Yes, We Can.

I'm sure many of you have seen this already, but I felt it was a must-have for this here site. It needed to grace these pages with its presence.

Thinking about the video, the movement called "Obamamania," and the 1 million donor mark, I am in awe of not just the Obama's ability to inspire but also in the American peoples' ability to rise up and voice their dissent about current conditions.

This all reminds me of the scene in V For Vendetta where the masses of civilians march on their Capitol, amidst thousands of police forces in riot gear trying to fend them off, and the people are clearly moved not just of V's message of hope and change... but their own belief that with their own help, change can come.

Don't join in on the side of skeptics. No need to ask whether change can come, because we alrady know the answer to that one.

Si, se puede. Yes, we can.

Obama Endorsed By Legendary Cowboy Smith

Emmitt, that is!

Obama Donors Hit The 1 Million Mark

Obama has breached the 1 million mark of donors to his presidential campaign. This, of course, is unheard of in American politics.

Already Clinton has felt the wrath of his following -- his fandom, if you will -- so if she officially goes down for the count after March 4, Republican John McCain need be very, very worried.

Cleveland Debate World Recap

We already recapped last night's debate (that link leads to the entire transcript) at Obama Fandom. Now, let's take a look around to see what the few others have to say about the MSNBC squabble-fest:

• Too Much Whining Ruined Whatever Points Clinton scored
  by: Michael Goodwyn, New York Daily News


• The Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan's blog readers overwhelmingly disagree with his take that Obama's response to the Farrakhan endorsement was poor.
  
  
• Clash of Styles in Ohio Debate
  by Michael Duffy, TIME
  
  
• Obama post-debate talking points
  by: Mark Halperin, TIME
  

Obama Stands Tall During Ohio Debate

At the start of last night's debate in Cleveland, Ohio, MSNBC played a clip of Senator Hillary Clinton mocking Obama's speeches of grand optimism and hopefulness upcoming:

"The sky will open. The lights will come down. Celestial choirs will be singing and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect."

When asked how he would respond to Clinton, Obama smiled and responded with answer that produced laughter from the crowd:

"Sounds good. (crowd laughs) I thought Sen. showed some good humor there. I would give her points for delivery."

This was one of the many points where Obama maintained his poise despite an open charge being placed against him, avoided getting defensive (like some of us would in the same situation), and gave a good-natured, smart response that deflected attention back to the national issue raised.

On another occasion, Obama was asked in a very blunt and outright manner what he thought about Louis Farrakhan -- the acting head of the Nation of Islam who has made comments cribed as antisemitic, homophobic and racist -- endorsing him for president. He answered quite succinctly that he never openly solicited Farrakhan's support, and outright "denounced" the NOI leader's demeaning statements he completely disagreed with.

To push the point, Clinton inferred that Obama should "reject" supporters like Farrakhan outright, instead of simply "denouncing" his insensitive remarks.

Obama's response scored big in the Ohio crowd and, admittedly, in my own viewing quarters:

“If Senator Clinton feels that ‘reject’ is stronger than the word ‘denounce,’ then I’m happy to concede the point, and I would reject and denounce..."

Obama's superb answer proved once again -- a meaningful point when looking at the national race against the GOP party -- that he is a candidate with the ability to absorb criticisms from the opposition but maintain his cool and respond with a composed and calm manner, even if it means conceding to a limit.

Here are a few main issues reiterated tonight among the candidates:

On the Iraq war...

• Obama reiterates his outright opposition from the start, promotes his "good judgment."
• Clinton conceded that she wishes she could go back and change her vote.
• Both want to withdraw troops from Iraq and call the war poorly run and waged on false pretenses.
  

On NAFTA...

• Clinton says she's been against NAFTA "from day one." Then says "since I've been in the Senate, I've been opposed to it."
• Obama says in Clinton's campaign she said NAFTA was "good for New York and good for America." He says she has conflicting statements (Russert agrees) and added that NAFTA "must not just good for Wall Street, but good for Main Street."
• Both want to go back and renegotiate NAFTA to benefit the middle-class workers, with the threat of opting out.
  

After the NAFTA question, before Clinton responded, she complained of a media bias against her and very pro-Obama:

"Could I just point out that in the last several debates, i seem to get the first question AL the time. and i don't mind, i would be happy to field them *fishing for laughs... no dice* but i do find it curious... if anyone saw Saturday Night Live maybe we should ask Barack if he's comfortable and needs a pillow. I just keep getting the first question on all of these issues."

Unfortunately for Clinton, she came off as whiny with her complaint, as she tried, unsuccessfully, to solicit a few laughs from SNL fans. And the brief rant seemed to take her off track momentarily.

Last night's debate was viewed by many as Clinton's last stand. The New York senator stood tall, tough and even mentioned on a few occasions that she has proved herself to be a great fighter tonight, but when it all was said and done, Clinton was unable to succeed at the daunting task of pulling herself out of the ditch she and her poorly run campaign are in currently.

Right now the race is in a dead heat, with Clinton's once large lead over Obama having diminished recently.

Don't be surprised if, starting tomorrow and moving toward the big primaries in Ohio and Texas, Obama takes a notable and fairly sizable lead in the polls.

National Polls Show Obama With Lead Over McCain

According to recent polls, Senator Barack Obama has a better chance at beating Sen. John McCain on the national stage than Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Check the polls:

• MSNBC
• USA Today
• Associated Press

Other Obama articles:

• "Does Obama's Winning Streak Prove that Race Doesn't Matter?"
  by: Jay Tolson (U.S. News & World Report)
• "Goodbye To All That: Why Obama Matters"
  by: Andrew Sullivan (The Atlantic)
  

Obama Campaign Update

Here's the latest update from the Barack Obama campaign, via the email update:

"A week from tomorrow could be the decisive day in this campaign.

We started behind in the two biggest states that will vote on March 4th, Ohio and Texas, but as we spend time on the ground, we are gaining strength.

But that's nothing new for us. We have started as the underdog in just about every state. And thanks to a growing movement of support from ordinary people across the country, we came from behind and won the last 11 contests in a row.

We can do this again.

It's not going to be easy -- attacks from our Democratic opponent and the presumptive Republican nominee are growing more frequent and more desperate. And the size of these two states will require unprecedented energy and resources to organize supporters and persuade undecided voters.

But we're within striking distance of our goal of one million people owning a piece of this campaign by March 4th, and every single person getting involved makes a difference.

Now is the time to step up and make your first donation. If you give as part of our matching program, a previous donor will double your impact by matching your gift.

Be one of the million by making a donation right now:

https://donate.barackobama.com/match

We're within reach of this extraordinary goal for the same reason we've come from behind to unexpectedly win 26 out of 37 contests so far.

We're succeeding because our campaign has always been about bringing new people into the process.

Thanks to you, we're on the verge of history. Please do what you can to see this through.

Thank you,

Barack

P.S. -- Beginning this Saturday, March 1st, we're holding a One Million for Change canvass across Ohio as a lead up to their primary on March 4th. This canvass will be a great opportunity to reach out to Ohio voters, talk about why you are a part of this movement, and remind them to vote on Primary Day. I hope you'll take part.

Learn more about the One Million for Change Canvass and sign up now:

http://my.barackobama.com/OHOneMillion

If you've already signed up to come to Ohio, you will be contacted by the campaign with details about where and when you should arrive."

To get these updates, go to the Obama website, www.barackobama.com and sign-up. If you want to string to the coattails of this here site for the updates, that works for me.

Drudge Report Blames Clinton Staffers For Obama African Photo Release

According to the Drudge Report, someone from the Clinton campaign staff circulated a photo of Sen. Obama wearing a traditional Kenyan outfit during a five-country tour of Africa in 2006 --

With a week to go until the Texas and Ohio primaries, stressed Clinton staffers circulated a photo over the weekend of a "dressed" Barack Obama.

The photo, taken in 2006, shows the Democrat frontrunner fitted as a Somali Elder, during his visit to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya.

The senator was on a five-country tour of Africa.

"Wouldn't we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC?" questioned one campaign staffer, in an email obtained by the DRUDGE REPORT.

In December, the campaign asked one of its volunteer county coordinators in Iowa to step down after the person forwarded an e-mail falsely stating that Barack Obama is a Muslim.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe took Drudge for his word that the picture was released from the Clinton camp and responded quickly and harshly against the nature of which the picture was released:

On the very day that Senator Clinton is giving a speech about restoring respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we’ve seen from either party in this election. This is part of a disturbing pattern that led her county chairs to resign in Iowa, her campaign chairman to resign in New Hampshire, and it’s exactly the kind of divisive politics that turns away Americans of all parties and diminishes respect for America in the world.

The significance of the release of this picture at this time -- just before primaries in Ohio and Texas -- is in regards to a false rumor that Obama is secretly a Muslim; when, in fact, he is a devout Christian, and has written about it in-depth.

Some would assume that the more narrow-minded voters in the upcoming Ohio and Texas primaries would have all the confirmation they need to believe Obama is a Muslim, and vote against him explicitly for that reason.

Unfortunately, there are Americans who believe that all Muslims dislike Americans. This is not true. We can go into this topic at a later date.

Some believe Obama swore in with his hand on the Koran. This, along with the false belief that Obama is Muslim, is false. In Minnesota, Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) did, in fact, swear in using the Koran, despite outcries against it.

Wasn't our country founded on the basis of religious freedom?

Around the world there are extremists and radical practitioners of every faith. The 9/11 attacks came from extremists of the Muslim faith. Abortion clinics have been burned to the ground by extremists of the Christian faith. Wars have been waged because of misunderstandings based on religions.

We are a country established on freedoms -- religion being one of them -- so why would Americans ever be up in arms about the religion of our country's leader anyway?

Under normal circumstances, there would be no issue with pictures of potential presidents-to-be wearing traditional garments received during world travels. In fact, in that same Drudge Report link (at the bottom) you will find pictures of President George W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and daughter Chelsea with similar pictures.

A Parting Thought...

Had the 9/11 attacks been caused by and extremist group of Christians, how would Americans have reacted? Would the country openly discriminate against the Christian faith as a whole, much like they have the Muslim faith?

Two Ways To Achieve Universal Health Care

Neither Obama nor Clinton want Americans -- children especially -- to be without health coverage. This is why they both plan to implement universal health care if elected president.

Their plans to achieve universal coverage are 95% similar but their methods of achieving the "universal" part vary.

Think of their differences as you would with parenting:

While Clinton's method utilizes tough love by way of mandates, Obama's takes a more laissez fare approach.

Clinton's plan uses mandates to cover every American. This means that even though both she and Obama plan on lowering health care rates, people are required to purchase coverage. This may mean garnishing wages or handing out penalties to those who do not cooperate.

Obama's plan relies more on the lowering of rates to entice Americans to purchase health care.

New York Times op-ed columnist Paul Krugman writes a great piece on why he prefers the Clinton, utilizing a recent study --

Mr. Obama claims that people will buy insurance if it becomes affordable. Unfortunately, the evidence says otherwise.

The breakdown says that Americans will not necessarily purchase the plan even if the rates are lowered. So does this justify an across-the-board penalty system for not purchasing a health care plan? Should we spare the rod en route to covering all Americans?

This is where Americans' ideals cause them to support one plan or the other. Neither plan is necessarily right or wrong, but they tap into a belief system and ruling method that may or may not be acceptable to voters.

As she campaigned in Ohio, Clinton chastised Obama for sending out two mailers; the first pointed to conflicting Clinton positions on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) -- her husband, former president Bill Clinton, supported NAFTA whole-heartedly while in office, as did she, and now she is complaining of how much she dislikes it; the other mailer implied the force Clinton's universal health care plan would use to insure all Americans.

Clinton accused Obama of using "tactics that are right out of Karl Rove's playbook of dirty tactics."

The Yahoo! News story has the more detailed back-and-forth, including Obama's response --

Obama defended the mailings as accurate and rejected Clinton's complaint as a political ploy. He said that despite her current criticism of NAFTA, she supported the trade agreement when it passed during her husband's administration.

"You can't be for something and take credit for an administration ... and then when you run for president say that you didn't really mean what you said way back then. It doesn't work like that," he said to cheers at a rally in Akron.

Obama Fandom Mission and Inspiration

Obama Fandom was inspired by the February 19, 2008 appearance of Texas State Senator Kirk Watson (D-TX) on MSNBC's Election 2008 coverage with Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann.

When prompted by Matthews to name a single legislative accomplishment Sen. Barack Obama achieved while a congressman, Sen. Watson was left dumbfounded. (See video below)

That appearance prompted rivals -- namely, the GOP party and Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton -- to lump Obama's supporters into one large sensationalized, blinded-by-inspiration group. Their sweeping generalization is, of course, quite misguided. In fact, most exit polls show Obama with a strong lead among college educated voters.

We won't go too deep into why "savvy" political veterans take to using generalizations like these; this is just another case of using the "same old politics" to belittle a once-in-a-lifetime movement.

Often during election season, voters get captivated by the message of a certain candidate, even to the point sometimes where they have their own "Watson moment." Sure, the Obama message seems to transcend typical, everyday politics, but it is important to make sure supporters do have a vast knowledge of why they are supporting the best candidate for the job.

Obama Fandom is here to help guide those captivated by Obamamania, and riding on the "Hope Train" with more specific reasons why Sen. Barack Obama should be elected the 44th president of the United States of America.

Why Barack Obama Should Be Our Next President

The United States of America desperately needs a change in leadership.

The current administration, led by President George W. Bush, spent the last seven years digging a cavernous hole that, at first glance, appears too deep to traverse. But fear not, my fellow Americans — help is on the way.

For the best chance at bringing real hope and change to our beloved country, Americans should elect Senator Barack Obama to be the 44th president of the U. S. of A.

* * * * * * * * * *

Why a Democrat and not a Republican?

One of the main reasons to be enamored by Obama is how he goes out of his way to work with persons of every color, nationality, religion and political party. With Obama, there are no red states or blue states, there are only purple states. Year after year, Republicans and Democrats debate endlessly about policy and get very little done. Sure, Democratic candidates tend to fight for the working class and impoverished Americans who cannot otherwise defend themselves. And sure, Republican candidates tend to fight for the upper-class Americans, giving the largest tax breaks to the wealthy, who need them the least. This is an issue that both sides can work to find a solution on. Although Sen. Obama was voted the most liberal senator by The National Journal, he tends to fall on the right side when it counts most. Most notably, Obama spoke out openly and without pause against the war in Iraq. He spoke correctly when he said the war in Iraq should have never been authorized and should have never been waged. The probable Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, vows to stay in Iraq for “up to 100 years” or however long it takes to bring home a “victory,” whatever that may mean. We cannot afford to have a leader who will continue to place our American soldiers in harm’s way in an attempt to regain pride lost by their predecessor. We need a leader to look forward and make decisions based on the country as a whole, and not just focus on Democrats or Republicans; but instead, a leader who will focus on the country as a whole.

Why Obama Over Sen. Hillary Clinton?

Both Sens. Obama and Clinton are Democrats, so their policies run nearly parallel on all counts. They both fight for the working middle class, both pledge to work to end poverty, both oppose the war in Iraq and both absolutely despise the Bush administration’s seven-year rule and cannot wait until January 2009 — no matter who wins among the two.

Sen. Clinton would be a great president, but she is less likely effect as much change as Sen. Obama because of her polarizing nature. As mentioned before, Obama has the unique ability to work across party lines to brings about change among both Republicans and Democrats. Obama is the byproduct of unity, and leads accordingly. Clinton is so polarizing that Republicans are actively rooting for her to win; they know people of both political parties have already vowed to vote not just for her opponent, but more so against Clinton herself. Obama is well-liked across the board and give inspirational speeches reminiscent of a young John F. Kennedy — an asset that cannot be overlooked in working toward regaining the White House.

Another reason to choose Obama over Clinton is his initial stance against the war in Iraq. Clinton voted to give Bush power early-on, which led to the ongoing 6-year plus war Americans have grown tired of. Though Clinton is against the war in Iraq now, Obama can fight against McCain best by stating without any debate that he never supported the Bush administration’s failed war. This will be a great asset in winning the White House in November and, more importantly, helping get American troops based in Iraq now back to the states safely.

Both Clinton and Obama are campaigning for a universal health care plan that is just about 95% similar. The major difference in the two is that the Clinton plan mandates coverage for all Americans, while the Obama plan does not force every American to pay for coverage. Both plans have good intentions; the Obama plan makes health care universally affordable, but does not require every American to buy the plan. One key thing left out of the Clinton plan is how she plans on mandating coverage: Will she take dollar$ out of the check$ of American workers? How does she plan on enforcing her mandates? Will she penalize those who do not want her plan? It is of my own belief that Americans should be given affordable options for socially beneficial plans, but they should not be forced adhere with the threat of penalty.

I will support Clinton if she manages to win the Democratic nomination but I am choosing Obama right now because he stands the best chance at changing the “same old Washington politics” mantra. Clinton will make a difference, but Obama will — and has already — start a movement.

Won’t The Bush Administration Just Leave Already?

January 20, 2009 is circled on many a calendar. By then the next leader of the free world will take over and begin to troubleshoot all that has been placed in harm’s way the previous eight years. If Obama is that person in charge, expect the country to not only look and sound different, but as he begins righting the wrongs left by the Bush administration, expect the country to feel different.

And isn’t that what being an American is all about? That good ol’ American feeling?

Voting for Barack Obama is not about his race (mixed black and white, like yours truly) or his middle name (I can’t wait for an Obama nomination and the “Swift-boating” slime pointing out that Obama’s middle name is “Hussein”) or his “hope-mongering” (The Clinton camp called him out for building up false hopes, but Americans are increasingly jumping on the “Hope Train” full of fellow “hope-mongers” who dream of a better, more united America); this election is about bringing together a very diverse nation full of people with dreams and hope and achieving a better future by working together for a common goal, in order to solve a greater purpose that transcends political parties, ethnicities and color barriers. Hope is colorblind and justly so.

Don’t be afraid — come jump on the Hope Train.

*This post was originally published on www.timothylukehopkins.com.