http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/edwards-to-endorse-obama/index.html?hp

Edwards endorsement of Obama.

Who really supports the troops?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/opinion/06herbert.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Please read the article above to see how John McCain and President Bush are undercutting the brave men and women who have served in Iraq.

West Virginia

I have now come full circle in my feelings about the democratic primary. Starting out I was an ardent Clinton supporter but have been turned off in the past week by the media's insistence on emphasizing racial divisions and giving off the impression that Obama cannot win because of a supposed lack of appeal to "white" voters. The New York Times interpreted the results of a poll showing that over half of the voters in the primary would be "dissastisfied" if Obama were to be chosen as the democratic nominee to indicate "troubling" signs for Obama's canidacy. What kind of logical sense does this conclusion make? Of course Clinton supporters are going to be dissatisfied if Obama wins, they are supporting his rival. It is fruitless to try to project primary results onto the general election. Why would mass amounts of Clinton supporters switch their allegiance from a candidate who holds many of her views and values to the John McCain, a man who has (with the exception of his stance on climate change) fallen lockstop into line with the failed Bush policies.

Either candidate is going to defeat John McCain easily. The important thing is not that there are divisions within the democratice party over which candidate should be the nominee but the fact that the party base has been so invigorated. It cannot be emphasized enough how significant it is that the democratic primary in Florida garnered more voter participation despite the fact that the state's delegates were not being seated. The heated divisions that have arisen between Clinton and Obama supporters is a sign of strength. The party base cares enough to vote in large numbers and formulate strong opinions. Any loses that are incurred because one candidate or another comes ahead will be more than compensated for by the large numbers of people that the primary have inspired.

Finally, what is left for the party to do? I think the calls for Clinton to concede are premature and unneccessary. She poured her heart into this campaign and deserves the right to see it through. In addition, extending the primary to June 3rd gives each candidate the chance to really campaign and have their platform heard in every single state, a fact which can only help the democratic nominee in the fall. After June 3rd, Clinton should step down and the the party should coelesce behind Obama. I believe the best course would then be for Obama to choose Clinton as his running mate, given the fact that she has built up so much support in key states. But most of all, the insinuations that Obama cannot win because he cannot win support from whites has to stop and more importantly, the democratic party absolutely cannot fail to nominate Obama because of these fears. What does it say if we give into the forces of ignorance and cowardice? Obama has proven that he can succeed time and time again in a national election. Stop the fear-mongering and lets put Obama in the Whitehouse!!!

Voter ID Requirements

The ramifications of the Supreme Court's decision that Indiana's strict voter ID requirements (voters are required to provide photo identification) are extremely troubling. Much like the poll tax that was an important part of upholding Jim Crow, the strict new voter ID loves would serve to unfairly disenfranchise poor and immigrant populations. Please consider writing letters to your state leaders urging them not to adopt legislation similiar to that put forward in Indiana. The article below from the NYTimes discussed many of the issues surrounding the voter ID laws.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/us/politics/12vote.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp

Blackwater

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/10/world/middleeast/10blackwater.html?scp=2&sq=blackwater&st=nyt

The blackwater scandal typifies the coruption that has defined the Bush administration. Check out the link above.

Pursuit

http://our-pursuit.blogspot.com/

An insightful analysis of the ramifications of the superdelegate process.

Hope

I hope that this blog, in a small and humble way, will provide an antidote to the frivilous distractions that have permeated the American conciousness to a frightening extent. The constant flood of pressures to consume at a rapid pace and the bombardment of meaningless pop 'news' stories have destroyed our collective focus on the exigent issues that we are now faced with. We have become so distracted in fact, that we allowed one of the most morally and intellectually bankrupt politcians ever to steal not one but two elections from us. As a result, we have alienated our allies, hardened the resolve of our enemies, needlessly caused the deaths of over 4,000 American soldiers and over 100,000 Iraqis, further exacerbated the problems faced by our health care system, and have done nothing to reverse the energy crisis that is growing daily. Fortunately, however, we are faced with a historic opportunity to reverse course. Two of the most capable and resolved presidential canidates ever are prepared to step into the breach to lead our country out of the darkness.

It should be clear the McCain, if elected, would attempt to implement the same failed policies perpetuated for eight years by the Bush administration. Given how low Bush's approval ratings are and how little enthusiasm McCain has been able to generate, there does not appear to be any chance (unless the election is stolen) of there being another Republican president.

This leaves us with the question that has been dominating the media for months now, Clinton or Obama? Starting out, I was an ardent Clinton supporter and still feel that she would be an amazing president. However, given the realities of the nominating process and the fact that she has less popular votes than Obama, it is time for her to step out of the race. As much as I would love to see such a strong-willed, intelligent, and caring woman in the Whitehouse, she has nothing more to gain. I hope that Obama, recgonizing Clinton's numerous attributes, offers her the Vice Presidency and she accepts. Together they can go a long way towards healing the wounds that have ruptured open in the last eight years.