The Obama Family Heads to Hawaii For A Week’s Vacation; Hillary Clinton Will Campaign For Obama While He’s Away

  Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and their two beautiful young daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7 left Chicago for Hawaii earlier today – the state where Obama grew up and where his grandmother, who helped raise him, still lives. The Obamas will spend a week in a house they rented. 

I think this is a great idea – Obama needs some rest.  He must be burned-out, physically and emotionally.  He needs to regroup and come back strong.

Obama acknowledged some concern about taking time off but said that was offset by the need for some family time and a desire to visit his grandmother, who does not travel.

His campaign in conjunction with his family who lives in Hawaii have organized a welcome rally at a local park as well as a round of interviews. He is also expected to attend a fundraiser next week. Obama’s vacation will include mostly downtime, though. Other than enjoying the beach and watching the Olympics, he will spend some time with his grandmother, who helped raise him in Honolulu in the 1970s.

“I want to make sure that I’m spending time with her and I want to make sure she gets to spend time with her great grandchildren,” he said yesterday.

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Obama’s Airplane Experiences Mechanical Hiccup — ALL Is OK!

  The airplane carrying Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama made a safe, unscheduled and precautionary landing in St. Louis on Monday after a maintenance issue arose en route from Chicago to Charlotte, N.C.

The plane, an MD-80 Midwest charter, experienced a problem maintaining the proper pitch, or control over keeping the nose at the proper angle, as it was taking off from Chicago, the pilot said. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the plane had a flight control problem.

About an hour after taking off from Chicago, Obama spokeswoman Linda Douglass came to the back of the plane to inform the press of a “minor little problem with the airplane” and said the plane would make a precautionary landing in St. Louis.

Obama was sitting in the front of the plane reading the paper.

Minutes later the first officer came on the overhead speaker and provided more details.

“We detected a little bit of controllability issue in terms of our ability to control the aircraft in the pitch, which is the nose up and nose down mode,” announced the pilot, a first officer whose name was not released in accordance with Midwest policy.

“The autopilot and the aircraft are just fine. As we descended, whatever was inhibiting our ability has now been rectified. However, just for safety purposes we are going to be stopping in St. Louis and making sure that there’s nothing binding our controls. We have full authority of the aircraft. We will not need to brace. It will be a normal landing,” he said.

The landing at 9:51 a.m. CDT, was, in fact, normal.

A mechanic was traveling on the plane at the time, and was inspecting the problem on the ground in St. Louis.

Obama, his staff, the Secret Service entourage and the press sat on the plane as it was being checked out. Lambert Airport spokesman Jeff Lea said the airplane had taxied to Signature Flight Support, a facility which handles private jets. 

Please continue to pray for Senator Obama.

Report by AP

The Obamas Spend July 4th in Butte, Montana (Obama leads McCain by 5 points in RED Montana)

  Obamas arriving for July 4th parade

Barack Obama is leading John McCain by five percentage points in Montana. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows Obama attracting 48% of the vote while McCain earns 43%. In April, the numbers were reversed with McCain leading 48% to 43%.

It would be truly stunning if Obama could turn Montana into a competitive state this November. George W. Bush won Montana’s 3 Electoral College Votes by twenty percentage points in 2004 and by twenty-five points four years earlier.

Sabrina Holland, 25, isn’t typically an early riser.

“I am today,” said Holland, who at 5:10 a.m. Thursday was the first person in line for tickets to an Independence Day picnic with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.

“I’m a Republican,” Holland said. “I’m here (to get tickets) for friends and to see what we’re up against.” This week, the Montana’s Obama for America campaign announced not only that the candidate would spend the Fourth of July in Butte, but also that he’d be the featured guest at a public picnic Friday at the practice field south of the Montana Tech HPER Complex.

News spread throughout the community Wednesday night and Thursday morning that a limited number of tickets to the picnic would be available at the Venus Rising Espresso House at 124 S. Main St. beginning at 7:30 a.m.

Behind Holland, Democrat Rob Fleming, 40, was second in line.

“I was here at four and nobody was here so I went home,” he said. When he came back a little after 5 a.m. and saw Holland at the door, he got in line.

Like Fleming, Ken Devine, 59, was driving through Uptown Butte in the wee hours of the morning, not wanting to miss another chance to see Obama.

“I came by at quarter to three because when they had them (tickets) at the Civic Center I didn’t get any,” he said.

Devine, a self-proclaimed Union Democrat said that he circled back several times before seeing Holland and Fleming and joining them in line shortly after 5 a.m.

Number seven in line was Wende Dwyer, who arrived at 6 a.m. Dwyer is a Butte native who said that she was back in Butte from Fort Worth, Texas for the holiday.

“My boys are 13 and 10 and when you have an opportunity to be part of a movement in America that’s so exciting and optimistic I think parents have an obligation to expose them (children) to what’s happening,” she said.

Obama: I Will Not Stand Idly By While Others Criticize My Patriotism

  Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Monday, in a major speech on patriotism, criticized MoveOn.org for referring to Gen. David Petraeus as General Betray Us last year.

The Illinois senator said politics too often seems “trapped in old, threadbare arguments” that he called “caricatures of left and right.”

This, Obama added, was “most evident during our recent debates about the war in Iraq, when those who opposed administration policy were tagged by some as unpatriotic, and a general providing his best counsel on how to move forward in Iraq was accused of betrayal.”

Obama did not vote last year when the Senate approved a measure condemning the controversial Petraeus ad.

Obama argued that “given the enormous challenges that lie before us, we can no longer afford these sorts of divisions.”

MoveOn.org, a powerful left-of-center interest group, endorsed Obama in the Democratic presidential race.

“None of us expect that arguments about patriotism will, or should, vanish entirely; after all, when we argue about patriotism, we are arguing about who we are as a country, and more importantly, who we should be,” Obama stated in his speech from Independence, Mo. “But surely we can agree that no party or political philosophy has a monopoly on patriotism.”

Obama also said that he would “never question the patriotism of others in this campaign.” The senator made clear, however, that he would “not stand idly by when I hear others question mine.”

 

Article by Klaus Marre/ Obama criticizes MoveOn.org in patriotism speech

 

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/obama-criticizes-moveon.org-in-patriotism-speech-2008-06-30.html

Obamas’ $4600 Debt Relief Check To Clinton – Why So Much Political High Drama?

Why are democrats still engaging in foolish, last millennia politics.  Why all the unnecessary entanglement and juvenile political behavior? 

Why can’t we just step into the new millennium, be responsible and simplify negotiations.  Why make things so convoluted and complicated?

The politics of the situation at hand is simple — both Senators Clinton and Obama want access to each other’s donor list for two distinctly different reasons:

1.    Obama because he is the presumptive nominee and would like to solicit Clinton supporters to donate to his campaign to add to his coffers so he can pay for staff, travel, advertisements, etc so that we can get the republicans out of the White House.

2.    Clinton because she needs to pay off her debts and since most of her supporters has already given the maximum $2300 she now needs new donors to contribute to pay her delinquent bills.

What they want from each other is pretty straight-forward and simple: they both want the other’s donor list. Since they’ve both agreed to share their “biggest fundraisers” with each other that should be it.  That’s an even exchange.  Swap donor lists and carry on with the business at hand of getting the republicans out of the White House.

That seems like a fair exchange to me — a little give and take from both sides.

What I find unreasonable is the pressure being placed on Obama to personally and ‘symbolically’ donate to help payoff Clinton’s debts.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the money it’s the political harassment for the money – it feels like extortion.  I don’t hear the Obama camp whining about Hillary not donating to his campaign — it’s her choice. 

Senator Barack Obama’s Accomplishments (Please Pass on)

   Many republicans persist in spreading untruths and propaganda that Senator Barack Obama has not accomplished anything in his career, they insist that he only gives great speeches.  Those statements are hogwash and pure ‘campaign rhetoric’.

This post lists public information that his opponent knows to be true but choose to ignore because it’s not good for republicans if democrats, independents and progressive republicans know all the positive facts about Senator Obama.  Republicans only want us to know damaging facts about Obama so that when we hear negative things (even if they are untrue) they will make us doubtful about him.  Senator Obama served on the Board of Directors for several civic organizations and sits on several Senate committees which I didn’t list because it would make this extremely lengthy. The accomplishments listed here show that Senator Obama is not just a great orator; he is also a VERY HARD WORKER and an accomplished achiever. 

Below is a précis on Senator Obama’s life and career.

Religion	Christian. Saved. Has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. ·       Barack Obama’s father left Barack’s life when he was 2 years old.  Therefore Senator Obama had no Muslim influence in his life.  At the age of 6 in Indonesia, Senator Obama attended Catholic schools where he studied the catechism.  Both CNN and the AP visited the Basuki School, the actual school Obama attended that has been called a madrassa elementary school.  Obama attended the school before the age 6.  The reporters from CNN and the AP found that it is a public school that does not focus on any religion.  The children wear uniforms and the teachers wear western clothing.  Both CNN and the AP investigated and confirmed that the school Obama attended has no similarity to any madrassa school.
Swore on a Quran	This is completely false.  A black congressman from Minnesota, Keith Ellison after he swore on a Bible during his official oath, took a picture for a photo-op with his hand placed on a Quran which was owned by President Thomas Jefferson.  Ellison did not swear on the Quran; it was a personal photo since Ellison is Muslim and historic because the Quran was owned by Jefferson.
Obama will not recite the Pledge of Allegiance	Senator Obama often leads the Pledge of Allegiance on the Senate floor.  The picture that started this rumor was taken during the playing of the national anthem.  It’s not necessary to place your hand over your heart during the playing of the national anthem even though some people do.  US Flag Code, section 4 states: Sec. 4. – Pledge of allegiance to the flag; manner of delivery The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all., should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute.
August 4, 1961	Born in Honolulu, Hawaii
May 1979	Graduated Punahou High School, Hawaii
May 1983	Graduated Columbia University, New York City Major: Political Science Specialization: International relations
June 1985-May 1988	Director of Developing Communities Project.  Worked as a church-based community organizer for 8 Catholic parishes on Chicago’s South Side. During his tenure, the DCP staff grew from 1 to 13; its budget grew from $70K to $400K with major accomplishments including setting up job training programs, college preparatory tutoring program and creating a tenants’ rights organization.
Summer 1988	Travelled to Europe for 3 weeks and then to Kenya for 5 weeks where he met his Kenyan relatives for the first time.
Fall 1988	Entered Harvard Law School
June – August 1989	Met Michelle Robinson while he was a Summer Associate at Sidley Austin law firm.
Fall 1989	Started dating Michelle Robinson
1990	President, Harvard Law Review
1991	Graduated from Harvard magna cum laude. Returned to Chicago and started writing his first book, Dreams from My Father
Fall 1991	Became engaged to Michelle Robinson
April – October 1992	Director of Illinois Project Vote!  He had a staff of 10 and 700 volunteers.  They were successful in registering 150,000 out of 400,000 unregistered African-Americans.  Crain’s Chicago Business named Obama to its 1993 list of ’40 under Forty’ powers to be, because of this accomplishment.
October 3, 1992	Married Michelle Robinson Obama
1995	Published his first book, Dreams from My Father
1998	Malia Ann Obama was born
2001	Natasha (Sasha) Obama was born
1993-2002	Associate Attorney with Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland. ·       After 1996 he worked with David, Miner, Barnhill & Galland only during the summers when the Illinois Senate was not in session.  He worked on cases where the firm represented community organizers, pursued discrimination claims and worked on voting rights cases.
1993-2004	Taught constitutional law part-time at the University of Chicago Law School
January 3, 1997 – November 4, 2004	Elected to Illinois State Senate
January 4, 2005 – Present	Elected to United State Senate
2006	Published his second book, The Audacity of Hope

 

Team Clinton: Out of Touch

After Senator Clinton was pressured by her New York supporters to suspend her campaign and after another flood of superdelegates announced that they would support Obama, it was shocking to me that Hillary’s team said that they had no idea that Hillary was losing her support with superdelegates in Washington.  How can that be?  How could they not realize that the superdelegates had broken up with Hillary, moved their personal items out the house and was already living with their new boo Obama?

I am stunned that the Clinton insiders were so out-of-touch with Washington insiders!  What was former advisors Mark Penn and Patti Solis doing?  What has Terry McAuliffe, Maggie Williams and the rest of the Clinton team been doing since Penn and Solis left the campaign?  That is one of their MAIN jobs — to keep in touch with insiders!  After getting some rest and looking back at her campaign, Hillary is going to be shocked at some of the decisions that were made for her and by her.

I have heard McAuliffe say several times during the course of several months that they’ve been working the phones and talking to superdelegates just about every day.  Hillary’s team seems to be either out-of-touch with what was going on around them or they were hearing only what they wanted to hear.  Her team is comprised of Washington insiders; it seems like Terry McAuliffe and Maggie Williams and the like aren’t Washington insiders anymore otherwise they would have known that consensus was for Obama and they would have planned accordingly.

I was surprised when I heard Rep. Charlie Rangel of New York, the person who convinced Mrs. Clinton to run to be the Junior Senator for New York; the man who personally became her advocate, took her under his wings and rallied all the political top brass from New York to support her as Senator and then as the democratic nominee say it’s time for Hillary to step down so the New York delegation could endorse Obama.