He can spout lots of pretty words. But pretty is as pretty does. I want some facts that I can argue “for” Obama with. I’m not really finding them. It hurt me when he attacked Hillary for including mandates in her health plan because I would not have access to health care without them under his plan and I really need it. Is he clueless about such things or does he really intend for me to go without?

Disclaimer: I have no access to things like Oprah or other such tv or videos online, etc. I also don’t have access to books. No library. No funds to purchase, so I’m stuck with what I can find on the Internet. If people would provide links to stuff, it would really help.

Disclaimer II: The above criticism is not my final word. It just reflects my concerns about the information I’ve found. I am very open to new information that refutes it.

I fell in love with Edwards and his crusade.

I pray Obama will be a good leader. I am an intuitive person and I appreciate his calm presence, and how he does seem to stop and give himself the time to sort through his thoughts before speaking and seems to be trying to be gracious and embracing. I hope he does not in his eagerness to bring harmony, sacrifice his own values. I think there are such seductions on the political trail. Ambition is dangerous.

None of us have guarantees about these leaders. I haven’t heard profound negatives about Obama. But I don’t hear the working class laundry list of wants that Edwards and then HRC could so easily pop off.

I was disappointed with Hillary and some of her campaign tactics, especially in SC against JRE, my man.

And McCain and his stuff terrifies me. His personal style of hair trigger anger, his seemingly addict roller coaster mood swings which make for dynamic sound bytes that titillate the press. And his imperialism astonishes and terrifies me. War-mongering still at this point. But his personal macho vibe is quite compelling for voters looking for an authoritarian, parent voice leader. Not the voice of BO.

Will BO pool the brain and heart trust of the Dem rank and file and leadership. I hope so. I thought he could get JRE’s endorsement in a cake walk but wondered if there was that competitive ego stuff going on from him to JRE. It took so long, but ultimately came.

So we look to each other, we listen to Oprah, Teddy Kennedy, Edwards, Richardson, Caroline Kennedy … in the case of Obama… and hope statesmanship will trump gamesmanship. I think once Edwards left the Dem contest, it lapsed into gamesmanship. I saw that mostly at HRC’s side and the MSM, but maybe BO was more covert or I was not as vigilant nursing my Edwards wounds to monitor closely. I hope the youth of America and their intuition is right on with BO. I am proud of a country that is ready to have a blackman or a woman as our presidential candidate. The same country crazymakingly that saddled us with Bush for 8 years. I pray the pendulum is away from that inclination at long last.

I don’t know if this helps you at all. Just be careful of demonizing the other sides. I am ashamed I did not read Obama’s book yet. It will give me insight into who he is… a bit at least.

Good luck.

I don’t think the supporters in either camp are looking for leaders. They think they’ve found them. But I’m in a terrible place about the candidates. I long ago decided that I didn’t want Hillary as president. That was a huge disappointment. OTOH, I have found myself more often defending her because of the gleeful denigrations often cast upon her by the opponent’s supporters. I see them complain of disparaging attacks on Obama by “Clintonistas” but I’m not seeing it. Is questioning Obama an attack? That’s what I’ve been accused of because I say, “I’m worried” or “I don’t understand” or “so and so says this, what does Obama say about it?” The ONLY answers I get are “I have faith he will address this” Or something similar. I never get a substantive answer. It’s like there’s no there there. I WANT to support Obama. I just need more information that doesn’t make me cringe.

The information I do have shows him to be a dour, controlling and ambitious man with no regard for anyone else. I want to be disabused of this picture I’m getting but “faith” in him is not good enough for me.

I wrote a note about his successful attack on 527s on facebook. That’s scary when you think about the ramifications. His sole reason given is because he wants message unity. In other words, don’t allow a voice with a different message. I don’t agree with everything he proposes. I’m supposed to shut up? Then there’s the attempt to takeover the DNC.

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama is quietly planning to take over the Democratic National Committee and assemble a multistate team for the general election, the latest sign that he is putting rival Hillary Rodham Clinton and the nomination fight behind him.

Top Obama organizer Paul Tewes is in discussions to run the party, several Democratic officials said Tuesday.

What does this mean? I need help. I need just one Obama supporter to give me a sales pitch that I can buy. Help please.

I certainly hope folks aren’t willing to cut off their votes to spite their nation

My mother would chastise me with that old adage, “Don’t bite off your nose to spite your face!” I have thought of that warning lately and seeing your use of it here made me smile and appreciate it.

I was listening to a program on AirAmerica in which Elizabeth Lesser being interviewed by Richard Green about Eckhardt Tolle’s new book, A New Earth, which addresses the toxicity of EGO and free floating anger and fear and its damage to the spirit, admitted that she does not listen to political radio because the negativity wetblankets her spirit.

So the paradox is that we need to be aware, and get a sense of outrage at injustice, but not sit around in a circle like wailing babies clanking our bottles against the slats on our playpens playing “ain’t it awful” looking for a giving parent to lift us up. To not be deluded that activism is simply preaching and snarking with the choir (though I think some of that does help morale and education… nothing to excess including moderation as St. Francis asserted).

I do think that elements of the people when disappointed after rallying behind a candidate with their passion… I wish I could find that passion again after Edwards… but I am hoping he will be a part and one of the leaders of the new administration… anyway, those groups deserve their 5 stages of grief to get to acceptance and hopefully won’t get lost in anger, despair, whatever. I guess HRC et al. are finishing up the “bargaining” and denial stages.

FDL was inaccessible and I missed it. Glad it is back.

that is what Obama’s supporters don’t get. Obama — the supposed great healer — has run the most divisive campaign in my memory. He hasn’t merely treated Clinton with contempt, he has treated her supporters with contempt.

Any chance of unity went down the toilet on saturday, when the rules of the DNC were complete ignored, and delegates won by Clinton were stolen from her and given to Obama.

The lawyer in Christy will understand that “fair reflection” as found in the Charter and the rules means a fair reflection of the votes cast — here is the relevant passage

Delegates shall be allocated in a fashion that fairly reflects the expressed presidential preference or uncommitted status of the primary voters

in other words, ‘fair reflection’ is not about who people wish they had voted for if everyones name was on the ballot — its about counting the votes as they were cast.

Barack Obama decided that latino and jewish voters and women voters in florida should be worth only HALF a vote — that they should be disenfranchised — while ignoring completely the will of Michigan voters but giving the michigan delegation full strength votes. THe utter contempt shown for the rules — and for the votes of Clinton supporters — is something that we’re not getting over.

The best thing that Obama could do for party unity right now is negotiate his own concession

You have to admire Hillary Clinton for her ability to reshape reality to her preferred outcome. She seems to assume that if she says something loudly enough, and repeats it often enough, it will become true. Her victory speech in Puerto Rico was a minor masterpiece in carefully parsed self-delusion. Unfortunately for her, it takes more than conviction to win the Democratic nominating contest.

The real trick here is to harness the energy of the primary and the candidates involved and really kick ass both in Nov and following the election. There’s a lot of cleanup to do and it’ll need everyone …

It’s time we all stood up and became the leaders we wish to see.

Thank you for reminding us once again of this, Christy. Lot of people are sitting back waiting for “them” to take care of things. Well there isn’t any “them” there’s just us.