Rep. Boehner, campaigning in OH today, criticized Obama for voting “PRESENT” while in the IL state senate.
Archive for November 3rd, 2008
What Community Organizers Do
November 3, 2008Eventhough Halloween is over and done, the Zombies are still doing their jobs.
Via MM
After the Weather Underground turned from domestic terrorism to indoctrinating the youth through academia it began a newsletter. The first article of the first edition stated the new mission of the Weather Underground, to create a “torrent” of community organizers to crush that powers that be.
There are serious antiracist organizers building a revolutionary base in working class communities — in neighborhoods, shops, mills, mines, social institutions. There are those who are working among women, GI’s, vets, prisoners, among youth, students and the unemployed in every part of the country. There are some who have been at it for years and some who have just begun. Thousands more are needed; and each particular piece of work will have to be linked up into a whole. We need to out-organize the sophisticated and well-financed forces of George Meany, Louise Day Hicks, Ronald Reagan, George Wallace and Albert Shanker. Organizers need to crush this reactionary leadership with a revolutionized torrent of people.
The community Organizers were to,
build a successful struggle, strong organization and a winning revolutionary party. This is a process, which will not emerge full-blown from our minds. It will emerge and change and grow from practice. We know where to begin
Ultimately, the Weather Underground wanted to infiltrate academia and propagandize the leftists agenda of revolution.
Left analysis is seen mainly in papers circulated among leftists, left solutions are heard mainly in meetings of the left. And what a shame! Because some of that analysis and some of those solutions make sense, describe concrete conditions, prescribe real remedies. Some of that interpretation of events could provide needed leadership in struggle. But isolated from the people, the makers of history and the carriers of change, it is useless.The immediate task for the left is this: organize the masses of people against imperialism and for revolution. Pull together friends and comrades, whether three or thirty. Explain the roots of the current economic and social crisis. Fight for jobs and for funds for urgent relief programs. Wealth should be taken from the Pentagon budget and used to rebuild our cities, schools and hospitals.the system itself is inhuman, and socialism is a real alternative; the energy crisis is the fault of Rockefeller and the oil companies, not the Arab people; unemployment is caused by capitalism not “illegal aliens” stealing jobs; war in Indochina or the Mideast is part of the problem, not the solution; political and social action can change things.
Am I wrong or does this sound a lot like what Obama is pushing? Look here for how similar Obama’s insignia is to the Weather Underground.
-reagan21
Electoral Map – Think We’re Wrong?
November 3, 2008Show us what you think will happen here and post the URL to your map in the comments below
Obama let’s McCain know what he really thinks
November 3, 2008When picking the national bird, our forefathers had quite a squabble. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to represent our country. Others had different ideas. Finally, the creators of this great country decided to personify this country’s greatness via the Bald Eagle. In the spirit of national birds, I guess Obama wants to generalize our national bird as just “the bird”. He generalizes on the issues, his plans, and his talking points…why wouldn’t he do anything less when he changes our national bird.
-reagan21
Trust, But Verify – Electoral Map Outcome Prediction – McCain Wins.
November 3, 2008
TBV and Hotair’s numbers are in line here:
Trust, But Verify believes John McCain will win over Barack Obama, 273-265. Recent polling in Pennsylvania suggests a chance. The effect of Obama’s coal remarks will not make an effect in the polls, but may make a difference in the voting booth so we are moving PA to the McCain camp. Ed Morrisey writes:
Note that I leave Minnesota in the blue column today, despite the virtual dead heat Survey USA shows in its final polling. As Jazz Shaw and James Joyner note, the RCP average shows Obama significantly ahead, but they include the Strib’s MinnPoll that routinely overstates Democratic strength. The same poll has Al Franken ahead of Norm Coleman by four points. Because of its structure, the RCP average lags on movement, and Survey USA shows some movement towards Republicans here — but I don’t think this is the election that moves Minnesota to the red column after 36 years of going blue.
I don’t think this is the election that puts Florida in the blue column, either, or Nevada. Early-vote polling didn’t show enough of an advantage for Obama, and now Republicans will make up the majority of poll-goers in both states. It really comes down to Virginia and Pennsylvania, and a split can favor either candidate. I think Pennsylvania has a real shot at going red, and Virginia’s a toss-up at this point. GOTV will make a difference, but so will those undecideds — and as I’ve said before, if that many people still haven’t made up their mind to vote Obama, then I expect most of them to take the safe fall-back position of McCain.
As far this site goes, recent movement in the northern region of Philadelphia as well as some recent backlash in Pittsburgh leads us to believe tha Pennsylvania can turn. In addition, the Hillary Clinton people are working harder than our people to win Pennsylvania. We seriously need to give her a cabinet seat if we pulll this off and give Will Bower some sort of medal of honor.
Virginia stays blue because of its population shift. Northern Virginia is completely populated by people who work in DC and that is a significant number of the vote which will go Democrat. Appalachia should stay ours, but not in numbers high enough to win the state.
Colorado is a big if. Colorado is as close to a Libertarian state as we have in this Union and Libertarians have been a strange lot this time around. They are obviously in favour of cutting taxes and should support McCain’s anti-big government tendencies, but the “Myth of a Maverick” notion seems to be traveling far and hard. Expect Colorado to look tighter than the polls tell us. The Hispanic vote is overpolled and unreliable. That is the group that is most likely to stay home. In addition, Hispanics that do come out may well break for McCain as they delivered Florida to Bush in 2004.
Also, let us put forth one consideration that will effect tomorrow and the future of the relationship between Wal-Mart and the Republican party. There is a looming specter of card check which scares the pants off many union members. If Obama wins, he has already indicated that he is indebted to union leadership. Card check will pass. If we carry union membership this election, the party will look very different November 5 than it does November 4. Democrats still have room for expansion of their electorate base by incorporating huge numbers of non-voting youth who don’t have economic burdens as well as several other groups. The genius of Karl Rove was to get a non bloc-voting group, the Evangelicals to come out in huge numbers for our guy. As far as we can tell, we are out of new groups. It is a very distinct possibility that we will absorb big labor and make concessions to their leaders in the coming years to increase our numbers. In many ways, it is a marriage that makes sense, but it is a marriage that may well devastate some of our big money donors. Stay tuned.
In addition, if North Carolina is any indication, the youth vote continues to be unreliable. However, expect a signficant increase in the African American vote, especially in urban areas.
- editors
The Youth Vote isn’t Coming Out
November 3, 2008At least in North Carolina so far anyway. Looks to be the same as 2004
Opinion Out of Pittsburgh
November 3, 2008Ralph R. Reiland writing for the Pittsburgh Tribune:
I interviewed two plumbing company owners over the weekend about Barack Obama’s economic proposals for small business.
One has 15 employees and 12 trucks. The other has 52 employees and 34 trucks. They’re Joe the Plumber, writ large.
Both owners had the same reaction to Obama’s proposed new taxes and mandates. To not have their bottom lines reduced by government fiat, both said they’d be forced to lay off employees.
Specifically, here’s what the owner of the larger firm said regarding six of Obama’s key proposals for the small-business sector: The average wage at his company, figuring the 52 paychecks of his office staff, installers and service workers, is $31,200, $15 an hour.
First, “Barack Obama and Joe Biden will require that employers provide seven paid sick days per year,” states the Obama campaign’s Web site. “I give three paid sick days,” explained the business owner. His extra cost for this one new regulation would be $24,960 (4 extra days, 52 employees, at an average of $120 per day). “That’s one of the women in the office,” he said. “I can make up that cost by letting one of the office people go.”
Second, Obama states that employers will be required to pay 100 percent of the cost of health insurance premiums for 100 percent of their employees or face a tax penalty. “I pay 75 percent of their coverage,” explained the owner. “The family policy is about $11,000. For single guys, it’s about $5,000.” At an average annual cost of $7,000 per policy, his additional cost for 52 employees to cover the 25 percent of the premiums that he currently doesn’t pay is $91,000. “That’s the price of three installers,” he said. “Just to stay even with where I am, I’d have to fire three more people or raise some prices and fire two.”
The result is more unemployment or more inflation, or both.
Third, with the estate tax, Obama is calling for a top tax rate of 45 percent on estates valued above $3.5 million, producing an estimated “death tax” of $675,000 on an estate of $5 million. “You’re kidding,” he said. “They took half my income on the way up and now they want another half when I die?” He estimated that his business is already valued at more than $3 million, in addition to the value of his home and investments. “Why,” he asked, “would I want to grow to 100 employees? What’ll stop them from changing it to 75 percent?”
The cost in jobs that will never be created in the U.S. economy because of this single disincentive to growth? Incalculable.
Fourth, Obama’s economic plan calls for a hike in the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour within three years. The business owner’s reaction? “That’s bad for two reasons. I don’t have anyone at minimum, but raise the bottom by $3 and a guy making $15 wants $18. Plus it’s bad for productivity when people think their pay raises are coming from government instead of from their own individual effort.”
Fifth, saying he’ll “play offense for organized labor,” Obama is proposing that workers should be denied the right to a private ballot at work in deciding whether to unionize. “That’ll never be,” said the plumbing entrepreneur. “I’m in business because I’m independent, not to take orders from a grievance chairman. I’d shut down.”
Sixth, the increase in taxes on this small business owner from Obama’s proposed hike in the income tax rate from 36% to 39.8% on incomes above $200,000 and the proposed increase in Social Security taxes comes to $32,000 per year. “That’s another employee,” he said, referring to the termination of another installer in order to just stay even.
And the jobless plumbers? They can be re-socialized to work for ACORN.
As Obama explained in July: “We cannot continue to rely on our military to achieve the national security objectives we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded.”
As “well funded” as our Armed Forces personnel comes to $119 billion per year in paychecks for “community activism,” a lot of money for registering dead voters, caulking windows, making sure that all the guns are locked up at the municipal buildings, and monitoring the airways to make sure that conservatives don’t have too many talk shows.
Bottom line, Obama’s economic plan doesn’t hold water. Neither will our pipes.
Obama and Electricity (The Type He Wants Us to Pay More For)
November 3, 2008From the video posted below:
When I was asked earlier about the issue of coal…under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket…even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad, because I’m capping greenhouse gasses, coal power plants, natural gas…you name it…whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, they would have to retro-fit their operations.
My electricity rates are high enough. Is it too late for people to hear this?
