Buckeye State Blog - Why Barack Obama ? - Comments

Barack Obama & John McCain would likely VOTE YES ON ISSUE 5

Friedman — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:13:02 -0700

What our leaders, like Barack Obama and John McCain, are doing is trying to limit the number of people getting caught in a never ending cycle of debt due to payday lending! In Ohio our leaders, like Governor Ted Strickland, Chairman Chris Widener, Senate President Bill Harris and Speaker Jon Husted, came together to curb the excesses of a predatory industry. House Bill 545 caps interest rates on payday loans at 28% APR and limits the debt trap at 4 loans per year. Payday lending is a nonpartisan issue. Folks from both sides of the aisle came together to help Ohio consumers get a fair shake. Last year the Pentagon even helped pass a bill in Congress that capped interest rates for our military personnel and their families because payday lending was negative impacting troop readiness and morale. The reforms of the industry need to remain! Vote yes on issue 5!

Obama on Payday Lending

paydayloanadvocate — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:59:28 -0700

Many of our leaders, such as Obama, are trying to limit the accessibility of short term, high demand financial assistance. Some areas are attempting to put legislation in place that would limit where these legitimate businesses can operate. Some states, such as Georgia and North Carolina, have out-and-out banned the industry altogether, and others are close behind. Across the nation, citizens are trying to have their voices heard by fighting legislative bans on the payday loan industry. The odd turn of events is that Obama and others are trying to eliminate an entire industry, losing thousands of jobs in the process and thousands more in potential jobs, during a time when unemployment and financial hardship is at the highest in recent memory, all in the name of political gain. Post Courtesy of Personal Money Store Professional Blogging Team Feed Back: 1-866-641-3406 Home: http://personalmoneystore.com/NoFaxPaydayLoans.html Blog: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/

Obama's Experience

prewitt — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:12:40 -0700

There is no question that Obama is experienced having served ten very active and productive years in the legislature. The differences in policy between Hillary and Obama are small. More than Obama's accomplishments, though, is the trust factor. I trust him to tell this country the truth. I don't trust Hillary to do the same. As one of the Clinton's close friends stated before switching to Obama, "...they do it with such ease (lie), it's troubling." How do you negotiate with congress and the senate when you are distrusted?

Senator Obama's Accomplishments

Sherri — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:06:27 -0700

Senator Obama cosponsored Dru's Law which creates a nationwide sex offender database and requires greater monitoring of sex offenders upon their release from prison. The bill passed the Senate in July of 2005. This legislation was incorporated into a larger bill, the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act, which Senator Obama supported and which has been signed into law.

Senator Obama cosponsored the Combat Meth Act, which provides more money for fighting methamphetamine (meth), tightens controls on the sale of meth ingredients, and provides assistance to the children of meth abusers. The legislation would limit access to cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, the primary ingredient used to make methamphetamine. This bill passed the Senate and became law in the 109th Congress.

Senator Obama has been a strong supporter of efforts to increase funding and support for local law enforcement. He supported the reauthorization of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program in the 109th Congress and supports efforts to increase COPS funding. The COPS program provides local law enforcement funding for: (1) hiring and training law enforcement officers; (2) procuring equipment and support systems (3) paying officers to perform intelligence, anti-terror, or homeland security duties; and (4) developing new technologies, including inter-operable communications, and forensic technology. Since 1994, the COPS program has funded more than 5,800 additional police officers and sheriffs deputies in Illinois and over $45 million in crime fighting technology assistance.

He also cosponsored the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. This bill increases the penalties for sex crimes against children under the age of 12 and creates a national Internet site known as the National Sex Offender Public Registry. The bill would also provide grants to local law enforcement to assist in preventing and investigating sex crimes against minors.

Senator Obama is a cosponsor of the KIDS Act, which requires convicted sex offenders to provide their Internet identifiers, such as e-mail addresses and instant message addresses, for inclusion into the national sex offender registry.

Senator Obama cosponsored the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act which passed the Senate on October 4, 2005 and was subsequently signed into law. The Act provides important funding and assistance to help communities, non-profit organizations, and law enforcement combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The Act establishes a sexual assault services program and provides grants for education programs to prevent domestic violence and encourage reporting of abuses.

After visiting weapons stockpiles in Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, Senators Lugar and Obama introduced the Cooperative Proliferation Detection, Interdiction Assistance, and Conventional Threat Reduction Act of 2006 in the 109th Congress, which would expand the cooperative threat reduction concept to conventional weapons. The Lugar-Obama bill would energize the U.S. program against unsecured lightweight anti-aircraft missiles and other conventional weapons and would strengthen the ability of America's allies to detect and interdict illegal shipments of weapons and materials of mass destruction. Funding would be provided to eliminate unsecured conventional weapons and to assist countries in improving their ability to detect and interdict materials and weapons of mass destruction. The Lugar-Obama bill was included in the Department of State Authorities Act of 2006 and was signed into law by President Bush in January 2007.

During consideration of the 2005 Defense Department authorization bill, Senator Obama voted to provide additional funding for add-on armor for military vehicles and for additional up-armored military vehicles to help keep our troops in combat safe. According to a report by the New York Times, roughly half of the Army's 20,000 Humvees are fitted with improvised shielding that leaves the underside unprotected, while only one in six Humvees used by the Marines is armored at the highest level of protection.

Senator Obama successfully passed legislation in the Senate to force the Pentagon to work towards an efficient electronic medical records system that will help ensure better care for our nation's troops. It is Senator Obama's goal for each separating service member to receive a secure electronic copy of his or her military and medical records at the time of discharge to smooth the transition to the Department of Veterans' Affairs health care system.

As a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has been tracking the high incidence of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) among the veterans returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. TBI is being called the signature injury of the Iraq war. Often caused by the shock wave of improvised explosive devices, TBI can result in permanent brain damage. In order to ensure that these returning heroes receive appropriate medical attention, Senator Obama passed legislation in the Senate that requires all soldiers to be assessed for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) after they return from deployments.

Senator Obama joined with other Illinois members of Congress to protect Illinois' military bases during the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. Illinois military bases - such as the Springfield Air National Guard, Rock Island Arsenal, Peoria Air National Guard, and Scott Air Force Base - are critical to protecting the state and the nation.

Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the Illinois delegation, the state will lose some base presence as a result of BRAC. Senator Obama will continue working with the affected communities to reduce the numbers of jobs that are lost and to ensure that the schools and communities near the affected bases continue to thrive despite BRAC.

In the first two weeks of the 110th Congress, Senator Obama helped lead the Senate to pass the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act, a comprehensive ethics and lobbying reform bill, by a 96-2 vote. This landmark bill was signed into law by the President in September 2007.

The final bill that the Congress passed closely mirrored and drew key provisions in a bill (S. 230) that Senators Obama and Feingold introduced in January 2007 to establish a “gold standard” for reform. Among the provisions in the Obama-Feingold bill that were adopted by the Senate and the House were: strict bans on receiving gifts and meals from lobbyists; new rules to slow the revolving door between public and private sector service; and an end to the subsidized use of corporate jets.

He helped draft and introduce the National MEDiC Act, which promotes patient safety initiatives, including early disclosure and compensation to patients injured by medical errors. He also introduced the Hospital Quality Report Card Act, which will use federal hospital quality reporting requirements to inform and assist patients and other consumers in making their health care decisions.

In 2003 and 2004, nearly 150 million pieces of toy jewelry were recalled because of toxic levels of lead. To address this problem, Senator Obama introduced the Lead-Free Toys Act to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban any children's product containing lead.

Senator Obama played a key role in the crafting of the immigration reform bill that the Senate passed before the 109th Congress adjourned. The bill, which President Bush supports, would provide more funds and technology for border security and prevent employers from skirting our laws by hiring illegal immigrants. The bill also would provide immigrants who are now contributing, responsible members of society an opportunity to remain in the country and earn citizenship. But not all illegal immigrants would be guaranteed the right to remain in the U.S. under this proposal: they would first have to pay a substantial fine and back taxes, learn English, satisfy a work requirement, and pass a criminal background check.

Senator Obama offered three amendments that were included in the Senate bill. The first amendment would strengthen the requirement that a job be offered at a prevailing wage to American workers before it is offered to a guestworker. The second amendment would make it simple, but mandatory, for employers to verify that their employees are legally eligible to work in the United States. And the third amendment would authorize $3 million a year for the FBI to improve the speed and accuracy of the background checks required for immigrants seeking to become citizens.

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This list could go on for pages. The information comes from obama.senate.gov/issues.

Hillary Clinton is good for herself, her

rodney — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:31:25 -0700

Hillary Clinton is not trustworthy. She is good for herself, her family, and her political friends. Barack Obama is integer and good for everyone. Barack Obama’s dream is—Bring about real change, change that we believe in. His passion for change is the pillar of his Personal Brand. Parts of his speeches: “America is a land of big dreamers and big hopes. It is this hope that has sustained us through revolution and civil war, depression and world war, a struggle for civil and social rights and the brink of nuclear crisis. And it is because our dreamers dreamed that we have emerged from each challenge more united, more prosperous, and more admired than before…….The true test of the American ideal is whether we’re able to recognize our failings and then rise together to meet the challenges of our time. Whether we allow ourselves to be shaped by events and history, or whether we act to shape them. Whether chance of birth or circumstance decides life’s big winners and losers, or whether we build a community where, at the very least, everyone has a chance to work hard, get ahead, and reach their dreams….Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek…. I don’t want to settle for anything less than real change, fundamental change - change we need - change that we can believe in. It’s change that I’ve been fighting for over two decades ago. Because those dreams - American dreams - are worth fighting for”. Like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, and Mikhail Gorbachev, Barack Obama is a man of peace and love who is fighting against oppression and political corruption. Remember this: ---------------------------------------------------------------- no dream + no hope + no self-knowledge + no thinking + no mindset change + no integrity + no passion + no trust + no love = NO SUSTAINABLE CHANGE --------------------------------------------------------------- …………….. >>read further at http://rampersad.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/46/

Good Lord, Can You Be...

Entrwriter — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 21:08:16 -0700

This much of an uneducated oaf?

Try picking up a book and reading. Better still, it's obvious you have a computer; try using it for something other than spewing this uninformed bile.

HEALTH CARE

USAsince 1680 — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:34:54 -0700

Hillary's plan: #1 Insurance for All

Limits insurance cost to percentage of family income: Tax credits for working families so they will not have to pay more than a limited percentage of their income for health care.

Discrimination: The insurance companies can't deny coverage if you have a pre-existing condition.

Portable: If you change or lose your job, you keep your health care.

Same coverage as Congress: You choose from dozens of the same plans available to members of congress, or opt for public plan like Medicare.

Cannot be denied: Insurance companies have to offer and renew coerage to anyone who applies which will force them to be competitive.

Obama's plan: People can choose whether they want insurance or not

Discrimination: Same as Hillary's plan

Affordability: Tax credit. Insurance Premiums not tied into percentage of income.

That's it. Obama believes that people will buy insurance if it is affordable and he believes he can work with the insurance companies. Fat Chance. Just a sign of his inexperience.

Healthy people are going to take their chances and we will still see our premium rise to pay for these free loaders who have been bankrupting our hospitals. Note: Just recently Obama has mentioned penalizing those who do not sign up but, as usual, he has no plan -- just rhetoric.

And don't forget, his wife works for a not-for-profit hospital (that has posted in excess of a million $$ a year in profit) where she collects over $300,000.00 a year ($200,000.00 raise after Obama became a state senator) and that relies heavily on collecting agencies to go after the poor. Of course now, she doesn't influence his decisions - does she?

Why not Obama

USAsince 1680 — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:05:06 -0700

I'm sorry but I would definitely not refer to Obama as "a product of our children in the finest form." He admits to sniffing cocaine in high school and college to deal with the stresses in his life. How is he going to handle the stress of the oval office?? He was known as Barry Soetoro (after his Indonesian Step Father) until he decided "to be true to his African Homeland". He hid his white heritage in college, distrusted white people and desired to emulate the anti-white, father of Black Power, Malcolm X. Obama's politics and ideology reflect that of Malcolm X and I am not convinced that is a good thing. Is he truly capable of being representative of all the people? Especially since, as a doctrine of his church, he has vowed to be allied with the black masses. I don't know and the reason I don't know is because everytime someone raised the issue of race -- he yells "foul". What worries me is that there is a reason Republican run newspapers are backing Obama and that is because they are waiting in the wings to attack. They have been quiet up until now in order to get rid of Hillary but just wait until the primaries are over. We just might have another Republican in office.

Don't Forget

Jane123 — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:18:37 -0700

Hillary worked on the corporate board of Walmart watch here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoBciMIlIT0

SAY NO TO HILLARY NO CHANGE

friendforobama — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:46:19 -0700

Hillary visited the troops in Iraq and even cancelled her rally when a police officer apparently got in an accident and died while escorting her group. Normally I would commend someone that did these things, but I WILL NOT commend Hillary! Why? Because in my honest opinion I think she is the biggest fake since Richard Nixon! She gets on national television and tries to potray herself as some kind of a peacemaker and understanding person when in reality she's the exact opposite. She is attempting to make herself appear sincere like Barack but it just isn't working, people see through it! You can't compete with Barack on that level Hillary! You look pathetic Hillary because it's in your nature to be cold towards people (since that's what you do best). Maybe Barack stutters once in a while but Hillary is a complete deadbeat and she can't resist being rude even when she tries to be nice! To all you Hillary supporters: Have you forgotten how chummy Bill is with Bush Sr.? Have you forgotten the fact that Bush jr. practically endorsed Hillary when he was interviewed by ABC last year? This is George Bush Sr. and Jr. (two of the biggest enemies of democrats in a long, long, time) and you folks support her? My god, do you need a 2x4 wacked across your heads to wake up? If Hillary becomes president our country will most likely be ridiculed for having a "first lady" replaced with the "first man" (Billy boy). Also, Hillary proved herself to be a cry baby when she was whinning about losing the Iowa caucus. Do Americans really want a weak immature person like that running our country? I know I sure don't, I seen enough of that with Bush! Hillary's policies regarding Iraq most likely will be no different than McCains (even though she flip-flopped on this issue now to try and get Barack supporters). In my heart I honor John McCain, the guy is a hero, but I don't believe he's the right person for president at this time. He's quite old, and he would uphold the Bush policies regarding Iraq - and that I strongly disagree with! And I also feel that John doesn't realize the negative impact that the patriot act has on the rights of Americans - rights given to us by the Consitution and Bill Of Rights! If it wasn't for those two issues, I'd probably vote for McCain. Barack may be a little more liberal than I'd normally go for, but he's a strong believer in our rights and I think he would be able to handle the Iraq situation the best. Some people think that because Barack attended a Muslim/Christian school for a short time when he was younger that this means he is a terrorist or that he would back the terrorists. What a pile of rubbish! It is anti-American to judge people by the school they attend! What's the guy supposed to do, his parents sent him to the school, he didn't have a choice. How could anyone have predicted terrorists would attack our country way back then? You Hillary supporters are just making things worse for your candidate by using this childish nonsense in a last ditch effort to stop Barack! Maybe if your candidate was a little more respectful you'd get more people in your camp.

Now I'll call BS

generica — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:37:47 -0700

Cybermom has evidentally swum in the koolaid (is she the one who was touched by Hillary's Holy Hand?) but she seems to feel her devotion sincerely. Pebbles is just full of it.

1) Every media outlet out there is trying desperately to get something on Obama and Rezko. There's just not anything there that hasn't already come out- they were acquaintances, they worked together loosely, Obama bought a house at the price the homeowners settled on, Rezko's wife bought an adjacent parcel of land, then sold part of it to the Obama's at what has been determined to be a fair market value. If you have anything else, then put it out there.

2) Now this is the first time I've seen the SB485 comment, so I had to go look it up. Turns out Obama objected to the part about sending an 18 year old who had sex with her 17 year old boyfriend to jail for 15 years mandatory minimum.

3) Are you talking about the Partial Birth Abortion ban? That wasn't about computers. If not, maybe you could post the text of the bill and we could discuss it. You need to put the year along with it.

4) It was a voucher program. You can dress it up as a tax credit, but it was still a voucher.

A Captain in the army told Obama there were problems with his platoon in Afghanastan. Now people who are probably a lot smarter than most of the wing nuts have already talked to the CPT and people who have actually, like, SERVED, unlike the 101st Fighting Keyboarders have confirmed in broad outline what the CPT said. If you have any facts to introduce, I'd sure love to hear them.

I think the real Obama has come out. If this is the worst you can come up with, I'm happy.

Is Obama the real deal

pebbles — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 10:01:48 -0700

I think Obama can communicate very effectively and has alot of chrisma but I don't beleive he is the best candidate. Lets look at his record more closely: 1) Obama's dealing with Rezko suggest that Obama may be willing to cast aside his professed sense of ethics for personal financial gain. 2) I have a problem with the fact he voted no on issue SB485 that would have prohibited early release to sex offenders in prison 3) I have a problem with the fact he voted no on issue HB1812 that would require school boards to install software on public computers to block minors from sexually explicit materials 4) I have a with the fact that he voted "no" on the issue SB1075 that would create an income tax credit for all K-12 pupils up to $500 per family Obama has been noted as the most liberal voting senator even more than Republicans. I also have a problem with the way he stretched the truth the other night in the Texas debate about the lack of humvees and weapons in the war but after the news reporters checked this out the report was stretched. The commander stated this was during training that they didn't have humvees. I think as time goes on we will see the real Obama come out and opinions will change. Whether Clinton is still in the running or whether it has come down to Obama and McCain. I think Obama hopes his message of hope buys him time to get Clinton out and then democrats will have no choice but to vote for him.

Cybermom75: The time for Obama is Now

BuckeyeNation — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 08:41:14 -0700

I've been following politics religiously for over 40 years. Since Bobby Kennedy in 1968, I have never seen a candidate who so transcends the political landscape as Barack Obama does. He can mobilize the masses; he can get the disaffected to listen; he promises change from the 50+1 gridlock that typified the Clinton era. Hillary has less elective experience than Barack Obama.

Except in a few minimal ways, the policy positions between Obama and Clinton are quite similar. However, in the most important vote, whether to give Bush a blank check on a war with Iraq that the neocons had been pushing since the beginning of the Clinton Presidency, Hillary caved. She caved to show she was tough, when a more reasoned practical approach was needed in the Bush rush to war. She has since refused to admit that HUGE mistake. John Edwards and others admitted their mistake, why can't Hillary? This isn't just one vote; this was a vote that has transformed the entire American position for the worse, both at home and abroad. Then, Bush foists the same type of proposal concerning Iran. Instead of learning from her mistake and saying no to the Bush-Cheney war-mongering, Hillary caved again; ostensibly to show how tough she is. That's just plain dumb.

The Clintons helped put the Dems back on the national map in Presidential politics, but at a steep price. Triangulation, the parsing of words and positions to the point of ridiculousness, closed door meetings, bickering, division. Moreover, they helped give us a Republican Congress that his been hell-bent on stripping away our freedoms, as well as leaving a lot of people behind. The sorry manner in which she ran her campaign in the primary season gives us the best glimpse as to how she would run the fall campaign or her administration: a disaster waiting to happen.

Hillary carries too much baggage and will have zero coattail effect to help elect Dems down the ticket even if she were to beat MCCain, which looks highly doubtful. Rightly or wrongly, approximately 50% of the electorate will never even condsider voting for HRC under any circumstances. Even if she won, she would have a difficult time getting anything accomplished except more Congressional gridlock.

Barack Obama will have tremendous coattails; the contrast between him and John McCain is so stark that the choice becomes a clear one to either retreat to the past, or march to the future.

Lastly, this race is pretty much over. The Democratic voters have been speaking loud and clear in record numbers. The clear choice to lead us is Barack Obama; he will bring together the different factions to talk that Hillary could never do. He is one of those once-in-a-generation leaders who can honestly change the political discourse in this country that Hillary could never hope to do.

The time is now for Barack Obama as President of the United States.

Talking Change is Different from Working for Change

cybermom75 — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 08:03:57 -0700

Good leads inspire with words, great leaders are inspired by the people they lead. Barak Obama is a good leader with the potential of becoming a great leader. Hillary Clinton is a great leader with the potential of becoming a great American President and commander-in-chief. There are times for words and there are times for action, and now is the time for action. We need a President with intelligence, compassion, determination, and the willingness to work and work hard for America and for the world. Even her critics admire Hillary Clinton’s work ethic, and even Barak’s supporters question his. (Use goggle, Obama + Subcommittee + Clemons and check the Senate sites of Obama and Clinton) For over three years, Barak Obama has served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and in that time he has never felt the necessity of visiting troops and field commanders in Iraq or in Afghanistan. In contrast, Hillary Clinton has traveled several times to those areas and talked to soldiers and to commanders because she wanted to measure firsthand the reality confronting our soldiers, commanders, and all Americans. That is the kind of leadership, we need. It is easy to say that you will be the Diplomatic hands-on President ready day 1 to meet with enemies and with allies, but credibility becomes an issue when you haven’t walked your talk as a Senator. Why hasn’t Barak Obama felt the need to visit America’s European allies as the Chair of the Subcommittee on European Relations? To suggest that one vote on a Senate resolution is a gauge of Presidential readiness is not just over-reaching but bordering on the absurd. The reality is that Hillary Clinton is ready and has been ready and has proved her readiness, day in and day out, as a Senator, a First Lady of the United States and of Arkansas, and as a lawyer, mother, community activist and indefatigable advocate for children, the middle class, and all Americans who are otherwise invisible. We live at a time in our nation’s and the world’s history that requires not just a good leader but a great leader. Our economy is on the brink of recession and millions of American lives are at risk globally in the streets of Baghdad and the mountains of Afghanistan, and domestically in our cities, our rural areas , and our suburbs where Americans are struggling to pay for their homes and make an honest living, struggling to pay for drugs and have access to affordable medical care, and struggling to educate their children and provide their grandchildren with an opportunity to pursue the American Dream. American needs and deserves a President and a Commander-in-Chief that is more than a symbol of change but is also a proven change agent who also embodies America’s grit and courage to face adversity and from it create opportunity . That is what Hillary Clinton offers Democrats and that is why Americans deserve a choice between a Republican who is an equally diligent, determined and courageous but has far different views on how to solve America’s domestic and international problems and his equal a Democrat, who brings all his strengths and her unique perspective as a woman and as a Democrat. Democrats need to get serious and not just about electability but also about desirability. One day Obama will likely be President. The question you must ask yourself, is now the time for him? He talks change but has not walked change as long and as diligently as his opponent in the Democratic Primary and his most likely opponent in the National Election. All Americans will be voting in a national election and most will not be impressed by words alone -- credibility and experience will become an issue and not easy for Obama to dismiss based on his record.

I too was so impressed by

melinda hackett — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:43:45 -0700

I too was so impressed by Obama's oratorical skills that I wondered if there was anything behind it - especially after Clinton started attacking him on it. So I decided to look for myself - at both their records - what bills they have sponsored, and gotten passed into law. You can check this out too - just go tot the library of congress online. I discovered that Clinton has sponsored many admirable bills - but had less success in passing them into law. Obama's record (considering he has been there for about 3 years less than Clinton) was astonishing - and many of the bills he sponsored Hillary supported. Here is a list of major legislation he passed

Why Barack Obama ?

davide — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:14:56 -0700

Barack Obama burst onto the national political scene with a memorable speech at the 2004 Democratic convention. Anybody that watched this speech realized Barack Obama is a very gifted young man and talented orator. Obama is a Christian (contrary to the small minds attempting to arouse suspicion) from a bi- racial family. His mother is white his father was black. His dad left when he was very young.

We all realize that it takes more than being an intelligent person that is able to inspire people through the spoken word to be an effective President. , So why is it time to elect Barack Obama ?

Barack Obama will unify our country and be a very effective agent for change. He has the ability to garner support from all factions of the American political process. Our country is in the midst of a very critical period. The last thing we need is more political deadlock based on partisan politics. I respect Hillary Clinton as a great American that has accomplished much in her life. The fact is that Hillary Clinton is despised by many Americans and crucified on daily talk shows across this country. They love to point out her personal and political baggage. It is feared that many, formerly apathetic, Republican, ultra-right wing, voters will be motivated to counter her bid. Very frequently, Barack Obama is receiving meaningful endorsements and gleaning support from Republican and Democratic leaders alike.

Many people bring up the " experience" question. They believe that Barack Obama will be President one day but lacks the experience at this time. This is a fallacy. The President of the United States has access to the best minds in the country; experts in every field possible are available to the President .It is obvious that, with all their experience, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden, didn’t fare well in early primaries. They were the most experienced candidates on the stage. The President needs to be able to absorb all the information that he can and make decisions. You can hire experience, you can’t hire good judgment. Judgment is a much more critical attribute. Barack Obama illustrated his judgment when he opposed the war in Iraq. He is not anti -war; he is "anti-dumb war "

http://www.youtube.com/v/AUV69LZbCNQ&rel=1

Iraq has cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars. We have accomplished nothing and we are struggling and consuming more American assets just to reach a pre war level of peace.

Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University, where he majored in political science and specialized in international relations. He then attended Harvard Law School where he was elected President of Harvard Law Review. He graduated at the top of the class. Barack Obama will respect the Constitution of the United States. He will not ignore it when it seems convenient.

The current administration has cost our country valuable credibility with allies and non-allies around the world. Credibility is the key to our National Security. We need the trust, respect and cooperation, of other nations in order to prevail against the radical Jihadists .Barack Obama has promised to reach out mend strained relations and read "the riot act” to would be aggressors.

Why Barack Obama ? No other candidate has the ability to communicate and mediate critical discussion between opposing parties. No other candidate has the support of a massive and diverse coalition of people from all faiths, races, genders, political parties or orientation. He does not appeal to the radical elements of any group, he appeals to the centrists among them. Why Barack Obama ? Because its time for GENUINE change!