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Temple Grandin, a renowned expert on animal agriculture and professor at Colorado State University, called the images captured in the investigation "one of the worst animal abuse videos I have ever viewed."

A Demand for Action

The HSUS recently completed its six-week undercover investigation at the federally-inspected slaughter plant. Videotape evidence and investigative background have been given to law enforcement authorities in San Bernardino County, Calif.


©The HSUS

See the extended first-person investigator's video and take action to stop this cruelty. WARNING: Extremely graphic images of cruelty.
In releasing footage from the investigation, The HSUS demands that the USDA move swiftly to tighten its confusing regulations on the slaughter of downed cattle. Downer cows must not be used for food—plain and simple. As The HSUS video shows, this is necessary to protect animals from suffering. As science has made clear, this is necessary to protect food safety. The practice of slaughtering downed cows is especially troubling now that the link between downed cattle and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, has been firmly established. Of the 15 known cases of BSE-infected animals discovered in North America, at least 12 involved downed animals.

At the same time, The HSUS is urging Congress to intervene. The Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act (H.R. 1726) would set modest animal welfare standards, including humane euthanasia of any downed animals, for producers who sell food to federal government programs, and the Downed Animal Protection Act (S. 394 and H.R. 661) would ban any slaughtering of downed animals for human consumption.

here is the company address, phone:
13677 Yorba Ave
Chino, CA , 91710-5059
Phone: 909-591-0163
FAX: 909-590-3897

Unity Rally UC Irvine Friday Feb. 1

UCI canceled. 9:30 am Santa Ana HQ instead
find an event near you.

Time:Friday, February 1 at 6:00 PM
Duration:
2 hours
Location:
University of California Irvine (Irvine, CA)

Edwards Drops, Giuliani, Who Cares

why in the world would john edwards drop out of the race just a few days before the big one? what kind of populist message is that? i feel bad for all those passionate edwards supporters. if obama dropped out i'd be madder than heck.
here's a great and entertaining analysis.
but perhaps edwards will join with obama, and perhaps edwards' voters will back obama. don't just vote for edwards anyway.
here's info on obama, for all you left without a candidate.

and giuliani ick. while all the others were in the snow and freezing rain, doing the work, giuliani was sunning himself in florida with the audacity (not of hope) of thinking he could win in that manner. giuliani voters should take a good hard look at themselves. harsh.

here's the obama news of the day:
Clinton gains Florida fillip after bruising by ObamaAFP -
Obama strikes gold in KansasNational Post
Obama Returns More Rezko-Linked CashABC News
Tony Rezko stays jailed despite explanation about $3.5 million ...Chicago Tribune
Obama explains, Clinton doesn't complain MLive.com - MI,
Clinton Wins Fla.; Obama Uses Life StoryThe Associated Press
Obama, Clinton and the warSan Francisco Chronicle
2004 speech made Obama a starKansas City Star -
Obama begins courting disenchanted RepublicansKansas City Star -
California dreaming: Clinton's grip shaken by Obama's young gunsGuardian Unlimited
Barack Obama draws overflow crowd at Denver rally
Ted Kennedy's Endorsement Changes EverythingBy Fred Soto
BARACK OBAMA UNITY RALLY
Is Barack Obama just a superstar?By con.coughlin@telegraph.co.uk
hilary clinton, john mc cain, barack obama or… us-election 2008

Obama in California, UCI and Hollywood

UCI rally cancelled

everything barack obama

Rally
Thursday, January 31 at 11:45 AM
Duration:
1 hour
Location:
UCI Student Center terrace stage (Irvine, CA)
University of California, Irvine

Fundraising reception with Obama

Jan 31, 2008
Where:
Avalon1735 N. Vine Street Hollywood, CA
7:30 pm
Cost: $500 per person - $2,300 per person
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rc33#rsvp

Hillary Leading California?

nuh uh.

she may have the bulk of the latino vote, the older ones, but she doesn't have the bulk of the youth latino voters or the youth votes overall. that will be what puts him over the top. but he'll also get the independents. even dogs love obama.

an excerpt from Barackmania (see story below):

We love you Obama!" young women screamed from nearby dormitory windows. Obama,
who would be the first black president, hopes America's best-known political
dynasty will help him fend off rival Hillary Clinton, who would establish a
dynasty of her own if she took the White House eight years after her husband
Bill left it. Several in the crowd said they were turned off by the Clintons'
attempts to paint Obama as "the black candidate" over the past two weeks. "You
didn't need to bring that into the equation," said retiree Carol Belkin, 62, who
said she had planned to support Clinton until last week. "I want to see this
country brought together. I think the pair of them are divisive." "I thought it
was really below the belt," said Howard University graduate student Anita
Wheeler, 24. Obama's charisma and youth have drawn comparisons to the late
President Kennedy, who in 1963 delivered a famous speech at the same school
calling for a ban on nuclear weapons testing. Obama offered no new policy
proposals as he devoted much of his 15-minute speech to praise of the Kennedys.
But he also made sure to ask for the votes of those in the crowd — an unusual
event for a national politician in the capital city.

Bill Clinton's Smart Trip to Obama CountryYahoo! News

Barackmania: Obama gets rock star receptionTimes of India -

Obama Memo to Press: Florida Doesn't CountAlterNet

Obama wins backing of Kansas governorBaltimore Sun

Obama's Ground Game AdvantageWashington Post

Barack Obama in Kansas on family roots questTelegraph.co.uk -

Obama Wins Backing of Kansas GovernorThe Associated Press

A Frosty Moment Between Clinton, ObamaThe Associated Press

Obama Speaks to Jewish Voters on IsraelThe Associated Press -

Obama attracting California Republicans and independentsGuardian Unlimited

Caroline, Uncle Ted and Cousin Patrick endorse Barack ObamaBy sauer kraut

New supports for Barack ObamaBy babs22

Barack Obama KennedyBy hadar

Barack Obama Gets Mortimer And Ruth Caplin!?!?!!??By Monday Morning Clacker

Our Tech President Endorsements: Barack Obama and John McCainBy Michael Arrington

Bush's State of the Union

blah, blah blah, boring. dull. ignorant.

Obama's response.


kennedy on GMA

Media Not Necessary in Obama Campaign

another sign, obama is on the right track. obama doesn't need the media:

By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 28, 2008; Page C01

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- When reporters filed onto Barack Obama's press plane after his acrimonious debate with Hillary Rodham Clinton last week, one thing was noticeably missing amid the wine and snacks on the Boeing 737.

There was no high-level campaign spinner to argue that Obama had gotten the better of the exchanges or that the verbal fisticuffs were part of some precisely calculated strategy. On the press bus the next day, mid-level aides dealt with travel logistics but made no attempt to shape the coverage.

In an age of all-out political warfare, the Obama campaign is a bit of an odd duck: It is not obsessed with winning each news cycle. The Illinois senator remains a remote figure to those covering him, and his team, while competent and professional, makes only spotty attempts to drive its preferred story lines in the press.

"There is no charm offensive from the candidate toward the press corps," says Newsweek correspondent Richard Wolffe. "The contact is limited. . . . They see the national media more as a logistical problem than a channel for getting stuff out."

As Obama's blowout victory in Saturday's South Carolina primary shows, an aloof attitude toward the media may not be a liability for a candidate with his oratorical gifts. Even the pundits' attempts to minimize his win by focusing on Obama's capturing a quarter of the white vote -- no small achievement in a three-way contest -- came after a week in which journalists talked about race far more than he did. But the contrast in his press strategy is striking, not just with Clinton's campaign -- which aggressively lobbies journalists around the clock -- but also with the Bush White House and the Clinton White House before that. And that, Obama aides say, is by design.

The Clinton camp, says David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist, "is hyperbolic about it. What we don't do is spend six hours a day trying to persuade you guys that red is green or up is down. . . . Their own spin was 'We are the biggest, baddest street gang on the block.'

"We can't be pacifists and cede the battlefield," Axelrod says, but "what's powering this campaign is a rejection of tactical politics."

"That's the best spin I've heard all day," replies Clinton communications chief Howard Wolfson, inviting Axelrod to "send over some leather jackets." "My sense is the Obama campaign spends eight hours a day spinning." Clinton, for her part, abandoned her inaccessible approach after losing Iowa, scheduling far more time each day for interviews and press conferences. "She felt it was the best way to talk to the American people," Wolfson says.

The no-spin zone is part of the Obama campaign's identity, with the candidate stealing a phrase from John McCain in telling crowds he wants "a politics that's not based on PR and spin but is based on straight talk."

To be sure, the Obama camp stepped up efforts last week to challenge what it calls distortions of his record by Bill Clinton, perhaps the biggest media magnet ever to assume the role of presidential campaign surrogate. And some Obama strategists have been known to complain loudly when they think a story is unfair. But ever since Obama was embarrassed by a staff memo that assailed Hillary Clinton as the senator from "Punjab" (over her contributions from Indian Americans), he has ordered his team to steer clear of pejorative attacks not based on public actions.

All traveling campaigns have a bubble-like quality, but Obama seems unusually insulated. One moment of absurdity came Tuesday, when reporters on the press bus were asked to dial into a conference call in which Obama announced a congressman's endorsement -- even though the candidate was nearby and just as easily could have delivered the news in person to the bus captives. Obama answered a few questions, but reporters are generally placed on mute after they speak so there can be no follow-up. (Clinton held a news conference the same morning.)

That afternoon, as the candidate was working his way through a raucous. read the rest

Bush's Last State of the Union (Day)

let's count down, shall we?

Courage Over Ambition

indeed.

why do people want a politically experienced whiz to be president? that hasn't helped the current lot. isn't it much better to have someone who has leadership skills and most importantly, judgement.

wouldn't it be nice to have a president who is intelligent, who speaks well and is respected globally?

everything barack obama

Kennedy endorses Sen. Barack Obama for presidentCNN -

Obama 'Backer' Rezko Ordered to JailABC News

US author Toni Morrison endorses ObamaAFP -

Obama Ads Feature Prominent PoliticiansThe Associated Press

Hillary Runs Against Bush in Hartford, Not ObamaHartford Courant

Jubilant Obama wins Kennedys' endorsementIndependent

Obama Aims To Keep Race Out Of EquationForbes - NY,

Obama wins Kennedy backingGuardian Unlimited

WRAPUP 1-Obama receiving backing of key Democrat KennedyReuters

After race-laden contest, Morrison picks ObamaBoston Globe -

Barack Obama is the idealists' candidate

Remarks for Senator Barack ObamaBy media@politico.com

Barack Obama, walking on air not on water!

Teddy Kennedy's Speech For Obama: "It Is Time Again For A New ...

Senator Kennedy Supports Obama Video

Author toni morrison signs up for Obama.

"Wisdom is a gift; you can't train for it, inherit it, learn it in a class, or earn it in the workplace — that access can foster the acquisition of knowledge, but not wisdom."

...inspiring a government that can be good again...Patrick Kennedy

...fortunately there is one candidate that offers that same sense of hope...
Caroline Kennedy

...appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the american dream...extraordinary gifts of leadership and character... he understands what dr. martin luther king called the fierce urgency of now...
Ted Kennedy

Obama Grass Roots Documentary

i've never been more happy to fill in a box than on this ballot.

SC exit poll

The Mercury News endorsement
Obama wins South Carolina primaryGlobe and Mail - Senator Edward Kennedy to endorse Obama, Democratic party ...The Canadian Press -

Obama Vows to Return All Rezko FundsWashington Post - Behind Obama's Big SC WinWashington Post -

Documentary Chronicles Obama SupportersThe Associated Press - NEW YORK (AP) —

Obama Scores Decisive Win in South CarolinaNPR -
US campaign broadens after Obama's South Carolina winAFP - MACON

Kennedy to Endorse ObamaNew York Times -
Obama landslide in South CarolinaRadio Netherlands - NetherlandsColumbia

Chicago Tribune Endorses Barack Obama

Barack Obama's South Carolina Victory SpeechBy Logan Murphy

Barack Obama Victory Speech Thread IIBy georgia10 Remarks of Senator Barack Obama (as prepared for delivery). South Carolina Primary Night. Saturday, January 26th, 2008. Columbia, South Carolina. Over two weeks ago, we saw the people of Iowa proclaim that our time for change has come. ...Daily Kos - http://www.dailykos.com

First Caroline Now Ted Kennedy

Sen. Ted Kennedy backs Obama
the numbers from wsj:

With 99% of the precincts counted, Mr. Obama took 55% of the vote, largely due to his strong support among African-American voters who make up half of all registered Democrats in the state. Mrs. Clinton followed with 27%, and John Edwards, a South Carolina native, won 18%.


A CNN exit poll showed that 82% of black men and 79% of black women voted for Mr. Obama, many of whom reside in the largely black districts of Columbia and Greenville.

Mr. Obama also gained 25 Democratic National Convention delegates, Mrs. Clinton won 12 and Mr. Edwards eight. Overall, Mrs. Clinton has 249 delegates, followed by Mr. Obama with 167 and Mr. Edwards with 58.

With this wave of momentum, Mr. Obama moves to the coast-to-coast competition for more than 1,600 delegates. South Carolina shows that Mr. Obama couldn't only make a strong finish in largely black states like Georgia and Alabama but also in important states with dominantly white electorates like Illinois, California and Mrs. Clinton's home state, New York.

Mrs. Clinton still fared well in her core demographic of white women, 44% of whom voted for the former first lady. Mr. Edwards played an important part in Mrs. Clinton's finish, taking 43% of the white-male vote and 34% of all white women. The former North Carolina senator dominated in Seneca, the town he was born in.

Another analysis
hillary's concession

Caroline Kennedy Supporting Obama

A President like my father

Obama Wins South Carolina

High hopes for Obama as South Carolina votesAFP - COLUMBIA, South Carolina

Obama's Rezko problem spills overChicago Sun-Times -

Hot Mama Obama Drama. NOT!E! Online -

Despite Obama protests, two groups aid his sideLos Angeles Times -

Obama, Clinton Face Off in SC PrimaryThe Associated Press -

First thoughts: Obama's opportunityMSNBC -

Obama, Clinton await fates as voting starts in South CarolinaAFP - COLUMBIA,

Edwards touted as Obama pick for attorney generalChicago Sun-Times -

Could Obama Win SC, But Get No Bounce?CBS News

What One Democrat Blames For Racial Tensions Between Clinton and ObamaFOXNews -

South Carolina Celebrity Stumpers

photos from the State newspaper.
Danny Glover for John Edwards
Usher for Barack Obama
America Ferrera for Hillary Clinton

Happy primarying!

Don't Spend Your Tax Refund!

isn't it odd that americans have negative savings and yet it's up to us to boost the economy? what kind of economy is that? we're being given money so we can spend it? that makes no sense.
save it! pay off your debts!