Wake up America

Obama Campaign Pulls Out Of North Dakota Posted: 22 Sep 2008 12:09 PM CDT The Obama campaign has confirmed they are shutting down their 11 North Dakota campaign offices and dispatching their staffers to other states such as Minnesota and Wisconsin. Barack Obama has approximately 50 staffers in North Dakota in the hopes of being the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1964, but with the latest polls showing McCain with a double digit lead in North Dakota, the Obama campaign has decided to pull out. The Politico reports this is the third long-shot state the Obama campaign is pulling out of to focus on campaigning in states where he can be competitive. According to Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe, "We have a lot of differing combinations to get to 270, and our strategic imperative is going to be ... to keep as many of those scenarios as possible alive" deep into October." It was announced previously the Obama campaign had pulled out of Georgia and Alaska. This change in strategy comes as early voting is about to start in North Dakota and other states. Absentee voting may start as early as Thursday for North Dakota, according to the Associated Press. The LA Times' Top of the Ticket states this will be the fourth state the Obama campaign is writing off being Idaho was deemed a Democratic write-off early in the campaign. .

Villages, Turn Out In Masses To See Sarah Palin Posted: 22 Sep 2008 11:10 AM CDT Tens of thousands of people from The Villages turned out to see Sarah Palin in Florida over the weekend, with Florida papers saying it was the "largest crowd ever for a political event at The Villages." The Villages is an upscale retirement community north of Orlando Florida, which houses approximately 70,000 residents, mostly adults and Sarah Palin arrived to crowds which are estimated in one paper as 25,000- 60,000 with other papers saying it was tens of thousands or 60,000, depending on the paper in question. All agree it was the largest crowd to ever turn out for a political event in The Villages. The Orlando Sentinel reports people sat out in the sweltering heat for so long to see Palin, about 100 people ended up having to be treated for heat-related health problems. The reasons given to reporters by some attending the event range from curiosity to women "seeing themselves" in Palin, as 63 year-old Louise Grossman states, "I think she's a great benefit to women. I think she's the second original woman's libber. My husband says I'm the first woman's libber." 58-year-old business owner, Jan Hatfield identifies with Palin on a personal level saying Palin embodies the women she sees every day, continuing on to state, "You can keep your faith and your family and still be a strong businesswoman." Even the men in the crowd spoke of what they admired about Palin: "Western women have confidence in their capabilities and their femininity so that they don't have to sacrifice one to promote the other," said Wright, 68, of The Villages. The Palm Beach Post reports Palin T-shirts, buttons, hats and other items were everywhere, many of them referencing lipstick, pit bulls, hockey or some combination of those elements and others just wearing items with Palin's name on them. That report quotes Conservative Democrats, Republicans and Independents: Deborah Abriola came from Orlando and wore a button that said "Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You - Pitbulls for McCain-Palin" because she said she feels kinship with Palin as a fellow "lipstick mom." Abriola described herself as a conservative Democrat who sees Palin as a role model for mothers. Her friend, Cheryl LeDuc, said she's a Republican but wants to see a shake-up in the GOP. She said Palin "is conservative and she's going to clean up Washington, including the Republicans." Sue Viera of Micco, in Brevard County, described herself as an independent who had been an "iffy" supporter of McCain. "When he put Palin on, that really put me over the top," said Viera, who said she sees Palin as someone who is nonpartisan and "will do what's right." Although some have questions about Palin overall, they say those questions are not enough to stop them from voting for John McCain. The Post's report did have a set of criticism regarding Palin, from Bobby Gravitz who happened to be the spokesman for Obama's Florida campaign, who said, "Getting lectured by the McCain-Palin ticket on the economy is laughable. McCain's plan is just four more years of Bush's failed economic policies that have led us to this financial crisis." The News-Press.com offers 23 photos from the event, one of which shows a huge tube of lipstick being handed to Palin from a supporter. .

Presidential Race, Black Racism, and White Racism Posted: 22 Sep 2008 10:21 AM CDT Since the beginning of the race for the White House, there has been a question on everyone's mind, an elephant in the room so to speak; Could Barack Obama, a black man, win the White House? The White House, identified by its beautiful majestic white architecture is more white than just in its shade of paint, it has been dominated by white Europeans since before it was white washed form its traditional eggshell color. This burning question has fueled a large race debate that seems to have taken racial relations back a decade or two. And not back to the days of slavery, but more like to what was deemed as a new form of racism in the 1990's. A recent poll done by Stanford University shows that the stereotype associated with blacks is still held by some whites. The poll studied a result from a group of people, then isolated the white opinion. After reading this poll I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. They only studied the white opinion separately from the group? This is like asking a loaded question, there is just no way you can answer yes or no to the typical "Do you still beat your wife?" With that idiocy aside, the findings are interesting. It seems 1 in 5 whites can identify blacks with these stereotypes; lazy, violent, boastful, complaining, and irresponsible. This information of course sent a firestorm across the internet with blacks using the newest study as proof that Barack Obama cannot possibly win the White House because whites are too racist. According to some discussion on Fox News even his campaign says if he does not win it will be due to racism. But this is not a new theme. Just a month ago a writer at slate.com claimed Racism is the only reason Obama might lose. What the Yahoo-Ap news article did not tell you was that a study using these same typecasts were used in a poll for a book published in the 1990's called The Scar of Race. The book was written by a political science professor a Stanford, Paul M. Sinderman, and Thomas Piazza a Research Specialist and Manager of Technical Services, Survey Research Center, University of California, Berkeley. An article written on FrontPageMagazine.com in 1998 relayed some interesting information found in the book. In The Scar of Race, authors Paul M. Sniderman and Thomas Piazza note that blacks hold critical views about members of their own race. The authors asked both blacks and whites to respond to a series of statements: "Blacks are aggressive or violent"; "blacks are boastful"; "blacks are complaining"; "blacks are lazy"; and "blacks are irresponsible." Blacks answered "yes" more often than whites! Interesting dontcha think? Oh where do I begin? Well first of all, lets flip this. If John McCain loses will it be due to all the blacks who are only going to vote for Barack Obama because of the color of his skin, and the whites who are so self loathing that they are going to vote for Barack only because he is black? Is that racism anything people are worried about? Or do blacks get a free pass on this one? This double standard is just about as divisive and infantile as anything I have ever been subject to in my entire life. In essence black America is throwing the entire country under the bus and make us look like racists in front of the entire world if Barack Obama doesn't win? This election is neck and neck, one of the closest races I have ever paid attention to that is for sure. How could anyone say that racism is going to be a deciding factor? Especially considering that the same poll they are turning to as yet another piece of evidence of their victimization also says : Does the fact that if elected, Barack Obama would be the first black president of the United States make you more likely to vote for him, less likely to vote for him, or does it not affect your vote either way? All Respondents More likely to vote for him 9 Less likely to vote for him 9 Not affect your vote either way 82 Refused / Not Answered 0 Whites Only More likely to vote for him 6 Less likely to vote for him 10 Not affect your vote either way 84 Refused / Not Answered 0 Yes whites are 2% higher than the entirety to say that their vote will not be influenced by Barack Obama being black. So basically that means, the majority of whites just don't care about race in this election. Just because a few stereotypes are representative of blacks in the minds of some means nothing, especially if you consider that blacks hold themselves in that esteem. So whether whites are being racist, or blacks are being racist, you know what? It doesn't matter because nobody can pin point what people are being racist about. Why would we accuse blacks of racism for wanting to vote for Barack Obama because he is black? Wouldn't we say they are voting for someone they know identifies with them. So are we going to disdain whites for voting for McCain, even if it is because he is white? So lemme tell you what is, peoples is peoples. That's it, peoples is peoples, and if you cannot grasp that little nugget of wisdom from the Muppets Take Manhattan it means simply this. Peoples is peoples. Think about it, you'll get it.

Who Is Behind The Sarah Palin Smears? Posted: 22 Sep 2008 09:50 AM CDT Rusty over at Jawa Report has done a bang up, no holds barred, investigative piece following the trail of the Sarah Palin smears and where that trail leads him is pretty damning. Extensive research was conducted by the Jawa Report to determine the source of smears directed toward Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Those smears included false allegations that she belonged to a secessionist political party and that she has radical anti-American views. Our research suggests that a subdivision of one of the largest public relations firms in the world most likely started and promulgated rumors about Sarah Palin that were known to be false. These rumors were spread in a surreptitious manner to avoid exposure. It is also likely that the PR firm was paid by outside sources to run the smear campaign. While not conclusive, evidence suggests a link to the Barack Obama campaign. Namely: Evidence suggests that a YouTube video with false claims about Palin was uploaded and promoted by members of a professional PR firm. The family that runs the PR firm has extensive ties to the Democratic Party, the netroots, and are staunch Obama supporters. Evidence suggests that the firm engaged in a concerted effort to distribute the video in such a way that it would appear to have gone viral on its own. Yet this effort took place on company time. Evidence suggests that these distribution efforts included actions by at least one employee of the firm who is unconnected with the family running the company. The voice-over artist used in this supposedly amateur video is a professional. This same voice-over artist has worked extensively with David Axelrod's firm, which has a history of engaging in phony grassroots efforts, otherwise known as "astroturfing." David Axelrod is Barack Obama's chief media strategist. The same voice-over artist has worked directly for the Barack Obama campaign. This suggests that false rumors and outright lies about Sarah Palin and John McCain being spread on the internet are being orchestrated by political partisans and are not an organic grassroots phenomenon led by the left wing fringe. Our findings follow. Right after that they dig deep into certain videos, which according to Ace of Spades, as soon as Rusty's investigative piece came out, the site with those videos, shut down suspiciously. On to the Jawa Report's piece...it is long, he follows each and every trail and it is a must read for anyone who wants to see the "anatomy of a smear." The major media could learn a thing or two from Rusty at Jawa Report, about getting out there, doing some actual research and reporting the news instead of trying to hide from it and sweep it under the rug. .

SFGate In Regards to Sarah Palin Haters Posted: 21 Sep 2008 08:16 PM CDT A must read especially considering the source. SFGate teaser: That is obvious from the anguish, indeed the fury, of feminist commentators. They are so intemperate in their criticism that they are incoherent. Short and sweet because I think it should be read in it's entirety. Go. Read. .

Warrant Served In The Sarah palin Email Hacking Case Posted: 21 Sep 2008 07:06 PM CDT Tennessean.com: The FBI is stepping up its investigation into the hacking of personal e-mail of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin by a University of Tennessee student. A person who identified himself as a witness tells WBIR-Knoxville that agents with the FBI served a federal search warrant at the Fort Sanders residence of David Kernell early Sunday morning. David Kernell is the son of Mike Kernell, a Democratic state representative from Memphis. Laura Sweeney, a Department of Justice spokesperson, confirmed there has been "investigatory activity" in Knoxville regarding the Palin case, but she said there are no publicly available search warrants, and no charges have been filed. More at WBIR. Now they need to go after every single site that knowingly published the the emails, contacts and photos that were illegally obtained. Sites like Huffington Post, America Blog and Gawker, just to name a few. More at Gateway Pundit. Previous: Sarah Palin Private Email Account Hacked By Scumbags Palin Email Hacker Says Nothing Incriminating In Any Emails .

Is Sarah Palin America's Princess Di? Posted: 21 Sep 2008 06:21 PM CDT Is Sarah Palin, the moose-hunting, gun toting, America loving, mother of five, GOP vice presidential candidate, America's princess Diana? It takes a couple readings to understand the UK's Daily Mail piece which states in their headline "Sarah Palin is as popular as Diana in the hearts of the American public," but the piece brings the comparison down to basics and while not all will agree, some might say it makes an interesting read. Princess Diana was known as the people's Princess. She cared, she thought of people before she thought of politics and in the Daily Mail piece they point out how some of those not from America are seeing Sarah Palin and they are making the comparison between the two much talked about women. Feminists have long stated multiple goals, many claiming their main objective was to see women treated equally as men are in every aspect of world affairs. Clinton feminists and supporters who have come out in support of Sarah Palin on the John McCain/Palin ticket, state they are multiple issue voters that can disagree with Palin on specific issues yet appreciate a working mother, that can handle a demanding a career and raise a family at the same time. Obama supporters that are feminists seem, to many, to focus only on specific issues such as abortion, to which Palin is a strict opponent of, therefore many state that voting for Palin is voting against feminism. The Daily Mail piece deals with different issues. The pro-life, devoutly Christian, happily married mother-of-five has emerged from the political margins to become the most intriguing and divisive woman in today's America. She has enraged the Left in general and feminists in particular at every turn. What infuriates them most is her rapid rise to the national stage and her ability, like Ronald Reagan before her, to talk to the people in a language they understand with a fundamentalist message many of them want to hear. The point out Palin's ability to speak to every day Americans, those largely unheard in the political realm, as Diana spoke to and for the people of her country. In their eyes, while the political elite seem to despise Palin, middle America sees her as a new, fresh face, a new voice, of someone that speaks for them, stands for them and will stand up for them. They speak of kids skipping school, mothers taking days off of work so they can see her speak, chanting "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, " and they point out it is likely that American women will be the deciding factor in the 2008 elections. Women are traditionally more likely to vote than men. And recent polls show most women prefer the McCain/Palin ticket by a margin of anything up to 20 per cent. One explanation is the Hillary factor. Disgruntled by Obama's rejection of Mrs Clinton, many of Hillary's female supporters, especially the swing voters, are switching to Palin. Hillary had 10 million women vote for her in the Democratic primaries. There's a lot to play for - and Palin is playing them like a maestro. Indeed, the Obama camp is so spooked by this shift in the female vote that it has started a frantic campaign to win them back. They've bought wall-to-wall advertising airtime during women's TV programming, with Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton herself spearheading the push. Their problem is that they - like many liberal commentators - just can't fathom why Palin is so popular. Daily Mail calls her a small town "gal" that has captured the imagination of the American public and has dominated the national conversation. They point out when they were in Washington, how whether they were at hockey rinks, hair dressers, restaurants or bars, everyone was talking about Sarah Palin, whether they loved her or hated her, she was dominating the conversation. Each publication had its own take on what she represents. Here was 'Serious Sarah', carrying the hopes of a nation on her shoulders; here was 'Mom Sarah', carrying her Down's syndrome baby Trig on her arm; here was 'Salacious Sarah', dogged by the scandal of her unmarried daughter's pregnancy and claims that two of her teenagers have taken drugs. These are the complex contradictions that Palin projects - the power-dressed working mum who is pro-life, pro-family, pro-women and, above all, pro-traditional Americans. Even her mishaps have become her strengths. The moment she arrived on the national scene, she admitted: 'I'm not perfect, my family's not perfect.' And, boy, was she right. The article points out that no much how much mud the "Democrats" throw at Palin, none seems to stick as the personal attacks actually end up working in her favor. In Palin they see optimism; in Obama cynicism. In Palin they see pride in her country; in Obama an element of shame. They also quote an analyst stating, "When most politicians talk of tackling corruption or inefficiency in their own party, it is usually just that - all talk. She's full frontal, she takes no prisoners and has made enemies as a result." They go on to say when she says she will take on the "good ole boy network" she means it because she has done it in her own state of Alaska. The article continues to attempt to explain what has been called the "Palin phenomenon," but their bottom line is they see a comparison between her rise to popularity and taking over the political conversation, and the way Princess Diana captured the imagination and hearts of people across the world. There is much more to the Daily Mail article, which should be read in full, but there basic premise as implied in their title is guaranteed to have some disagree with it and wave it away while others sit back and think of everything that Princess Diana stood for and think about the comparisons and ask themselves if they are valid. Either way, some American's may find the view from across the pond to be interesting while others will surely decry they know not what they speak of. What cannot be argued is that it is not only Americans trying to determine what to make of Sarah Palin, but those around the world are also curious and making their own determinations. COMMENTARY. Personally, I find the comparison kind of weird, we do not have royalty here in America and I do not see Palin and some sort of Princess. With that said, I can see how her speaking as one of the people, does compare to how Princess Diana presented herself. I just find it quite interesting to see how other countries are looking at palin and making these determinations for themselves. .

Battleground State Ohio: John McCain Leads Barack Obama Posted: 21 Sep 2008 04:01 PM CDT In a poll which was a collaboration among Ohio's largest daily newspapers, they find that in the battleground state of Ohio, John McCain takes the lead. The first Ohio Newspaper Poll, a collaboration among Ohio's largest daily newspapers, shows Republican Sen. John McCain with a lead over Democrat Sen. Barack Obama in Ohio and provides a snapshot of the political landscape in a state that both campaigns regard as must-win territory. The survey of Buckeye State voters shows McCain with a 6 percentage point lead, but the poll's margin of error means the race could be much closer. And the potential for change is great: 19 percent say they could change their minds. There are other nuances in the report but Ohio is critical in this election as is Florida and in both states John McCain holds the lead in poll averages. This election will come down to certain crucial states and these two are are part of that. .

Biden On Obama: 'if he tries to fool with my Beretta, he’s got a problem.' Posted: 21 Sep 2008 02:03 PM CDT (NRA Mailing- CLICK TO ENLARGE TO READ) In Castlewood, Virginia , at an annual fishfry, Joe Biden told the United Mine Workers that if Barack Obama tried to take Biden's guns away, then Obama's "got a problem." Neither Barack Obama nor Joe Biden have a gun control record that will soothe gun owners across America, with Biden himself receiving an F by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun control voting record, not a gun advocacy record. Barack Obama's voting record on gun control issues is pretty clear. * Ok for states & cities to determine local gun laws. (Apr 2008) * FactCheck: Yes, Obama endorsed Illinois handgun ban. (Apr 2008) * Respect 2nd Amendment, but local gun bans ok. (Feb 2008) * Provide some common-sense enforcement on gun licensing. (Jan 2008) * 2000: cosponsored bill to limit purchases to 1 gun per month. (Oct 2007) * Concealed carry OK for retired police officers. (Aug 2007) * Stop unscrupulous gun dealers dumping guns in cities. (Jul 2007) * Keep guns out of inner cities--but also problem of morality. (Oct 2006) * Bush erred in failing to renew assault weapons ban. (Oct 2004) * Ban semi-automatics, and more possession restrictions. (Jul 1998) * Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jul 2005) Mailings from the Nation Rifle Association (NRA) have warned their members of Obama's prior voting record when dealing with the Second Amendment and Joe Biden was trying to allay those fears in an area where people take their Second Amendment rights very seriously. (NRA Mailing- CLICK TO ENLARGE TO READ) The New York Times' Caucus and Fox News reports Biden's words. One of rural Democrats' biggest fears about Obama? That he'll come after the Second Amendment. Not so, said Biden — and he'd better not try. "I guarantee you, Barack Obama ain't taking my shotguns, so don't buy that malarkey," Biden said angrily. "They're going to start peddling that to you." "I got two, if he tries to fool with my Beretta, he's got a problem." The NRA has taken an active part in informing the public of what they perceive Obama stands for in relation to the Second Amendment. They have created a website called "GunbaNObama" website in which they list a number of reasons they believe gun owners should vote against Barack Obama, even making sure to remind people of Obama's April words in San Francisco which were recorded and hit the headlines immediately after when he said, "So it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them…." The NRA has multiple pages regarding Obama and on their front page they have a link saying, "Obama's Deceptive Ad", when you click it and page within a page opens which discusses a radio ad the NRA claims is "designed to deceive huntsmen, sportsmen and gun owners." Of course the ad doesn't mention that Obama supports things like a ban on handguns, an extension of the Clinton gun ban, a 500 percent increase on taxes on firearms and ammunition, a ban on the most common hunting ammunition, a ban on gun stores located within five miles of a school or a park, and prosecuting people who use a gun for self defense in their home. The NRA has pulled out all the stops and Biden's words might be comforting to those that have not taken a look at Biden's and Obama's records of voting. Words are one thing, but as a gun owner I can honestly say, we choose to look at both of these politician's prior voting records to see how their votes match or do not match their rhetoric. .

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