A post by Peter Slutsky

FW: Obama Confusion

The email below was just forwarded to me. It’s poses some very good questions. If you’re so inclined, please copy and paste the text and get this email out to your address book today.

—–Original Message—–
From: SENDER
Sent: Tue 9/17/2008
To: RECIPIENT
Subject: Obama Confusion…

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you’re
‘exotic, different.’

* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, yours is a quintessential
American story.

* If your name is Barack you’re a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

* Name your kids Willow,Trig and Track, you’re a maverick.

* Graduate from Columbia University and Harvard law School and you are unstable.

* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you’re well
grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the
first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter
registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years
as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator
representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of
the state Senate’s Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years
in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people
while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs,
Environment and Public Works and Veteran’s Affairs committees, you
don’t have any real leadership experience.

* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city
council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000
people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people,
then you’re qualified to become the country’s second highest ranking
executive and next in line behind a man in his eighth decade.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while
raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you’re
not a real Christian.

* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and then left
your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you’re a
true Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including
the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no
other option in sex education in your state’s school system while your
unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you’re very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in
a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city
community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family’s values
don’t represent America ’s.

* If you’re husband is nicknamed ‘First Dude’, with at least one DWI
conviction and no college education, who didn’t register to vote until
age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession
of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

A post by Peter Slutsky

The Lion Returns…

What a moment…

A post by Peter Slutsky

Obama’s Long Coattails

Now this is certainly an interesting development…

Oregon Republican Senator Gordon Smith is now running ads touting his ability work across the aisle with Barack Obama and the Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski. He recognizes that the GOP brand is not so strong these days, and in order to beat back the challenge from Jeff Merkley, he’s going to have to…well…act like a Democrat. Check out the ad.

UPDATE: Obama spokesman Bill Burton responded:

Barack Obama has a long record of bipartisan accomplishment and we appreciate that it is respected by his Democratic and Republican colleagues in the Senate. But in this race, Oregonians should know that Barack Obama supports Jeff Merkley for Senate. Merkley will help Obama bring about the fundamental change we need in Washington.

A post by Peter Slutsky

Target: McConnell, Collins, Sununu

Americans United for Change, a group that is working hard to bring the Iraq War to an end has recently released a series of TV ads targeting U.S. Senators who are up for re-election in 2008.

Please take a look at these ads and share them with your friends, family and co-workers. They are well made, effective and should help to keep these Senators up against the ropes as 2008 approaches.

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)

Senator John Sununu (R-NH)

A post by Peter Slutsky

Introducing Candidate Franken

World, meet the next great Senator from state of Minnesota…Al Franken

Comedian And Radio Show Host

Al Franken has officially thrown his hat into the 2008 Senate race against sitting Senator Norm Coleman (R) of Minnesota. Check out Al’s new website. Much more on this race to come, including interviews and analysis from the ground in the state of 10,000 lakes!

A post by Peter Slutsky

The Great Debate On Iraq

Today, the House of Representatives began debate on a non-binding resolution on the Iraq War troop escalation. Below is the text of that resolution.

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Disapproving of the decision of the President announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That —

(1) Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and

(2) Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.

Each member of the House has been given five minutes to speak on this resolution. The Democrats have made this resolution as straightforward and as easy to grasp as possible. What does a non-binding resolution do, you may ask? It sends a clear message to the White House that Congress (via the American people) reject Bush’s policy of sending more troops to referee a civil war in Iraq.

NPR’s Morning Edition has more on this great debate.

Hoyer Wins

by a vote of 149-86 for House Majority Leader. Some freak out, while others say no big whoop. Meanwhile GOP elects racist Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) to whip the minority and reelects Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) to run the minority in the House, since that went so well for them last time.

A post by Peter Slutsky

The New Senate

America has new committee chairs in the U.S. Senate. Here they are, folks.

* Appropriations: Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV)
* Environment and Public Works: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
* Finance: Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)
* Foreign Relations: Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE)
* Judiciary: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
* Intelligence: Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

A note from Political Wire:

The committee assignments given to the freshmen senators were also released. Of note: despite the fact that Harry Reid promised before the election that, if elected, Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) would be given a seat on the Appropriations Committee as soon as possible, he did not receive such an assignment yesterday.

The New York Times has more.

A post by Joshua Skaroff

A New Day: Sherrod Brown Wins!

Rep. Sherrod Brown has beaten Republican incumbent Senator Mike DeWine in Ohio. CNN is reporting the win and we’ll have numbers up soon.

Check out Sherrod on DoubleSpeak.