Clipmarks | wiccantexan's 'politics' clips

Grateful Dead to reunite for Obama?

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:25:26 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

The surviving members of legendary rockers Grateful Dead have offered to reunite again for presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

Bob Weir, Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart thrilled fans in February by joining forces at an Obama fundraising concert in San Francisco, California, thirteen years after the band officially split.

Hart says he is happy to step back on stage again - if it will help the Democrat win the race for the White House.

He tells Billboard, "We're not making plans, but I think we stand at the ready to be of service."

"We're all deeply into this, into Barack Obama and the thought of taking this country back in some shape or form, what's left of it - it's probably one thing we can all agree on! So, you bet, I would spend a night with my brothers for that any time, any place."

Tags: obama, music, politics

Obama Quietly Visits Wounded War Vets

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:40:52 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

Barack Obama stopped by Walter Reed Army Medical Center Saturday to visit wounded war veterans, a group that he has said endures substandard care under the Bush administration.

The presumed Democratic nominee, who was in Washington to speak to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, slipped into the facility shortly after 9 a.m. without stopping to speak to the small group of reporters who follow him. The visit wasn't on his public schedule.

Obama has criticized the Bush administration for its treatment of veterans returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and has suggested Republican rival John McCain would continue Bush policies if elected.

Obama has said the country has failed its veterans by allowing such "second-rate conditions," by not giving troops enough time at home and not doing enough to support military families.

"It is time to rebuild our military and take care of our veterans," he said.

Tags: obama, politics, military, veterans

Ron Paul's Montana supporters refuse to give up

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:06:47 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com

Sen. John McCain may be the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, but supporters of Ron Paul in Montana refused to abandon their candidate.

The group led an impassioned fight Friday at the Montana GOP convention, shaking things up in a failed effort to secure the state's 22 national convention delegates for Paul — who suspended his presidential bid earlier this month.

While the battle jazzed up a normally dull delegate selection process, Paul supporters could not muster enough votes to trump McCain's backers. In the end, McCain received all 22 delegates
despite a close vote, party officials said.

Paul's supporters said they would continue to fight for delegates at the national convention to honor the principles of the campaign, and as a way to continue pushing their ideals.

Tags: politics, mccain, ron paul

Obama says bin Laden must not be a martyr

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:45:21 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday he would bring Osama bin Laden to justice in a way that wouldn't allow the terrorist mastermind to become a martyr, but he may be killed if the U.S. government finds him.

"First of all, I think there is an executive order out on Osama bin Laden's head," the Illinois senator said at a news conference. "And if I'm president, and we have the opportunity to capture him, we may not be able to capture him alive."

"What would be important would be for us to do it in a way that allows the entire world to understand the murderous acts that he's engaged in and not to make him into a martyr, and to assure that the United States government is abiding by basic conventions that would strengthen our hand in the broader battle against terrorism," Obama said.

"I refuse to be lectured on national security by people who are responsible for the most disastrous set of foreign policy decisions in the recent history of the United States,"

Tags: politics, terrorism, obama, government, 9/11

Poll: Fired-up factor favors Obama

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:18:03 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Could a battered economy, waning enthusiasm for the war in Iraq and President Bush's low approval ratings spell trouble for Sen. John McCain and other Republicans in November? According to a new poll, the answer depends on who you ask.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, taken June 4-5, shows that there is a large morale gap between Democrats and Republicans.

According to the poll, two-thirds of Obama supporters, or 67 percent, say they're extremely or very enthusiastic about voting for president this year.

But only about one-third, or 34 percent, of McCain supporters feel fired up. The poll question had a sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. Read more about the poll

But after eight years of the Bush presidency, Republicans are demoralized -- and McCain is trying to deal with it.

Tags: politics, obama, mccain, poll

Obama on religion and public policy

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:15:16 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: obama, politics, religion, belief, government

Empty 'Meet the Press' chair honors Russert

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:34:59 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

The moderator's chair on NBC's "Meet the Press" stood empty on Sunday in remembrance of Tim Russert, the man who had occupied it for 17 years.

Colleague and former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw, who broke the news about the anchor's death, spoke on Sunday the familiar first four words of the news program, "Our issues this Sunday." He noted that those were the same words Russert had been recording for the show when he collapsed and died. Watch Brokaw break the news »

"Our issue this sad Sunday morning is remembering and honoring our colleague and friend," Brokaw said.

"This is where you separated the men from the boys," said Matalin, who is married to Carville. "You weren't a candidate until you came on this show."

Russert had appeared as an unlikely icon for television news, with his cherubic face and dimpled chin, but he was a prolific interviewer and tireless journalist, one with an intimidating breadth of political knowledge and insight.

Tags: tv, television, journalism, politics, tim russert

McCain event canceled over fundraiser's rape 'joke'

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:35:02 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com

John McCain has called off a fundraiser at the home of a Texas oilman who joked about rape during a 1990 gubernatorial run in the state.

The Texan, Republican Clayton Williams, made the joke during his failed campaign against Democrat Ann Richards. Williams compared rape to the weather, saying, "As long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it."

Williams' comments made national news at the time and remain easy to find on the Internet. Even so, McCain's campaign said it hadn't known about the remarks.

The campaign said it would not return money Williams had raised for McCain because the contributions came from other individuals supporting McCain and not from Williams.

Democrats said McCain should give back the money: "Senator McCain's claim of ignorance is no excuse for refusing to do the right thing now. Offensive, disgusting comments like these cannot be tolerated," Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Karen Finney said.

Tags: politics, mccain, rape, women, news, campaign

McCain campaign poster (satire)

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:33:24 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: journalpix.com

Tags: politics, satire, humor, mccain

Obama: 'Settle down' on VP choice

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:13:18 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday that he's in no rush to pick a vice presidential candidate, telling CNN "everybody needs to settle down" and let the vetting process run its course.

the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said it's not in his best interest -- or in the interest of former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton -- to make a hasty decision about whom his running mate will be.

"We just completed this arduous process," Obama said. "It's only been two days, and I think it's not just in my interest and Sen. Clinton's interest, but in the Democratic Party's interest and the country's interest to make sure I make this decision well."

Calling his choice of running mate "the most important decision that I will make before I am president," the senator from Illinois said he would "be deliberate and systematic about it, because this will be my final counselor when I am making decisions in the White House, and I want to make sure I get it right.

Tags: politics, obama, president, election, vice president

McCain reaches out to disgruntled Clinton supporters

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:10:10 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Memo to disappointed women supporters of Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton: Republican John McCain wants your vote.

McCain, the senator from Arizona who has wrapped up his party's White House nomination, moved on Wednesday to woo women and other Clinton backers whose disappointment over her defeat by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama could cause them to switch teams.

"I would welcome any of Senator Clinton's supporters' vote," McCain told reporters in Louisiana, adding he would seek backing from people across the political spectrum.

"I think there's a lot of Senator Clinton's supporters who will support me because of their belief that Senator Obama does not have the experience or the knowledge or the judgment to address this nation's national security challenges," McCain said.

Tags: politics, clinton, mccain, obama

the Democratic Party nomination - confused?

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:27:30 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

Confused by Saturday's Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting?

Not sure how Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., can be on the verge of wrapping up the nomination even as Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is expected to win another primary on Sunday?

Think this is the end, but not sure?

Here is a simple list of things to keep in mind as we enter the final 48 hours of the Democratic nominating contest. Numbers 1-10 explain the math. Letters A-E are nonmathematical things at play.

4. The number of delegates needed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination changed yesterday from 2,026 to 2,118.

9. Roughly 200 superdelegates remain uncommitted.

Tags: politics, obama, clinton, vote

Democratic Party seats Florida, Michigan delegations

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:26:49 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Compromise gives each delegate half a vote at convention

Democratic party officials said a committee agreed Saturday on a compromise to seat Michigan and Florida delegates with half-votes after Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton failed to get enough support to force their positions through.

The committee agreed on a compromise offered by the Michigan Democratic Party that would split the difference, allowing Clinton to take 69 delegates and Obama 59. Each delegate would get half a vote at the convention in Denver this summer, according to the deal.

They also agreed to seat the Florida delegation based on the outcome of the January primary, with 105 pledged delegates for Clinton and 67 for Obama, but with each delegate getting half a vote as a penalty.

The resolution increased the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination to 2,118, leaving Obama 66 delegates short but still within striking distance after the three final primaries are held in the next three days.

Tags: politics, obama, clinton, democrats, election, vote

Obama used party rules to foil Clinton

Fri, 30 May 2008 23:50:14 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: ap.google.com

Unlike Hillary Rodham Clinton, rival Barack Obama planned for the long haul.

Clinton hinged her whole campaign on an early knockout blow on Super Tuesday, while Obama's staff researched congressional districts in states with primaries that were months away. What they found were opportunities to win delegates, even in states they would eventually lose.

Obama's campaign mastered some of the most arcane rules in politics, and then used them to foil a front-runner who seemed to have every advantage — money, fame and a husband who had essentially run the Democratic Party for eight years as president.

"The Obama campaign was very good at targeting districts in areas where they could do well," said former DNC Chairman Don Fowler, a Clinton superdelegate from South Carolina. "They were very conscious and aware of these nuances."

Tags: politics, obama, clinton, democrats, strategy

Obama's Race and Security Issues: Uneasy Topic

Thu, 29 May 2008 03:56:37 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

With Sen. Barack Obama on the verge of becoming the first African-American to receive a major party's presidential nomination, racism and potential security issues are emerging as factors in the race to the White House.

In recent weeks, the role of race in the Democratic primaries has been increasingly discussed. And while racist caricatures and jokes about threats against Obama's life have been widely condemned, they seem to reflect an undeniable element of racism that still exists in the country and could play an unknown role in a general election.

Fifty-nine percent of Americans (and 83 percent of African-Americans) said they were concerned "that someone might attempt to physically harm Barack Obama if he's the Democratic nominee for president," according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll from March 2. Twenty-four percent of those polled said they were "very concerned" about that possibility.

Tags: politics, obama, race, security, racism