Netgative negative all the McSame can be is negative to distract from issues

Dear Obama Supporters:
Judy from KCMO asked me how I can remain so positive in light of all that is going on with the negative campaigning. I have only one answer for her, I believe in Barack Obama with my whole heart. I know he is the right man for the country in the most important election of our time. I also am not so naive that I don't know John McSame is ecstatic today since his negative, inane ads have pushed Obama's wonderful trip off the front pages of the papers and buried his economic statements as well. Bob Herbert actually said on MSNBC this morning, "does anyone know what Obama said last week about the economy?" We hear nothing from the press other than Obama's responses to the race issue and the Britney/Paris ridiculousness. The Washington Post actually had a front page story on McSame's campaign and the distortion of facts about Obama. Still the ugliness continues, and how sad is that? It makes sense becasue if McSame runs on the issues he will lose. So he and the Rethugs, as Kathy in MO calls them, have to keep the record high gas prices, mortgage foreclosure, and oil/energy addiction off the front pages. How better to distract people than throw in the race card and celebrity issue, and most of all keep using drilling offshore for oil as the answer to our energy crisis. Even though it has been proven that this drilling will do nothing to relieve prices until maybe between 2015-2017 he keeps on advocating for it. He now admits it will bring only "psychological relief" but this is something. If no one calls him on it, then people begin to believe it. Someone once said if you said it enough it becomes truth. His distortion of facts is his way of distracting the public from the horrible results of W's eight years. He is betting on the uninformed voter to help him get into the White House. Don't be fooled he also has tons of money to support his negative campaign. If this whole John McSame campaign didn't lead to such serious consequences it would be sad and kind of funny. Here he is talking about race, arugula and Britney/Paris as "Rome burns". Does he think the American public won't catch on? I heard him say John McSame doesn't speak for the campaign when asked about the negativity. What is he thinking,and yet we have gone down 8 points in the Gallup poll since this horrible last week of non stop attacks. We have our work cut out for us and again I say, get out the facts to all, engage people in intelligent discussions,and quote the people closest to him. These are those people who can't recognize the McCain of 2000.They are asking who is this McSame of 2008 who is distorting the facts and grasping at straws . Many GOP are disillusioned with him and these are people we need to read about and study their thoughts. When it comes to McSame I have been listening to Hagel and many of those who served with him and don't recognize this very angry clone of W. He was the man who stood up against W's tax cuts for the top 1% of Americans, he was against off shore drilling for oil, and now he is the spokesman for these issues. He has the nerve to say Obama is flip-flopping, I don't think so but please see Kathy's notes at end on McSame flip flops so you can be ready with that info***! From that e-mail Kathy in MO said,"Many people like to reminisce about the John McCain of 2000. We remember him as the "maverick" who rode the "Straight Talk Express" and went up against Bush. To many of us Democrats, he was a more palatable Republican who had at times gone against his part and crossed the aisle. However, in his quest for the Presidency, the wheels came off the Straight Talk Express. He decided to tack far to the right and embraced Bush and his cronies in order to get the nomination. His voting record for the last two years is 95% with Bush policy. He has reversed his previously moderate stances on so many issues, it will leave your head spinning. Some say the McCain of 2000 would not vote for the McCain of 2008. He is not the same man. Jack Cafferty quipped on CNN that McCain could break a hip flip flopping back and for so much." Remember that old television program where he said "just the facts just the facts". Well, informed voters will not be able to vote for eight more years of the same! This is what makes me positive and keeps me working on a day to day basis.
Yes WE Can!
Love,Sunny
A Mama 4 Obama

From Helen Older Women for Obama:
Ford also noted something that Obama backers need to keep in mind. Our enthusiasm won't translate into more than one vote apiece. Our commitment won't mean that our vote will be worth 1.5 votes. It'll be worth the same one vote that a reluctant McCain voter's will be worth. So, we need to keep working on getting him elected, right now, today, and every day from now until November 4th.

From Allison in NJ:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/01/DD691227FH.DTL&type=politics thought of you! xo

From Veronica in NYC as well:
Hi guys,
Check out this nice piece in today's SF Chronicle on the art community's support for Obama. The second half of my brief quote doesn't really make sense without it being connected to the art crawl, but I'm certainly not complaining.

It's especially gratifying to see him quote Michael Chabon's intro to Obama's art policy, which I love and forwarded to him. And its fun to be quoted in the paper Vanessa and I grew up reading, and that our proud Democratic Grandma is probably making her way through now, if she's not playing catch up with her New Yorkers!

Hope all of you are well--I'm so grateful to the many of you who came to the crawl or supported it. Thank you, thank you!
xoxo,
Veronica

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/02/DD691227FH.DTL

From Randy in Berkeley:
anyone who made the most absurd and untrue statements about obama as mc
same has done would be prosecuted for libel! here in berkeley there is
no other candidate and it's very comforting but ........ this is not
america and I, for one, am getting very nervous. i really believe mc
same's negative attacks are beginning to take hold. i feel completely
powerless and that the republicans are once again going to put the
screws on the democrats as they have done in the past. i have tried to
convince some mc same supporters that obama would be the better choice
and they are completely unconvinced.
hi justy!!!!

From Judy in KCMO:
Sunny - I love your positive outlook - but I remain a bit concerned. I hear too little from O re the issues...and I hear people being upset with his comments such as "I am the symbol of change...."
I believe the campaign needs to respond and not be swift boated, but I also believe we need to hear more about the issues from O//I am now interested in his reasoning for being opposed to nuclear power. I understand the opposition to off=shore drilling. When I get some time, shall look at his web site and see what I can find there.
PS I am working with the O people here - have helped them set up 4 house parties so far.

From Herb in KS in response to Kathy from MO's e-mail see what happens when you just do outreach!!!:
Hi Kathy (from Mo) and I'm delighted to hear from you. Yes, not only am I interested but not hooked up on either side of the State Line. I'm here in Johnson Cty, primarily in the Prairie Village area --- and I'll be interested in working either side -- as would be my son, Marc Miller, living around 128th and State Line, but on the MISSOURI side. Marc already has Obama signs both on his lawn, and front door ("Have you had enough already?") or words to that effect! Sunny is a sweetheart ----never having met her, but have thoroughly appreciated what she has done and contributed during all these years of Republican and Bush misery that has happened to our country. Jane Bartholomew is another strong Obama supporter and as I recall, she too, has been active politically, on both sides of the state line. (By the way, who doesn't love Parkville?! Remind me to mention the time I was involved as a minor player during theHBO filming of the TRUMAN Story with Gary Sinese in Parkville.) Being more experienced in these matters, I would rely on you to tell me how and where to participate in order to play my part in electing Obama, and a strong Dem ticket. With warm wishes, cordially.......Herb


From Rachel in NY:
Did anyone in headquaters address this situation...let me know..Rachel Obama has to stand up strong against these McCain people and call their behavior out for what it is...


From Judy in Westchester:
Click here: Economic Models Predict Obama Win - AOL News


From Kathy in KCMO:
Here are two very interesting articles about the campaigns.

One is an excellent article from the Huffington Post about how Obama is winning the ground game with field offices in every state. Look at how few McCain has. There are states where he has no offices open and no volunteer network. This is what we have all been talking about...the ground game. Person to person getting out the vote. We are watching it right here in MO and in every state! This article points out that the national media coverage being so skewed in McCain's favor really doesn't matter because people's perceptions are being formed out in the individual states. Keep reaching out to people wherever you are. That is what truly works! This is how we win!
The second article is pretty revealing about how much campaigning McCain is really doing.

Seth Colter Walls
walls@huffingtonpost.com | HuffPost Reporting From DC
Obama's Field Domination Plays Out In Local Press
July 31, 2008 02:09 PM
Late last week, as Barack Obama's trip abroad was dominating national media coverage, John McCain's campaign issued a retort for pundits who wondered if the Arizona Republican was getting lost in all the hoopla.

In an email to reporters, McCain's director of regional media Jeff Sadosky claimed that a majority of Americans actually get their news from "local and regional newspapers and local television news programs" that had been covering McCain all week long.

The purpose of the memo was two-fold: first, to pressure big media to show McCain a little more love, but secondly, to argue that McCain's freeze-out perhaps wasn't such a big deal after all. Featuring numerous clippings from four states the presumptive Republican nominee had visited while Obama was abroad, Sadosky's implicit claim was that the campaign was winning the media war where it really counts, closer to home.

But the local coverage wars are not so clearly tilted toward McCain's advantage. A review of reporting in local papers finds a slew of coverage of Obama's active field operation, mostly hooked on the dozens of Obama campaign offices opened in recent weeks.

This week in Montana, for example, the Helena Independent Record led its story on local organizing with a Obama staffer's line: "Republican presidential candidate John McCain is taking Montana for granted..." The paper noted that the Illinois Democrat currently has six state offices in action to McCain's zero. In a July 31 Bozeman Daily Chronicle story headlined "McCain campaign manager expects big victory," the paper pointed out that a Obama's advantage in paid field staff may be yielding dividends -- citing a Rasumussen poll that showed McCain down five points despite the fact that President George W. Bush carried the state handily over John Kerry in 2004.

Montana isn't the only Republican stronghold where Obama's unprecedented field operation is inspiring positive local coverage. In The Oklahoman, a recent report detailed how a gang of enthusiastic Obama volunteers opened the first office of either campaign in Sooner State. After noting that Obama's national campaign was finalizing plans to open their own official site, the paper reported that "U.S. Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has no immediate plans to open an Oklahoma campaign office."

Battleground states are also interested in reporting on Obama's superior ground game. Ohio's local ABC affiliate WTVG reported last week that, even while Obama was abroad, he was also dominating in terms of local outreach.

"And while [Obama] spent more time in Paris today than he has in any part of Toledo this summer, Obama has opened a campaign office in Toledo with dozens of young enthusiastic people pushing his message," the station reported, adding: "McCain does have a headquarters [in Ohio]," the station added. "It's a regional office in Columbus that covers both Ohio and Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Obama has satellite offices open all over both states."

In Michigan, papers in Macomb and St. Clair counties gave prominent coverage to the openings of new Obama offices. And in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, The Daily News reported this week that Obama has 10 to 1 advantage over McCain in terms of state offices.

So while McCain has a valid point that the national media may navel-gaze from time to time, by electing not to match Obama's investment in field offices, his may also be losing the race to inspire the positive local coverage they cite as being important.

This is another article that is very interesting based on observations by a FOX employee who is covering the McCain campaign. It is backed up by Wall Street Journal reporter. Remember, these are two Rupert Murdoch organizations criticizing him. Read about how tired or lazy McCain is about campaigning. He barely does one event per day. Just what we need, a president who is too tired to work a full day! We have an awesome field organization and an intelligent and energetic candidate!


FOX employee covering McCain: "It's unbelievable" how little campaigning McCain does

Sounds like someone is getting tired. A Wall Street Journal reporter backs him up. It's a longer article in Rolling Stone, and isn't online. This is just a snippet - you can find the entire article at the news stand. The rest of the article reveals that McCain is no longer talking to the press at all on his bus.

From Susan in NC:
Have you seen where John McCain will be speaking???? Checkout Huffingtonpost.com. Now THIS is news. Family Values and Ready to be President of the United States? Are we kidding????

URL http://www.buffalochip.com/EVENTS/SenatorJohnMcCain/tabid/322/Default.aspx

One event.........Sucker Punch Sally.................

U.S. Senator, John McCain will participate in the Buffalo Chip’s annual Tribute to American Veterans and Active Duty Servicemen on Monday, Aug.
From Sue in Hamptons:
CALLING SHELTER ISLAND AND EAST END OBAMA SUPPORTERS -
WE NEED YOUR HELP FOR THE

SHELTER ISLAND YARD SALE:
PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT OBAMA!!!
Join us and tell your friends!
The sale will be held at
102 South Midway Rd, Shelter Island
(near Wade's Beach)
Saturday, Aug. 16 (Rain date, Aug. 17rd )
from 10:00 – 4:00
DONATE! DONATE! DONATE! DONATE!
We need lots of good items for the sale.
Drop off donations on Friday 8/15 afternoon 12:00 to 6:00
& Saturday 8/16 at 9:00 A.M.
VOLUNTEER!
We need volunteers to help make this event a success.
CONTACT:
Debi Marino
749-0848 or e-mail debim22@optonline.net
Thanks for your support!
From Elizabeth in Mamaroneck:
Dear Obama friends,
I realize that some of you have been out of town or otherwise encumbered or unavoidably delayed, and some of you were contacted by Fran and don't know me, but the campaign is seeming more urgent by the hour. Could you please let me know over the next week or two what you've been able to do and what you may need, whether it's lapel buttons or explanation. The Ten Friends is the most important effort right now, but everything matters.
Thanks very much!
Elizabeth Saenger
702 Hall St., Mam'k
914-698-7569, cell 914-523-1764

From Judy in Mamaroneck:
August 2, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist
Running While Black By BOB HERBERT
Gee, I wonder why, if you have a black man running for high public office — say, Barack Obama or Harold Ford — the opposition feels compelled to run low-life political ads featuring tacky, sexually provocative white women who have no connection whatsoever to the black male candidates.

Spare me any more drivel about the high-mindedness of John McCain. You knew something was up back in March when, in his first ad of the general campaign, Mr. McCain had himself touted as “the American president Americans have been waiting for.”

There was nothing subtle about that attempt to position Senator Obama as the Other, a candidate who might technically be American but who remained in some sense foreign, not sufficiently patriotic and certainly not one of us — the “us” being the genuine red-white-and-blue Americans who the ad was aimed at.

Since then, Senator McCain has only upped the ante, smearing Mr. Obama every which way from sundown. On Wednesday, The Washington Post ran an extraordinary front-page article that began:

“For four days, Senator John McCain and his allies have accused Senator Barack Obama of snubbing wounded soldiers by canceling a visit to a military hospital because he could not take reporters with him, despite no evidence that the charge is true.”

Evidence? John McCain needs no evidence. His campaign is about trashing the opposition, Karl Rove-style. Not satisfied with calling his opponent’s patriotism into question, Mr. McCain added what amounted to a charge of treason, insisting that Senator Obama would actually prefer that the United States lose a war if that would mean that he — Senator Obama — would not have to lose an election.

Now, from the hapless but increasingly venomous McCain campaign, comes the slimy Britney Spears and Paris Hilton ad. The two highly sexualized women (both notorious for displaying themselves to the paparazzi while not wearing underwear) are shown briefly and incongruously at the beginning of a commercial critical of Mr. Obama.

The Republican National Committee targeted Harold Ford with a similarly disgusting ad in 2006 when Mr. Ford, then a congressman, was running a strong race for a U.S. Senate seat in Tennessee. The ad, which the committee described as a parody, showed a scantily clad woman whispering, “Harold, call me.”

Both ads were foul, poisonous and emanated from the upper reaches of the Republican Party. (What a surprise.) Both were designed to exploit the hostility, anxiety and resentment of the many white Americans who are still freakishly hung up on the idea of black men rising above their station and becoming sexually involved with white women.

The racial fantasy factor in this presidential campaign is out of control. It was at work in that New Yorker cover that caused such a stir. (Mr. Obama in Muslim garb with the American flag burning in the fireplace.) It’s driving the idea that Barack Obama is somehow presumptuous, too arrogant, too big for his britches — a man who obviously does not know his place.

Mr. Obama has to endure these grotesque insults with a smile and heroic levels of equanimity. The reason he has to do this — the sole reason — is that he is black..(Read the rest on lineClick here: Op-Ed Columnist - Running While Black - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com )

From Kathy in KCMO:

This is an interesting piece on Rick Davis, McSame's campaign manager and how they go about attacking. Obama must fight back with ads about McCain. They need to show McCain for what he is and what he is doing like taking a million dollars from big oil for changing his mind on offshore drilling. He needs to show America that McSame is looking out for big oil, not for us! Then he can tell what he will do about the energy crisis.

Rick Davis does know his “smears” alright. Obama needs to hit back hard
By: John Amato @ 12:00 PM - PDT
Obama needs to become much more aggressive against the McCain campaign since they have begun a huge smear campaign against him. Saying “we’re above it” won’t work. Here’s Rick’s article called ‘The anatomy of a smear campaign‘ in the Boston Globe back in 2004:

All campaigns do extensive research into their opponent’s voting record and personal life. This so-called “oppo research” involves searching databases, combing through press clips, and asking questions of people who know (and preferably dislike) your opponent. It’s not hard to turn up something a candidate would rather not see on the front page of The Boston Globe.

It’s not necessary, however, for a smear to be true to be effective. The most effective smears are based on a kernel of truth and applied in a way that exploits a candidate’s political weakness.

Having run Senator John McCain’s campaign for president, I can recount a textbook example of a smear made against McCain in South Carolina during the 2000 presidential primary. We had just swept into the state from New Hampshire, where we had racked up a shocking, 19-point win over the heavily favored George W. Bush. What followed was a primary campaign that would make history for its negativity.

And here is what they did to try and stop the smears and how the failed:

We chose to address the attacks by trying to get the media to focus on the dishonesty of the allegations and to find out who was making them. We also pledged to raise the level of debate by refusing to run any further negative ads — a promise we kept, though it probably cost us the race. We never did find out who perpetrated these smears, but they worked: We lost South Carolina by a wide margin. Read the whole article.

Obama can’t let the media try to clean up the smears coming from McCain for him. Having Andrea argue with Davis isn’t enough. He has to hit back and hit back hard every time Davis and friends goes on the attack. It doesn’t have to get personal because McCain has given Obama plenty to work with. Produce an ad with McCain standing in an oil spill, (where he was supposed to go and do a photo op) list all the money he’s getting from big oil since he became the nominee, list the incredible profits that big oil just reported, then say something like:

Is Driving to work costing you a fortune while Big Oil reaps in record profits? John McCain’s solution to the rising gas prices that we face is to reward Big Oil with incredible tax breaks after he received thousands of dollars in contributions. That’s the real Straight talk about John McCain.

John McCain, he’s looking out for Big Oil, but who will look out for you?

The second article is about how McCain is trying to swiftboat Obama, but it probably will not work because it is McCain doing the lying himself and endorsing it. With the swiftboaters, it was a 527 that Bush could distance himself from if he chose to. With McCain, he personally endorses them and then brags about them at town meetings! What an old fool!
Why McCain's personal attacks on Obama may not work
I've been talking with Chris about whether we should be worried or not about McCain's ongoing personal attacks on Obama. (McCain's latest is an ad comparing Obama to the Messiah, which might cause some problems with Christians who don't appreciate McCain using God in a TV ad). And there are a few significant differences between the Swift Boating of John Kerry and McCain's sleazy attacks the past week or so.

George Bush had nothing to do with the Swift Boaters (at least putatively) - they were an outside group he was able to disavow any connection to. John McCain, on the other hand, has heartily endorsed the ongoing attacks against Obama, and is actually coordinating them - they're McCain's own statements and McCain's own ads. I think this matters for a number of reasons.

First, the degree to which the media, and the public, reject the ads and attacks as too negative and inappropriate, while the Swift Boaters' tactics wouldn't necessarily taint George Bush, John McCain will take full blame or credit for his attacks.

Second, the media has been far more critical of McCain's recent attacks than they were the Swift Boaters. The media treated the Swift Boat attacks as quite possibly true and worthy of further, and never-ending discussion. And while the media is still rebroadcasting McCain's sleazy attacks against Obama, they're making clear that the attacks are desperate, inaccurate, and kind of sleazy.

Third, George Bush's forté wasn't his status as a "maverick" who was above politics, someone who would never embrace the nasty, sleazy politics that seems to have engulfed Washington. McCain isn't just risking some bad press, he's risking his signature definition of self as someone different and better than traditional politicians and politics.

Finally, the country isn't in the same place it was four years ago. In 2004, we were still suffering from the September 11th effect - people were willing to forgive a lot because they were scared to death. Now people are just pissed. While McCain may still be able to tar Obama with whatever desperate absurdity he comes up with next, I think there's a reason that Karl Rove and his minions - that George Bush himself - are no longer the stars they once were. People have changed, the country has moved on. And while negative campaigning will never lose its potential punch, I just don't get the sense that McCain is handling this very well. It seems to be blowing up in his face. And that was not the impression any of us had during the Swift Boating of John Kerry.

From Val in Ohio:
Paris and Kathy Hilton
Paris Hilton's mom takes offense at McCain's humor
Aug. 3, 2008, 1:17 PM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Paris Hilton's mother doesn't share John McCain's sense of humor.

McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, said last week that his campaign ad mocking Democrat Barack Obama with images of Hilton and singer Britney Spears was part of an attempt to inject humor into the presidential race.

On Sunday, Hilton's mother, Kathy Hilton, a McCain donor, registered her disapproval.

"It is a complete waste of the country's time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs," Kathy Hilton said in a short article posted on the liberal Huffington Post Web site. "And it is a completely frivolous way to choose the next president of the United States."

The ad plays on Obama's popularity by dismissing him as a mere celebrity, like Hilton and Spears. The Obama campaign has said the ad is proof that McCain would rather launch negative attacks than debate important issues.

McCain on Friday denied that his campaign had taken a negative turn, saying, "We think it's got a lot of humor in it, we're having fun and enjoying it."

Kathy Hilton, however, was unpersuaded, calling the ad "a complete waste of the money John McCain's contributors have donated to his campaign."

Kathy Hilton and her husband donated a total of $4,600 to McCain's campaign earlier this year.

From Hank:

Sent: Monday, August 04, 2008 8:20 AM
To: 'letters@nytimes.com'
Subject: To The Editor
“Energy Follies” – Editorial – August 4, 2008

Does the expression “Nero fiddled while Rome burned” grab your attention? This Congress, and especially the Senate, talked more and accomplished less than any similar body in decades. Republican’s can’t stand the thought of big business being made to cut carbon emissions and thereby profits, and the Democrat’s live in fear of their across the aisle counterparts threat of filibuster. Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell have risen to new heights of mediocrity, and both could have starred in the movie “Dumb and Dumber.”

Republican’s, led by McCain want to invest in offshore drilling which will not reap any real benefits for ten to fifteen years, while the best Democrat’s could muster was a weak-kneed bill to curb oil trading. We have wasted eight years “fiddling” with the planet’s future. When the Senate takes their recess later this month I hope they realize that without meaningful energy reform and development of alternative sources of clean energy, this may be the coolest August they will ever experience.

From Elizabeth:

A friend (saengereb@aol.com) has sent you an article:

Rupert Cornwell: Out of America

Sunday, 3 August 2008

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-out-of-america-883638.html

Barack Obama will win the forthcoming presidential election. I can report this with some confidence on the basis of my latest foray into the American heartland ? both real and metaphorical.
#2
Must-Read from www.talkingpointsmemo.com
08.02.08 -- 12:05PM
By Josh Marshall
Stop what you're doing and read this article. Very acute take on the latest turn of the campaign.

From Sue :

CALLING SHELTER ISLAND AND EAST END OBAMA SUPPORTERS WE NEED YOUR HELP FOR THE

SHELTER ISLAND YARD SALE:
PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT OBAMA!!!

Join us and tell your friends!
The sale will be held at
102 South Midway Rd, Shelter Island
(near Wade's Beach)
Saturday, Aug. 16 (Rain date, Aug. 17rd )
from 10:00 – 4:00

DONATE! DONATE! DONATE! DONATE!
We need lots of good items for the sale.
Drop off donations on Friday 8/15 afternoon 12:00 to 6:00
& Saturday 8/16 at 9:00 A.M.

VOLUNTEER!
We need volunteers to help make this event a success.
CONTACT:
Debi Marino
749-0848 or e-mail debim22@optonline.net

Thanks for your support!


From Ron Feldman and Susan S in Mamaroneck:

Sunny….here it is …the big fundraiser!

Save the Date
Artists for Change

If you can't see the invite, please click here






From Judy in Mamaroneck:

Click here: Judge Rules WH Aides Must Testify - Political Machine

From Moveon.org and Susan S in Mamaroneck:

Dear MoveOn member,

The "Yes We Can" video by will.i.am. The 1000+ positive Obama ads created by MoveOn members. The iconic Obama "HOPE" poster created by artist Shepard Fairey.

Barack Obama's historic candidacy has sparked an unprecedented artistic outpouring. Now, in partnership with Shepard Fairey and his Obey Giant collective, we're offering a new way for artists—anyone with a pen and paper qualifies—to share their talents and help elect Barack Obama at the same time.

It's called Manifest Hope, and it's a new Obama art contest for 2D and 3D art, from painting to photography to sculpture. The winners will be shown at the Manifest Hope Gallery online and in Denver during the Democratic convention alongside works from dozens of established and influential artists.

If you think you might want to enter, or want updates on the contest, please let us know here:


http://pol.moveon.org/mh/signup/?id=13385-4046455-nHSZJdx&t=3

If not, can you pass this on to friends of yours who might be interested?

Anyone can enter. You don't have to be Picasso, you just need to be inspired by Barack Obama and willing to donate your creativity and time to the cause.


But you need to get started soon. The final submissions deadline is August 18th at 11:59 a.m. ET. That's not much time to conceive and create a piece of art, so get started today.

All submissions will be judged by a distinguished panel of judges—artists from Obey Giant, contemporary art curators, and multi-talented musicians. Finalists will be asked to auction off their pieces, and donate the proceeds to progressive organizations.


Denver will be buzzing during the convention, but this gallery is going to be one of the coolest places to visit there. Plus, the gallery's going to have an amazing party with live performances by Death Cab For Cutie, Moby, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

We're not going to send any more emails to the full MoveOn list before the submission deadline. So if there's any chance you might be interested, you have to sign up for contest updates now:


http://pol.moveon.org/mh/signup/?id=13385-4046455-nHSZJdx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Peter, Karin, Laura, Ilyse and the rest of the team

P.S. It's okay to enter a piece of art you've already created, as long as you're willing to offer it up for auction if it becomes a finalist. If you're ready to enter right now, you can upload your entry here:

http://pol.moveon.org/mh/enter/?id=13385-4046455-nHSZJdx&t=5

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 3.2 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

************************************************************************
Repeat of Flip Flops from McSame Kathy from MO:

Many people like to reminisce about the John McCain of 2000. We remember him as the "maverick" who rode the "Straight Talk Express" and went up against Bush. To many of us Democrats, he was a more palatable Republican who had at times gone against his part and crossed the aisle. However, in his quest for the Presidency, the wheels came off the Straight Talk Express. He decided to tack far to the right and embraced Bush and his cronies in order to get the nomination. His voting record for the last two years is 95% with Bush policy. He has reversed his previously moderate stances on so many issues, it will leave your head spinning. Some say the McCain of 2000 would not vote for the McCain of 2008. He is not the same man. Jack Cafferty quipped on CNN that McCain could break a hip flip flopping back and for so much. Here is a list of issues that McCain has reversed his stand on in recent years. You can read more about each one:
June 19, 2008
It’s a delicate dance, and John McCain is ‘liable to break a hip’
Posted June 19th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Share This | Spotlight | Permalink

Long-time readers know that I’ve been emphasizing John McCain’s dozens of major policy flip-flops for months now, hoping that this would a) catch on as a campaign issue; and b) undermine McCain’s unearned reputation for principled stands on the issues.

I’m beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, the criticism is taking root. Consider yesterday’s “Cafferty File” on CNN:


For those who can’t watch clips online, Jack Cafferty noted some of McCain more glaring recent reversals, adding, “If John McCain doesn’t stop changing his position on the issues, he threatens to make John Kerry look like an amateur. In order for McCain to win in November, he has to appeal to both the traditional Republican base and to Independents. Dana Milbank, in The Washington Post says that’s a delicate dance. And if McCain’s not careful, ‘he’s liable to break a hip.’ Of course, any doctor will tell you a broken hip can be very difficult to recover from.”

The past couple of weeks have been especially difficult when it comes to McCain flip-flops.

* McCain supported the drilling moratorium; now he’s against it.

* McCain strongly opposes a windfall-tax on oil company profits. Three weeks earlier, he was perfectly comfortable with the idea.

* McCain thought Bush’s warrantless-wiretap program circumvented the law; now he believes the opposite.

* McCain defended “privatizing” Social Security. Now he says he’s against privatization (though he actually still supports it.)

Wait, I’m not done with the last two weeks yet….

* McCain wanted to change the Republican Party platform to protect abortion rights in cases of rape and incest. Now he doesn’t.

* McCain thought the estate tax was perfectly fair. Now he believes the opposite.

* He opposed indefinite detention of terrorist suspects. When the Supreme Court reached the same conclusion, he called it “one of the worst decisions in the history of this country.”

* McCain said he would “not impose a litmus test on any nominee.” He used to promise the opposite.

And these come after these other reversals from April and May:

* McCain believes the telecoms should be forced to explain their role in the administration’s warrantless surveillance program as a condition for retroactive immunity. He used to believe the opposite.

* McCain supported storing spent nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Now he believes the opposite.

* McCain supported moving “towards normalization of relations” with Cuba. Now he believes the opposite.

* McCain believed the U.S. should engage in diplomacy with Hamas. Now he believes the opposite.

* McCain believed the U.S. should engage in diplomacy with Syria. Now he believes the opposite.

* He argued the NRA should not have a role in the Republican Party’s policy making. Now he believes the opposite.

* McCain supported his own lobbying-reform legislation from 1997. Now he doesn’t.

* He wanted political support from radical televangelists like John Hagee and Rod Parsley. Now he doesn’t.

* McCain supported the Lieberman/Warner legislation to combat global warming. Now he doesn’t.

And these are the flip-flops I’ve noticed earlier:

* McCain pledged in February 2008 that he would not, under any circumstances, raise taxes. Specifically, McCain was asked if he is a “‘read my lips’ candidate, no new taxes, no matter what?” referring to George H.W. Bush’s 1988 pledge. “No new taxes,” McCain responded. Two weeks later, McCain said, “I’m not making a ‘read my lips’ statement, in that I will not raise taxes.”

* McCain is both for and against a “rogue state rollback” as a focus of his foreign policy vision.

* McCain says he considered and did not consider joining John Kerry’s Democratic ticket in 2004.

* In 1998, he championed raising cigarette taxes to fund programs to cut underage smoking, insisting that it would prevent illnesses and provide resources for public health programs. Now, McCain opposes a $0.61-per-pack tax increase, won’t commit to supporting a regulation bill he’s co-sponsoring, and has hired Philip Morris’ former lobbyist as his senior campaign adviser.

* McCain has changed his economic worldview on multiple occasions.

* McCain has changed his mind about a long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq on multiple occasions.

* McCain is both for and against attacking Barack Obama over his former pastor at his former church.

* McCain believes Americans are both better and worse off than they were before Bush took office.

* McCain is both for and against earmarks for Arizona.

* McCain believes his endorsement from radical televangelist John Hagee was both a good and bad idea.

* McCain’s first mortgage plan was premised on the notion that homeowners facing foreclosure shouldn’t be “rewarded” for acting “irresponsibly.” His second mortgage plan took largely the opposite position.

* McCain vowed, if elected, to balance the federal budget by the end of his first term. Soon after, he decided he would no longer even try to reach that goal.

* In February 2008, McCain reversed course on prohibiting waterboarding.

* McCain used to champion the Law of the Sea convention, even volunteering to testify on the treaty’s behalf before a Senate committee. Now he opposes it.

* McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants’ kids who graduate from high school. Now he’s against it.

* On immigration policy in general, McCain announced in February 2008 that he would vote against his own legislation.

* In 2006, McCain sponsored legislation to require grassroots lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. In 2007, after receiving “feedback” on the proposal, McCain told far-right activist groups that he opposes his own measure.

* McCain said before the war in Iraq, “We will win this conflict. We will win it easily.” Four years later, McCain said he knew all along that the war in Iraq war was “probably going to be long and hard and tough.”

* McCain said he was the “greatest critic” of Rumsfeld’s failed Iraq policy. In December 2003, McCain praised the same strategy as “a mission accomplished.” In March 2004, he said, “I’m confident we’re on the right course.” In December 2005, he said, “Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course.”

* McCain went from saying he would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade to saying the exact opposite.

* McCain went from saying gay marriage should be allowed, to saying gay marriage shouldn’t be allowed.

* McCain criticized TV preacher Jerry Falwell as “an agent of intolerance” in 2002, but then decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans “deserved” the 9/11 attacks.

* McCain used to oppose Bush’s tax cuts for the very wealthy, but he reversed course in February.

* On a related note, he said 2005 that he opposed the tax cuts because they were “too tilted to the wealthy.” By 2007, he denied ever having said this, and insisted he opposed the cuts because of increased government spending.

* In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending “dirty money” to help finance Bush’s presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.

* McCain supported a major campaign-finance reform measure that bore his name. In June 2007, he abandoned his own legislation.

* McCain opposed a holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., before he supported it.

* McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.

* McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he’s pro-ethanol.

* McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.

* McCain decided in 2000 that he didn’t want anything to do with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, believing he “would taint the image of the ‘Straight Talk Express.’” Kissinger is now the Honorary Co-Chair for his presidential campaign in New York.

Confronted with the inconsistencies in McCain’s record in March, the senator’s aides told the New York Times that the senator “has evolved rather than switched positions in his 25-year career.” That’s a perfectly sensible spin — when a politician holds one position, and then, for apparently political reasons, decides to embrace the polar opposite position, it’s only natural for his or her aides to say the politician’s position has “evolved.”

But in McCain’s case, the spin is wholly unfulfilling. First, McCain sells himself as a pol who never sways with the wind, and whose willingness to be consistent in the face of pressure is proof of his character. Second, Republicans have spent the last four years or so making policy reversals the single most serious political crime in presidential politics. The dreaded “flip-flop” is, according to the GOP, the latest cardinal sin for someone seeking national office.

And if we’re playing by Republican rules, McCain’s “evolutions” should be a fairly serious problem. I’m beginning to think they might be.