Defend Your Vote

Game ON! Obama launces official 2012 campaign #tcot #p2 #opinion

simonj — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:41:35 +0000

It appears that Obama has kicked off his official 2012 campaign as can be seen on his website. The call for people to get involved it portrayed in his campaign launch video. The general premise is that there is so much still to be addressed and the people in the video want Obama to do it.

“This campaign is just kicking off. We’re opening up offices, unpacking boxes, and starting a conversation with supporters like you to help shape our path to victory. 2012 begins now, and this is where you say you’re in” – http://www.barackobama.com/

It begins with us: http://my.barackobama.com/obama2012vid

The politics we believe in starts not with expensive TV ads or extravaganzas, but with you — with people organizing block-by-block, talking to neighbors, co-workers and friends.

And that kind of campaign takes time to build. So even though the race may not reach full speed for a year or more, the work of laying the foundation for our campaign must start today.

In the coming days, supporters like you will begin forging a new organization that we’ll build together in cities and towns across the country. And we’ll need you to help shape our plan as we create a campaign that’s farther reaching, more focused, and more innovative than anything we’ve built before.

We’ll start by doing something unprecedented: coordinating millions of one-on-one conversations between supporters across every single state, reconnecting old friends, inspiring new ones to join the cause, and readying ourselves for next year’s fight.

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Shhhh…. Obama Plans To Run In 2012

AngelinaC — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 21:08:13 +0000

Politico and Huffington Post are both reporting that President Barack Obama (R-IL) will file registration papers with the Federal Election Committee next week. Sources state that Obama could raise a whopping billion dollars. Amazing how politics has become a huge part of the American economy, making us stop and question whether “consumerism” President or American Idol President really works for the country. Pay to Play politics at its best! The President will base his election campaign in Chicago which will include David Axlerod and Jim Messena.

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Must Read Op-Eds — April 2, 2010

AngelinaC — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 19:48:23 +0000

What in the world is happening with Donald Trump? Is he really throwing his hat in the ring to run for the Presidency on the Republican Ticket or is he simply trying to boost the ratings of his show, ”Celebrity Apprentice”? Nobody seems to have an answer to that. However, what they do have an answer to is the fact that his “birther” reincarnation is a bit odd and dodgy. He seems to have hopped on the Tea Party Express, but will the Tea Party remember that Trump himself (or at least in 2000 when he ran as a Reform Candidate for President) was in support of Universal Health Care? He has been a Democrat, an Independent, and now a Republican. So, very confusing! However, one thing I am not confused about is the possibility of him replacing Charlie Sheen on “2 1/2 Men” — he seems to be filled with Tiger Blood and Adonis DNA! I guess he could, after all, be winning!

Unemployment Is Down… But Here Is the Bad News — Yahoo
Cooperation in Congress? It’s In Our Constitutional DNA — David E. Skaggs
Donald Trump Is Getting Weirder — Gail Collins
Feeling Betrayed, A Furious Tea Party Shakes It’s Fist At Both Political Parties — David Firestone
Finding Madame President — Washington Post

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Ironic — Zuckerberg Stalked By Facebook User

AngelinaC — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 08:03:33 +0000

TMZ is reporting that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is being stalked by Pradeep Manukonda. Zuckerberg has filed a restraining order, yet Pradeep continues to write to Zuckerberg and Zuckerberg family members leading Zuckerberg to request a restraining order from the Palo Alto Police. Palo Alto law enforcement has informed TMZ of several visits by Manukonda to Facebook offices in Palo Alto.

Facebook has been criticized for its lack of privacy standards by internet users for years. Zuckerberg has stated that if he had to do Facebook again, he would make all user information public. Perhaps, Zuckerberg should rethink his ideals on privacy, which has been a major concern of voters as the Internet has grown and expanded.

Click To Read Full Article

Video streaming by Ustream

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Must Read Op-Eds — February 6, 2010 #tcot #p2 #opinion

AngelinaC — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 07:18:10 +0000

As the world watches Egypt erupt in turmoil, there are several stories that are not being told. The most important one is that there is an Egypt lurking in the shadows of every nation. Now, simple minded and the arrogant alike think that this is not possible in the Western World — but I beg to differ that it is! It might be advantageous for us as voters, and as a country to look at the deep underpinnings of the Egyptian crisis and note the similarities.

For years, Egypt has suffered through very high unemployment rates, which has made life a “literal” hell for its citizens. For years, many have been virtually under employed and living day by day. For the last 3 years (and possibly longer), in the United States unemployment has been above 9%. The stinging defeat of the Democrats in November, was partially because the Democratic leadership did not seem to address the unemployment issue in a more timely manner. This came only 2 years after the voting public kicked out the Republican leadership for basically the same thing! In many other Western Countries including Canada, England, and Italy unemployment numbers are climbing, yet the quality of its governmental leadership seems to be declining.

At the same time, voters are turning to other resources to “vent” and “discuss” their frustrations. Twitter and Facebook have become mainstays of popular communication. Virtually any subject including unemployment and other political hot button issues can be discussed by the masses. What would happen in one of the Western Countries if 10% of active Twitter uses began to rise up and demand change? What would happen if the same happened on Facebook? Let’s not forget the social oriented blogs such as Daily Caller and Huffington Post, which combine news and political content with a very well oiled social media machine! In essence, a western revolution is occurring, yet done so in status updates and tweets.

Each time we go into a voting box, we vote to create a better world for ourselves and those we love. If our leaders are not doing the jobs they were elected to do, we must put party lines and partisan politics aside. We must replace each and every politician until they realize that their job is the will of their constituency. Until then, we are in our own Egypt, and we must break free!

The White House’s Plan to Push Mubarak Out of Egypt — Elspeth Reeve
The Reality of Virtual Power — Joseph S. Nye
China, Twitter and 20 Year Olds Vs. The Pyramids — Thomas L Freidman
Why Israel Fears a Free Egypt — Aaron David Miller
Staying In the Shadow of The Gipper — Karen Tumulty

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Must Read Op-Ed’s — December 15, 2010 #tcot #p2 #opinions

AngelinaC — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:34:50 +0000

Elspeth Reeve writes a great op-ed breaking down the current conditions of Congress. I find it rather alarming and I am dumbfounded that the members of Congress are not taking a good look at these numbers. According to the Gallop Poll, Congress has an 83% disapproval rating. This means that only 17% of the country approves of the policies and legislation that Congress is currently taking.

So, I am watching C-Span right now, and the debate over repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. The conversation is very alarming, and I wonder whether or not these congressman even know what they are saying. Rep Boyer (R-IN) is comparing gays in the military to obese people, and believes that the military has restrictions for a reason. Is this the “medical” definition of the past declaring homosexuality a “mental disorder”. Clearly, he has not checked the latest version of the DSM.

While listening to members blathering on and on (blah blah blah) and pontificating on their belief systems, I realized that the problem is that Congress is not in touch with the fabric of American lives. They seem to be very isolated in their beliefs and their opinions, which leads me to think that they are either not listening to their constituencies or they simply do not care. Elected officials are elected to vote the will of their constituency! So, I am really not bothered when someone in a very deeply conservative area votes conservative — its an honest vote, but what I do take aim at is those that are voting for purposes other than their constituency. Simply put, we put you in Congress to vote our minds, our opinions, and our hearts — leave yours at the door!

The Most Hated Congress Ever — Elspeth Reeve

Get America Working: We Need a Movement to Solve a Crisis — Dylan Ratigan
Michael Moore Offers Bail Money For Assange, Lauds Wikileaks — Atlantic Wire
Usurper in Chief — Maureen Dowd
Partying with Lobbyists — Dana Milbanks

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Must Read Op-Ed’s — November 19, 2010 #tcot #p2 #teaparty

AngelinaC — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 02:23:23 +0000

Is the love affair with President Barack Obama truly over? It is if you read Ted Rall’s latest opinion piece! Rall writes one of the most scathing critiques of the first two years of the Obama administration, which would be standard if he was a Republican — but Rall is one of the nations most vocal liberal and progressive voices. Unlike many on the left who are still drunk on “yes we can” (although we didn’t and probably won’t), Rall states that Obama has not really changed at all, and opines that maybe we (the electorate) have. Using descriptors such as “weasel”, “devoid of character”, “toxic”, and revealing that Obama is “as much a right winger as Dubya”, Rall formulates a compelling argument to the progressive community that still supports Obama despite his less than progressive presidential record. His article is a must read! Thanks Ted.

Obama Was Bad From the Start — Ted Rall
MSNBC Suspends Joe Scarborough: For Political Donations — Greg Mitchell
Axis of Depression — Paul Krugman
Repeal It. Now. — New York Times Editorial Board
Don’t Touch My Junk — Charles Krauthammer

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Must Read Op-Ed’s — November 7, 2010 #tcot #p2

AngelinaC — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 18:34:39 +0000

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming…

Oh, how we quickly forget! Just three days after one of the craziest elections in modern history, we have moved away from the issues of the people once again and back to the game. What is the game? At this point, I do not think even Democrats or Republicans know the answer to this quite profound question. One thing they do know how to do is play it!

On Friday, NBC announced that they had suspended Keith Olbermann without pay. Is this for real or is this political theater? The New York Times is claiming that NBC is milking Olbermann’s suspension for PR value. This Week had this to say about the matter:

Privately, NBC execs have said that they don’t intend to fire Olbermann, and that they see this as “a chance to draw a distinction between the journalistic standards of their news division and the standards of Fox.”

This could very well be a valid point since both Countdown and The Rachel Maddow Show made comments on Keith’s suspension.

Here is Thomas Roberts discussing Keith’s suspension on Countdown.

Here is Rachel Maddow who shows the vast campaign contributions via competitor Fox News.

Oh, the beauty of the game! Now, can we go back to important issues — like figuring out why more gay people are voting Republican?

– AC
Keith Olbermann’s Suspension: Did MSNBC Overreact? — Yahoo
The War Has Just Begun — David Shribman
Why Are More Gay People Voting Republican? — John Hudson
Anti Government Voters Offer Little In Way of Solution — Georgie Anne Geyer
The 4 Trillion Dollar Question — New York Times
Would We Be Better Off Under President Hilary Clinton? — Dana Millbank

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Election 2010 Live Blogging #election2010 #tcot #p2

AngelinaC — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 06:49:10 +0000

One of the most important duties of a citizen of a democratic society is to vote. On November 2, 2010 the midterm elections (in the United States) will decide the course the country will move in. Will we continue to chart a course with the Democrats in charge for another two years? Will the Republicans win one or both of the Legislative houses and influence the way President Obama governs over the next 2 years? What will be the surprises and the upsets? Will the career of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid be over? DefendYourVote.com will provide up to date information about significant races, as well as political commentary. Just a reminder, we are not a political organization, group, or news site. We are citizens that have a desire for elected officials to follow the will of the people, and create (craft) legislation based upon their desires not upon the political interests of the politician. In addition, we invite you to Defend Your Vote!

Please Check Back For Updates throughout the Day on Tuesday!

11/3/2010 2:39 AM GOP picks up the largest amount of seats in the House of Representatives since 1948.

11/3/2010 1:32 AM Voting Irregularities being reported in Colorado in the city of Boulder. This strongly affects the Senate vote.

11/3/2010 1:15 AM MSNBC is reporting that Write-In Candidate in Alaska is ahead of the Republican and Democrat.

11/3/2010 1:00 AM CO, WA, too close to call. AK too early to call.

11/3/2010 12:30 AM Fox News is projecting that Harry Reid (D-NV) will narrowly defeat Sharron Angle (R-NV).

11/3/2010 12:14 AM MSNBC is projecting that Mark Kirk (R-CO) will take over the seat that was once held by President Barack Obama. Just a note, MSNBC has not yet called the PA race.

11/3/2010 12:01 AM MSNBC is projecting that Dan Inouye (D-HI) has won re-election in Hawaii. CO, WA still too close to call. NV too early to call. The election of Ionuye leaves control of the Senate in the hands of the Democrats.

11/2/2010 11:57 PM The Associated Press is projecting that Pat Toomey (R-PA) will hold the Senate seat for the state of Pennsylvania. That brings the total of Republican gains in the Senate to +5

11/2/2010 11:53 PM Harry Reid (D-NV) appears to have a rather meaty lead. Sharron Angle (R-NV) needs large rural turn out.

11/2/2010 11:38 PM It now becomes impossible for the Republicans to take the majority in the US Senate. Now we see if Harry Reid (D-NV) wins re-election.

11/2/2010 11:29 PM LA Times is projecting that Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has retained her seat in the US Senate defeating Carly Fiorina (R-CA).

11/2/2010 11:06 PM Fox News has announced that Jerry Brown (D-CA) in California has been elected Governor. This does not bode well for Carly Fiorina (R-CA). On another note, on #msnbc Rachel Maddow seems to be taking on the boys network!

11/2/2010 11:01 PM MSNBC projects that Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) will win the Senate seats for Oregon and Idaho. To early to call is CA and WA

11/2/2010 10:53 PM In the Age of Obama — there will be no African American representation in the US Senate.

11/2/2010 10:38 PM MSNBC is projecting that Ron Johnston (R-WI) will be the new Senator from Wisconsin. This brings the total to 4 seats that the Republicans have picked up in the Senate.

11/2/2010 10:15 PM Michelle Bauchmann (R-MN) dodges Chris Matthews questions on whether or not she would pursue investigations on Democrats for Un-American thinking. #humorous #msnbc – LOL Matthews asks her whether or not she is hypnotized and later goes on to call her moronic.

11/2/2010 10:11 PM Live Coverage from MSNBC

11/2/2010 10:07 PM John Boehner (R-OH) stated tonight in his acceptance speech that he will not let the Tea-Party down. I wonder how he is going to govern like that? #msnbc

11/2/2010 10:05 PM MSNBC is projecting that John McCain (R-AZ) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have won re-election to the Senate from their states. NV, UT are too early to call. PA, IL, WI, CO still too close to call.

11/2/2010 9:59 PM From Twitter: @rollcall: Our @jessicalbrady reports fr GOP HQ: They showed O’Donnell concession speech on big screen for literally 5 seconds. Turned off quickly.

11/2/2010 9:56 PM MSNBC is projecting that David Vitter (R-LA) will@rollcall: Our @jessicalbrady reports fr GOP HQ: They showed O’Donnell concession speech on big screen for literally 5 seconds. Turned off quickly. win re-election for the Senate seat in Louisiana

11/2/2010 9:54 PM Finally a Democrat speaks the truth and says that the Democrats have not been really good at messaging. They need to go back to kitchen table discussions. There truly has been a disconnect, and it is great to see Sen Claire McCaskill (D-MO) speak honestly about it. #msnbc

11/2/2010 9:49 PM MSNBC projects that Roy Blunt (R-MO) will be the winner of the Missouri Senate seat.

11/2/2010 9:48 I am kind of disturbed by the cover of The Daily Caller. Party Like It’s 1773? #fail

11/2/2010 9:20 PM Republicans are already discussing impeaching Obama? #msnbc

11/2/2010 9:06 PM MSNBC is projecting the following winners for the Senate. John Hoeven (R-ND), Jerry Moran (R-KS), John Thune (R-SD), Charles Schuemer (D-NY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). The following states are too close to call — WI, CO, PA, IL. The following states are too early to call — LA, MO.

11/2/2010 9:00 PM MSNBC is projecting that the Republicans will control the House of Representatives +/- 13 Rep 237/Dem 198

11/2/2010 8:54 PM Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is making my head hurt refusing to answer what spending she would cut in the budget. Interestingly, she is already referring to John Boehner as Speaker and Eric Cantor as Leader. I guess she does not plan to support Michelle Bauchmann who plans to run for Speaker of the House. #msnbc

11/2/2010 8:47 PM In what could be considered the first sign that the election might not be such a tsunami of defeat for the Democrats, MSNBC is projecting that Joe Manchin (D-WV) is the winner for the Senate seat of West Virginia.

11/2/2010 8:32 PM MSNBC is projecting that John Boozman (R-AR) has defeated Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) for the Senate seat for Arkansas. This brings Republicans to +2 out of the +10 seats they need to take the Senate.

11/2/2010 8:27 PM MSNBC is projecting that Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has won the Senate seat for the state of Connecticut.

11/2/2010 8:21 PM MSNBC is projecting that Richard Burr (R-NC) will win the Senate seat for North Carolina.

11/2/2010 8:20 PM First bit of bad news for Republicans. NBC News calls John Carney (D) has won in Delaware. It’s the first flip of the night. This brings the Republican number up from 39 to 40.

11/2/2010 8:10 PM MSNBC is reporting that Johnny Isakson (R-GA) is the projected winner of the Georgia Senate race.

11/2/2010 8:02 PM MSNBC is reporting the following projected winners. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Richard Shelby (R-AL), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), PA, IL are too close to call. WV, NC, GA, PA, IL, MO, CT — too early to call! BTW, for all those of you who are paying attention this means that Christine O’Donnell has lost her bid for the Senate Seat. My suggestion — she dabbles in witchcraft!

11/2/2010 7:56 PM MSNBC’s first look is reporting that people in Alaska are wearing rather interesting t-shirts for the write in candidate.

11/2/2010 7:46PM ABC is reporting that Nancy Pelosi believes they are on track to maintain the majority in the house. For Nancy’s sake, she better hope so. History has not been kind to former majority leaders. Got resignation letter ready?

11/2/2010 7:32 PM MSNBC is projecting that Rob Portman wins the Senate seat in OH. NC, GA, WV all too early to call. Early reports are that Manchin is ahead in WV by less than 1% of the vote.

11/2/2010 7:19 PM PBS Live Election Results Stream

11/2/2010 7:15 PM West Virginia in 15 minutes — if Republicans lose this they cannot pick up their 10 seats. More to come..

11/2/2010 7:08 PM Wow, Rachel Maddow just eviscerated Evan Bayh on MSNBC. She said that the only legislative record he has is being the Democratic Senator from Indiana, and that he has reinvented himself as a “smack talking” pundit.

11/2/2010 7:01 PM MSNBC is projecting that Rand Paul (R-KY), Dan Coats (R-IN), Jim Demint (R-SC), Pat Leahy (D-VT), and it’s too early to call in Georgia. Republicans have picked up +1 Seat(s) in the US Senate.

11/2/2010 6:56 PM The Daily Caller is predicting that the Republicans will take over the Senate with 51 Senators. I would love to see how they came up with this figure. The best I can count is 49. We will find out the results in Indiana and Kentucky in about 2 minutes.

11/2/2010 6:36PM Huffington Post has a great blog today on Exit Polls including why to be skeptical of them.

Here are some of the leaked exit poll results that HuffPo is reporting:

Leaked exit polls for key Senate races now spreading like wildfire among politicos:

Blumenthal (D-CT) +8
Rubio (R-FL) +21
Blunt (R-MO) +10
Boxer (D-CA) +8
Kirk (R-IL) +6
Paul (R-KY) +11,
NV–EVEN — (Good Or Bad News For Harry Reid — AC)
Bennet (D-CO) +2
Toomey (R-PA) +4
Murray (D-WA) +6
Manchin (D-WV) +7
Johnson (R-WI) +5

11/2/2010 6:29 PM MSNBC is reporting that exit polls reveal that the majority of Americans are disappointed and/or angry with where the country is right now. 56% believe that the country is on the wrong track. 53% have an unfavorable rating for both Democrats and Republicans, and President Obama currently has a 54% unfavorable rating. Is this showing that the system is currently broken?

11/2/2010 6:12PM It Begins — Buckle your seatbelt. Get tons of goodies, because the election results will begin to come in soon.

11/2/2010 3:25 PM Slate has put together a great election cheat sheet. When I read through the information I realized how strongly that the independent vote count is going to matter in many of these races — especially the Senate races. My key race to watch will be whether or not Harry Reid will be able to hold onto the Nevada Senate seat or whether or not he will be handing the keys to tea party candidate Sharron “no interviews” Angle.

11/2/2010 – How did the Democrats get it so wrong? Rachel Maddow appeared on Andrea Mitchell Reports and stated that she felt, ”People don’t feel that the economy is moving fast enough.” Also, Rachel predicts that she suspects that tomorrow morning we will begin the Presidential Election of 2012, and that the Republicans will be unwilling to negotiate on anything. She feels that the Republicans are banking on the economy still being in a troubled state for the next two years.

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TSA: Potentially Suspicious Items on Planes in Philadelphia & Newark #tcot #p2 #terrorism

AngelinaC — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:29:31 +0000

Update: 10/29/2010 6:47 PM (We will keep you informed of the latest information)

This afternoon, President Obama did confirm that explosives were found in a FedEx facility in Dubai, as well as an airport in Britain. Obama referred to the packages as a credible terrorist threat against the United States. The packages were found for two places of Jewish worship in Chicago.

Although the attacks look legitimate, we must remind our readers that Al-Qaeda has attempted to influence the elections in the United States in the past, and we should remember to base our votes on our conscience not on our fears.

– AC

Whenever we receive these types of breaking news alerts right before election day it makes me feel rather queasy. Remember, the infamous 2004 Bin Laden tape right before Election 2004? The War in Georgia in 2008? Don’t let ‘the headlines’ deceive you!

– AC

—

(CNN) — Authorities were responding to reports of suspicious items on cargo flights that landed Friday in Newark, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Planes “were moved to a remote location … out of an abundance of caution,” the Transportation Security Administration said.

In Philadelphia, the fire department’s hazardous material units were responding to an incident involving two aircraft — a UPS plane and a 757 jet with no one aboard, officials said.

Three people aboard one of the planes were scanned with negative results, the Philadelphia Fire Department said.

The type of material that may be involved is not known, officials said.

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