Barack in Seminole County

Okay, technically Orange County since Maitland is right on the border, but you get the point.

He held a fundraiser that apparently raised about half a million dollars in small donations. Not too bad. No I didn't go--although I understand the "Maitland for Obama" and "Barack Obama is my Homeboy" Tee-shirts sold very well:

Maitland for Barack Obama Come help get him elected.

Funniest Video YET this campaign season!

Poor Kevin James. His career is on the ropes based on his appearance with Chris Matthews.

He was eviscerated on Hardball taking the Bush/McCain line that Obama is somehow an "appeaser" like Neville Chamberlain.

Problem is, as with Bush/McCain, he doesn't know what "appeasement" means--much less what Neville Chamberlain even did. Neville foolishly gave half of Checkoslovakia to Hilter as a means of "appeasing" him. That's what it means--giving things to the enemy. IT DOES NOT MEAN TALKING TO THE ENEMY! That is called DIPLOMACY!

The fact that Obama has a brilliant mind who can conduct diplomacy while Bush can't even put a sentence together (much less read one without a teleprompter) is not a weakness. It is a desperate need to correct the worst foreign policy blunders in American history that has weakened us as a nation and emboldened our enemies.

Watch the video. It's worth seeing the whole thing, but if you just want fireworks--move ahead to the four minute mark. You won't believe it.

PS--Listen to where Kevin claims to get his "facts" from. Maybe if Repbulicans quit burning history and science books and tried reading them, they would be more sensible. But then again, they wouldn't be conservatives...

Can Barack Win Florida?

The quick answer is yes. Not as easily as Hillary...all of the snowbirds from New York would travel down here to vote for her. She is a lock on this crucial state: She consistently wins Florida in head to head matchups with John McSame.

Barack, not so much. But he isn't doing bad. The latest poll shows Barack tied with McCain-- 43% to 44%, which is well within the poll's margin of error. Keep in mind that McCain has already spent a ton of time here in January trying to lock up the GOP primary and has spend a couple million for TV spots. Barack hasn't even set foot here yet and has not spent one single dime.

That is about to change. From TC Palm:

Next week, Obama plans to spend three days, starting May 21 in Florida, with stops in Tampa, Orlando, Palm Beach County and Miami. A spokeswoman for the Obama campaign said the details of the Florida stops have yet to be finalized.

He is already on the right track. From the Sentinel:

Barack Obama promised a group of uncommitted superdelegates today that he would seat Florida’s delegation at the Democratic National Convention this summer.

"He assured us that Florida delegates will be at the convention and they’ll have their party hats on," reported South Florida Congressman Tim Mahoney, one of the uncommitted superdelegates.

This appears to be the first time Obama, the front-runner for the nomination, has made such a clear, definite promise.

Good for you, Mr. O. Not that I was surprised in the least.

I have often said there was no way in hell that either Obama or Hillary would not allow the seating of the Florida delegates. It would have been suicide. Although this proves me right, what this more proves is that Barack is committed to winning in November. And I couldn't be happier.

(PS-I was asked to be a FL delegate--but I had the slight problem of being a Republican at the time. Long story.)

Barack is poised to build momentum here in Florida. And all the GOP has to throw at him is Jeremiah Wright, which is why it still lingers in the news. Although Obama has not brought up McCain's association with hatemonger Rev. John Hagee, he has thrown down the gauntlet on McCain's association with Charles Keating and being part of the infamous Keating 5.

Trying to tie Barack to words from a former paster 20 years ago, which he repeatedly denounced, is small potatoes to trying to keep a corrupt banker who stole people's lifesavings out of jail just because he donated millions to your campaign.

The election here is going to be close--much more than it should be. No one should wish a third Bush term on their worst enemy. But I honestly would rather be in our position than McCain's. Even without Florida, Barack will most likely win the election--but my job (and yours to) is to see that he doesn't have to.

I am committed to helping Obama win Florida's 27 electoral votes. I hope you will join me.

Why do Democratic Politicians go on Faux News?

Just this morning, I was flipping through the channels, trying to catch the news about the Indiana primary race. I stopped at what I thought was a legitimate news outlet (it had a scoll running across the bottom and everything). I got the results and was about to move on, but then I looked up....

Hatemonger Michelle Malkin was on. Why Stalkin Malkin still has a career after stalking a 12-year old boy and writing a book on why people should be locked up based on race is beyond me.

But there is always an audience for her on "Fair and Balanced" Fox.

It was only a minute I watched--just enough to catch the results, when I heard one of the "reporters" on that show ask Stalkin Malkin a perfectly fair question:

"Could you give some examples of how she [Michelle Obama] hates America?"

Malkin responded that she watched Michelle Obama on the Today show (one of the yokels tried to make a joke about mentioning their "competitor"--like they have any relation to a real news station). Stalkin Malkin went on some rant about Michelle Obama saying how proud she was of her husband, which according to Malkin's twisted logic meant that she hated America because she didn't mention how proud she was of her country as well.

(Yeah, that makes sense. I often tell my son I'm proud of him, but always follow up with "BUT not as much as AMERICA!" But I wear flag pins to bed with me, something you terrorist-loving America haters don't understand.)

I could laugh it off but it reminded me of how angry I was that both Barack AND Hillary decided to go on this stupid network very recently. For what reason, I have no clue. All they did was help FOX pretend to be a legitimate news source and allow them to inject this obvious right-wing vile as regular news..

I can imagine the outrage if this happened on any other network, but for some reason we seem to have outrage overload on FOX and just ignore it. They are a dangerous force and should be called out every time they cross the line.

And NO DEMOCRATIC POLITICIAN SHOULD EVER GO ON FOX!!! PERIOD!!

The GOP politicians don't EVER go on left-wing medium, like Air America or DailyKos. In fact, they call ANY successful left-wing venture, like MOVEON.org or DailyKos, "Anti-American". (In fact, Markos posted a front page clip of Fox and Friends hosts going ballistic over some politician posting a diary on the "anti-American site DailyKOS!!!")

WHY the hell don't OUR politicians do that with FAUX News? (I can't even get them to stop joining the GOP in condemning OUR OWN support systems!!)

WHY the hell should any of our politicians give them an ounce of legitimacy? WHY do I have to even explain to our politicians the stupidity of going on that network---no one on the right is telling their people to "Get on DKOS and try to reach that audience!"

But then again, at least we don't pretend that we are fair and balanced. Maybe if we did, then all GOP candidates will be forced to come here, post diaries, and try to win us over.

Yeah, I know that sounds stupid.

Think about it.

Poor, sweet, naive Karen Thurman

I met her several times. She is a tough, smart lady. Here is what she sent out:

I'm angry.

Earlier this week I was hopeful that the thousands of emails we sent to the Republicans in control would wake them up out of their special interest stupor.

Unfortunately, Republicans like Jeff Atwater proved once again that they just don't care about the people of Florida. It was business-as-usual for them.

They should be ashamed of themselves - but they're not. So we have got to throw the bums out.

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper NOW to let people know about the Republicans' tax hikes, special interest giveaways, cuts to health care and gutting of education.

In the middle of the recession they created, Republicans chose special interests over the people of Florida. They raised property taxes and hiked every fee imaginable. They're sending pink slips to teachers across the state, and shuttering health facilities for the disabled.

But Atwater, who thinks he's going to be the next Senate President, has still got his $7000-a-month intern. And a major Republican developer got a $7.5-million connector road that will be a huge boon to their business. Sen. Mike Haridopolos still hasn't finished the book the state paid him more than $100,000 to write, and he's taking another $75,000 for a part-time lecturing job.

These Republicans don't see what's coming at them. Florida is boiling over and we won't forget the pain they've caused this November.

Also, the St. Pete Times:

Barring a Tallahassee miracle, when the Legislature adjourns Friday it will have failed in every respect to responsibly address the state's most pressing issues. It is hard to imagine re-election campaigns based on a record of imposing painful spending cuts, protecting special interest tax breaks, forcing universities to cap enrollments and raising local property taxes to keep public education limping along. But incumbents will try to paper over the sins of the spring with misleading campaign ads in the fall, and voters should not let them get away with it.
- St. Petersburg Times Editorial, 4/28/08

Florida IS boiling over mad. In today's Orlando Sentinel, the headline is how our state legislature threw away federal dollars for us to have a REAL rail system we desperately need here in Central Florida, along with it would have come money to WIDEN I-4. Logical, yes. Did it pass? NOPE.

Two weeks ago, front page Orlando Sentinel, GOP legislative leader Marc Rubio talked about gutting medical care for the needy because Florida citizens needed to "tighten their belts". Of course, that didn't mean his. The wealthy FL legislators receive free health care, and were insulted that they were asked to cut that benefit.

HOWEVER, I have lived here long enough to know this: FL won't throw the bums out. They will keep electing them just like a kid who can't resist touching an electric fence to see if he gets shocked.

The GOP is betting on voter's apathy and stupidity to keep them in office--even after this fiasco. Karen Thurman and the state Democrats are betting on their active participation and sensibility.

Sorry to say, I am with the Republicans on this one.

Mr. Straight Talk can't even get his own position straight

I LOVE that DNC add I featured in my previous blog post below. Watch it here if you haven't seen it. But the GOP is outraged--threatening lawsuits against TV stations who show it and attacking those (like me) who post it. I was attacked in a blistering email yesterday (and even threatened with "legal action") because even though McCain talked out loud on tape, he was "taken out of context". The email claimed that McCain was talking about staying there in the model of Germany and Japan where there are no casualties. (Keep dreaming.)

Well, 4,000 troops haven't been killed in the 60 years we have been in Germany and Japan. That is how many have been killed in the 5 years we have been in Iraq (along with half a trillion dollars spent). Germany and Japan are homogeneous nations, not three factions who have been killing each other for centuries.

McCain is talking about staying in Iraq NO MATTER WHAT. He has never said that he will pull the troops out of Iraq if the violence continues against our own troops.


Most people are smart enough to know that success in Iraq does not constitute any reduction in violence, no matter how mall (great news--our troops are now being slaughtered from 60 to 30 deaths a month!) This is, unless of course, the violence sharply increases, which apparently also means success. (PS-yesterday concluded the Deadliest Month so far on record. You guessed it, the GOP is saying this means we are being successful.)

In fact, watch this video montage below. McCain hasn't even been consistent on his backpedalling either---he screams that we neeed to leave SOON after the invasion and that Iraq will never accept a permanent US presence to being happy with our troops being there for 1,000 years no matter the conditions on the ground. (PS-the full clip of McCain talking about staying in Iraq is included):

Ad Against McCain so Effective, RNC is Trying to Sue!

This is unbelievable. The same corrupt committee that funded ads smearing decorated veterans running for office as terrorist sympathizers and the same committee that is supporting ads that play clips of Obama's former preacher is furious that the Democratic National Committe is running an ad of McCain saying that being in Iraq for 100 years is "fine with him".

This is not out of context, this is not a manipulation--this was HIS OWN WORDS in direct response to a question. It is a POWERFUL AD:



The RNC is now threatening legal action against any television station that runs this ad reminding the American people what John McSame said. Although the words and the images are powerful, it is the very last shot that is most devastating to McSame.

I am actually proud of Howard Dean. He is doing exactly what he should be doing--focusing his energy on beating McCain while Obama and HRC finish things up. And he is not afraid to play tough, a refreshing change. I have had my differences with the DNC this year, but PLEASE consider supporting this ad:

http://democrats.org/