Here are some OTHER things that Obama has said....

[Blue-Jay]

"I ask Senator Frist that when he gets back to Washington after Memorial Day he allow a Senate vote on the bi-partisan bill that will allow safe imports of U.S.-approved drugs that are manufactured in U.S.-approved plants." "We need protection for our nation's seniors, not protectionism for drug companies," Obama said. "I call on Senator Frist and Jack Ryan to put politics aside and protect our seniors' pocketbooks rather than drug companies' financial books."


"The U.S. Congress just voted to send $87 billion to Iraq to, among other things, improve health facilities for the Iraqi people," Obama said. "It seems to me that we should spend a fraction of that amount to make sure that all children in our own country have access to decent health care."


"Right now, we have a tax code that gives incentives for companies to move offshore. Instead, we must have a tax code that rewards companies that are doing the right thing by investing in American workers and investing in research and development here in the United States,'' said Obama. ''Our government has to be looking out for these people who are working hard everyday trying to make ends meet and right now we've got a set of policies that are not reflective of that," said Obama.


"I fear our once great influence is waning, a victim of misguided policies and impetuous actions. Never has the United States possessed so much power, and never has the United States had so little influence to lead.
Sadly, today, much of the world no longer listens to the United States.
On September 12th, 2001, the banner headline in Le Monde read ‘We are all Americans.’
Just think about that – a French newspaper expressing such support less than three years ago. And think about how we have squandered that good will since then and what we could have done with it in building support of common goals."


There's tons more here, if you're interested in more than "He didn't call Bush a POOPY-HEAD! Where's the OUTRAGE?" -type of thinking.

meh

[bloom]

1. thanks

I saw him speaking on some show this am - the first time I had seen him on TV. NOT MTP. And I thought he seemed OK.

[salin]

2. darn it all bluejay

it isn't enough that he said all those things... he is now just like Zell Miller... can't you tell by all of his policy positions? By his admission that knowing what was known at the time of the IWR vote, he would have voted against it (rather than backing cover for K/E)?

The only good thing about the Zell Miller comparison, is the joy it gives me to imagine how ZELL would CRINGE at the comparison.

[bhunt70]

3. don't you know none of this matters?

he's a traitor!

[vi5]

4. I should probably stay off DU for the next week or so...

Since I'm sure by the end of this whole convention thing, I'll have people convincing me that I'm a republican troll bush lite neo con enabling facist, because I dare to think that people want to hear something other than Bush bashing at the convention, and I dare to think that people who don't currently vote or who are on the fence are going to be more persuaded to get off their asses and vote if they hear a postive forward thinking message with clearly laid out ideas and plans than if they hear people just sitting up there and telling them every way that the current administration is bad.

This whole notion that the non-voting types are going to be motivated simply by bush bashing than by people with ideas is pathetic. If Bush bashing appealed to them, and attack politics appealed to the 50% of the population who doesn't vote, then they would already be voters. What they're looking for is someone who articulates ideas and a vision. Clinton didn't win by talking about what they other side was doing wrong. He did it by talking about what he would do right.

[bhunt70]

5. good post

[AP]

42. Your 2nd paragraph is especially right on (not that your 1st isn't great)

There hasn't been a more divisive president than Bush in years, and voters are still evenly split.

And, let's not forget history. Nixon won reelection on a campaign the strategy of which was to encourage people to attack him so that people in the middle would be discusted by liberals and vote for Republicans -- the law and order, button-up party.

[0007]

6. I like him and thought he came across well for the Democratic party

[Uzybone]

7. Did he compare Bush to Hitler?

until then he is a traitor to the cause and no better than Zell Miller!

[Blue-Jay]

8. Yes, he's quite the Zelling Zell-bot.

I can't wait to hear his keynote address. Obama's a powerful speaker.

[JohnKleeb]

9. haha!

thats great. Yes, Obama is nothing better than a republican to me until he calls Bush and Cheney criminals.

[JohnKleeb]

10. oh he's so terrible

This man is just like Bush. God I'd be lucky to get a dem senator here in Virginia and I'd have the lord's blessings to get an Obama.

[in_cog_ni_to]

11. OMG! He just OOZES republicanism....doesn't he?

:eyes:

Yup.....let's throw him out of the party.
He's not WORTHY!!!

[JohnKleeb]

12. can we just run a guy who says everything Bush does is bad

and doesnt have any real plans of his own? Yeah that would be so much better.

[davsand]

19. "WORTHY" Maybe that is the key to this all!

Something I've worried about for years now is the idea that we on the left can't seem to get past our moral superiority in our politics. I'm not being snarky here--I'm serious.

How many times have you heard somebody say "Why doesn't the GOP see it is the RIGHT thing to do?" or even go so far as to say, "It is the only moral choice..."

I'm wondering if part of the anger at Obama is based on the idea that he wasn't judgmental enough publicly--like maybe he's not worthy of the title of Dem any more. Maybe this anger is really just moral indignation leveled at one of our own.

Wow. I have to sit and think on THAT one for a bit.


Laura

[JohnKleeb]

22. read my post in the lounge about tone and personality

well its part of a thread actually. No its not about moral superiority, its that people think politicans have to do everything they want, have to admit if things were like that, things would be fucked up.

[in_cog_ni_to]

26. I'm not being snarky here--I'm serious.

I was. (being snarky) :7

I KNOW about a candidate who these people think are not "worthy"...I supported Wes Clark in the primary and on a daily basis was told he wasn't "worthy" of a Dem vote because he had voted for Reagan and Bush 1. NEVERMIND that the man voted for Clinton TWICE and Gore in 2000....THAT doesn't matter! he didn't come out of the womb a DEMOCRAT! So, yes, being "worthy" is a REAL issue around here on DU.

[davsand]

32. Remember, dear, I was another Illinois Clarkie.

I DO remember the hits for the "lack of purity" that Clark got. Funny, at the time I remember thinking it was pretty silly given how "mainstream Dem" Clark's views were. Now I see this flap with Obama and wonder if it was the same pack of folks doing it then AND now.

Seems like I manage to fall out of favor with everyone these days. I'm too liberal for some of the Dems here in the rural areas and I'm not liberal enough for others.

LOL. I guess it just goes to show you can't please everyone all the time--eh?

Poor Obama, this too shall pass!

Laura

[PopSixSquish]

33. Pssstttt...In_cog_ni_to....Don't tell anybody but

I once voted for a Republican congressman whilst living in California. He was a moderate and honestly was the better choice.

Shhh.......

[in_cog_ni_to]

34. Mums the word with me!

I won't tell a soul that you voted for a republican in Ca. I promise! :evilgrin:

[in_cog_ni_to]

13. Read this....on Barak's health care views.

Barack Obama
Democrat U.S. Senate 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HEALTH CARE



David Katz/Obama for Illinois


Barack Obama believes health care is a right for everyone, not a privilege for the few, Throughout his legislative career, he has made affordable health care a priority -- he delivered coverage to an additional 65,000 Illinois families and sponsored a bill to protect the uninsured from price gouging. In Washington, Obama will continue to champion affordable health care on the national level. He has proposed a detailed health plan that covers every child in America, allows those near retirement to buy into Medicare, and ensures coverage for those losing jobs through no fault of their own. He will fight to ensure that our nation’s seniors have access to affordable prescription drugs – by allowing re-importation of drugs from other industrialized nations for our citizens, like we do for drug manufacturers, and fighting for a real Medicare prescription drug law that allows the federal government to negotiate drug prices.

Isn't that just awful? He should be removed from the Dem party. <sarcasm>

[JohnKleeb]

15. thats terrible

He has to trash Bush to win my support!, issues arent enough!

[sandnsea]

24. It's not single payer

Off with his head.

[JohnKleeb]

25. off with the head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Donkeyboy75]

27. He stole that idea from Zell!

I'm in Chicago, and am not voting for Obama unless he admits * ritualistically sacrifices kittens and uses their blood to sign anti-abortion bills!

[NWHarkness]

14. Rising star in the party? Shoot him down!

What the hell is wrong with people?

[in_cog_ni_to]

16. Read this...Jobs and the Economy by Barak Obama

JOBS AND THE ECONOMY



SENATOR OBAMA’S PLAN TO CREATE QUALITY JOBS FOR AMERICA



David Katz/Obama for Illinois

Barack Obama will fight in the United States Senate to make sure America is exporting products, not jobs.




Close loopholes that encourage companies to move jobs abroad. Obama will change the tax code by closing loopholes that give companies incentives to move jobs abroad, including denying tax benefits to former American companies that reincorporate offshore to avoid paying taxes.




Reward companies that create quality jobs in America. Obama’s “REAL USA” Corporations Plan (Responsible, Accountable, Loyal USA Corporations) will reward companies that create quality jobs in America with tax incentives. Companies will be required to 1) locate in the United States 90% of its production and employment for the sales of goods and services that are consumed here; 2) invest at least 50% of its R&D budget here in the U.S; 3) make sure their workers have access to affordable health care by providing a standardized and portable health insurance plan and pay at least 70% of the cost; 4) make sure their workers have retirement security by contributing at least 5% of payroll to a portable, multi-employer pension fund and operating a profit-sharing plan for all full time employees; and 5) limit management compensation to 50 times the lowest-paid full-time worker.




Ensure fair trade by enforcing existing trade agreements. Obama believes any trade agreement must have real, tangible benefits for U.S. business and workers and will work to enforce the trade agreements on the books.




Provide needed assistance for displaced workers. Obama will ensure funding is available for the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, and expand it so it covers service workers as well as manufacturing workers, in order to provide retraining, income support, health insurance tax credits, and other benefits to those who lose their jobs because of trade.




Encourage research and development. Obama supports increasing funding for R&D investment, enacting a permanent R&D tax credit, and providing incentives to increase the supply of scientists and engineers.




OBAMA’S RECORD


Providing tax relief for working families. As an Illinois Senator, Obama was the driving force behind Illinois' Earned Income Tax Credit, which has provided more than $100 million in tax relief to working families.




Expanding access to health care. Obama was the chief sponsor of the law that extended the Comprehensive Health Insurance Program (CHIP) by three years and increased the number of children eligible for the program. As a result, 20,000 additional children and 65,000 additional parents qualify for health insurance coverage.




Protecting overtime pay. Obama was the chief sponsor of the law that exempts Illinois from the Bush Administration’s new federal overtime rules and protects overtime pay for thousands of Illinois workers.




Providing a living wage. Obama voted to increase the minimum wage to $6.50 an hour.



Working to ensure advance notice for workers. Obama sponsored the law that requires the monitoring of employer compliance with federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification laws, so that workers have advance warning if their employer is about to conduct a mass lay-off or close their plant.

HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE! I say kick him out of the party!<sarcasm>

[JohnKleeb]

17. has he called Bush a criminal yet? he wont see a dime!

hah. Thanks, Obama has some fine views, you'll have two fine senators by this time next year.

[in_cog_ni_to]

28. Durbin and Obama.

Who could ask for better? No One!

[in_cog_ni_to]

18. Read this...Energy policy...by Barak Obama

ENERGY



SENATOR OBAMA'S “ENERGY INDEPENDENCE FOR ILLINOIS” PLAN


Senator Obama has outlined a five-step plan to achieve energy independence for Illinois:




David Katz/Obama for Illinois

Invest in Renewable Energy. Obama will support legislation requiring that by 2020, 20% of the nation's power supply portfolio comes from renewable sources like wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy. Promoting renewable energy will create new investments and new jobs without increasing the prices families pay. Obama has proposed a flexible market-based approach that allows electricity providers to either generate the renewable energy themselves, obtain it from other companies, or purchase credits from providers who exceed the standard.



Increase Fuel Efficiency Standards. Obama will increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) to 40 mpg for cars from their current mid-1980's level. Americans will save billions of dollars and millions of barrels of oil per day by implementing these already existing technologies.



Increase Ethanol Production. Obama will create a Renewable Fuels Standard that requires that a percentage of our nation's fuel supply is provided by renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. These ethanol provisions will reduce oil dependence and create jobs. By requiring 5 billion gallons of ethanol by 2012, it is estimated that we will reduce crude oil imports by 1.6 billion barrels and create 214,000 new American jobs.



Maximize Oil Output. Energy companies often hold unused leases so that they can list them on their financial records as assets and help to lure investors. Obama will pressure oil companies to put those leases to use. There are currently forty million acres of public lands in the continental U.S. that are leased for oil and gas development but remain unused. Instead of opening new lands for development - like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - oil companies should utilize the non-environmentally sensitive lands currently available.



Increase Refining Capacity. Obama will pressure the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to more aggressively monitor oil mergers that decrease competition and increase the price of gas. One week ago, the General Accounting Office reported in a study that families face higher gasoline and energy prices today in part because a wave of oil mergers over the past decade reduced competition. Obama will force the Federal Trade Commission to get off the sidelines and on the side of consumers. Furthermore, Obama will support legislation that directs the government regulators to penalize oil companies for engaging in anti-competitive practices like redlining, discriminatory pricing, and price zoning. Redlining occurs when companies refuse to sell fuel to certain distributors or specific geographic markets. Discriminatory pricing occurs when companies charge less to their own distributors or facilities. Price zoning occurs when companies set prices based on the retail station's geographic location, in a way that is unrelated to the cost of doing business.



OBAMA'S RECORD


Promoting Renewable Energy. Senator Obama co-sponsored a Renewable Portfolio Standard that mandates ten percent of total electric utility output must be renewable by 2012.



Fueling Ethanol Production. Senator Obama sponsored the Biodiesel Fuel Act to require diesel fuel sold in Illinois to contain at least two percent biodiesel fuel by volume.



Encouraging Energy Efficiency. As a State Senator, Obama was chief co-sponsor of the Energy Efficiency Building Act and the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards Act, which aim to improve energy efficiency in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings and in certain household products.


Is THIS horrible or what??? Get this man out of our party! <sarcasm>

[JohnKleeb]

20. this man is terrible

hah, being sarcastic along with learning the views of the fine future junior senator from illinois.

[in_cog_ni_to]

21. Read this...Education...by Barak Obama

EDUCATION



SENATOR OBAMA’S PLAN TO ADD 25,000 NEW QUALITY TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOLS


David Katz/Obama for Illinois

Barack Obama has outlined a plan to create National Teacher Academies that will place 25,000 new teachers in high-need public schools over five years. One hundred academy schools will be created around the country. Each year, 5,000 men and women will be recruited for teacher resident positions. Each resident will commit to a six-year contract -- one year training and five years in probationary schools, those where less than one third of its students tested at grade level.


In return, residents will receive an academic stipend of $30,000 a year and a full year of classroom training. Each classroom in the training academy will have a master teacher and two residents. The residents will receive master degree courses from a local university that is partnered with the academy, and, by the end of the year, will receive teacher certification. Master teachers will receive added compensation for the hours they spend at the end of the school day providing professional development to the residents.

After the first year of training, residents - who will then be certified teachers - will be placed in teams of 10 to 15 in schools that are currently on probation, those where fewer than one third of its students tested at grade level. The new teachers will be paired with mentor coaches to provide counseling at their new schools.

Provide Current Teachers with the Resources and Training They Need

Barack Obama will fight to fully fund teacher quality programs that are authorized in No Child Left Behind which provide grants to states to provide teachers with professional development and training. The Bush budget proposal for next year freezes teacher quality funding for the third year in a row. Over this 3-year period, the freeze will have denied 15,000 teachers high quality professional development, resulting in 325,000 students being taught by teachers without this necessary training.

Obama will provide oversight to ensure that the Department of Education enforces the provisions of No Child Left Behind that require all teachers in the classroom to be certified and teaching in their field.

Replace Student Loans that Benefit Banks With Loans That Benefit Taxpayers

Barack Obama supports requiring that all college loans be administered through the Direct Loan program in which the government serves as the lender, getting its capital through Treasury bonds. He supports an end to the Federal Family Education Loan Program in which the government guarantees returns to private lenders who provide the capital. Direct loans are estimated to save nine cents for every dollar loaned - an estimated savings of $4.5 billion per year in new and consolidated loans.



OBAMA’S RECORD
Training New Teachers. As an Illinois State Senator, Obama co-sponsored legislation to create a National Teaching Academy of Chicago that recruits, prepares and develops quality teachers for high-need urban school districts. Obama also co-sponsored legislation that created the Future Teacher Corps Scholarships to provide financial aid for undergraduate and graduate students studying to become teachers.

Rewarding High Quality Teachers. Senator Obama was chief sponsor of a bill creating the Certified Teacher Retention Bonus Program, which provides grants to reward high quality teachers in low performing schools by giving them a bonus of up to a quarter of their annual salary. In return, the teachers must commit to four more years of teaching in that school.


Promoting Collaboration and Innovation. Senator Obama co-sponsored legislation that allied education reformers, the Chicago Board of Education, and the Chicago Teacher’s Union in expanding innovation by creating additional charter schools.


HOLY SHIT! This man has GOT TO GO!<sarcasm>

[in_cog_ni_to]

23. Read this...Barak Obama Biography.

Biography
Barack Obama: The Background and Commitment to Make a Difference

Barack Obama has spent a lifetime fighting effectively to empower working families and the poor - as community organizer, civil rights attorney and a leader in the Illinois Senate. He has brought new ideas and approaches in pursuit of traditional Democratic ideals to make a real difference for people -- from better schools to affordable health care to criminal justice reform.

Obama represents Illinois' 13th Senate District on Chicago's South Side. Recognized for his innovative, effective leadership, Obama is Chairman of the powerful Public Health and Welfare Committee. He also serves on the Judiciary and Revenue Committees. The Chicago Tribune has called him "one of the General Assembly's most impressive members." His legislative accomplishments include:

Education. Obama helped push through an expansion of early childhood education and accessible, high quality day care for working families. He co-sponsored legislation that expands innovation through charter schools, increases accountability for all school districts, improves the recruitment, training and retention of a highly skilled teaching corps, and limits tuition increases and maintains scholarships to make higher education more accessible.

Health Care. Obama passed laws extending health coverage to children and families without insurance, co-sponsored legislation establishing a prescription drug discount for seniors, passed a Hospital Report Card that makes hospitals more accountable to consumers, championed increased funding for AIDS prevention and other public health initiatives, and sponsored legislation to move the state towards universal health care.

Jobs and Opportunity. Obama passed legislation to provide targeted tax breaks for investment in depressed areas and to hold corporations accountable for tax breaks they receive from the state. Working with community colleges and area employers, he helped design and fund an innovative job-training program that has moved hundreds of unskilled, low-wage workers into high skill, high wage jobs. He was the driving force behind a state Earned Income Tax Credit, which has provided over $100 million in tax cuts to working families over three years.

Criminal Justice. In the wake of a series of shocking exonerations of innocent persons on death row, Obama drafted and passed landmark legislation requiring the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases, and was chief co-sponsor of comprehensive reform of the death penalty system in Illinois. He has been a leader in reforming the juvenile justice system to keep more young people in school and out of prison, and has fought to increase penalties for domestic violence.

Civil Rights and Liberties. As a senior lecturer in constitutional law, Obama has been a leading voice in the Senate in protecting a woman's right to reproductive freedom. He passed model legislation designed to curb the practice of racial profiling by law enforcement.

Ethics Reform. Working with former U.S. Senator Paul Simon, Obama was a chief architect and sponsor of the first state campaign finance reform legislation in 25 years, and has helped toughen rules governing government contracting and procurement.

Obama graduated from Columbia University with a degree in political science and a specialty in international relations. He worked as a community organizer in some of Chicago's toughest neighborhoods, helping church groups create job-training programs, reform area schools, and improve city services.

He went on to Harvard Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude and served as the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. After law school, Obama organized one of the largest voter registration drives in Chicago history to help Bill Clinton's election, and worked as a civil rights lawyer on cutting edge voting rights and employment discrimination cases in federal and state courts.

Currently a senior lecturer specializing in constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School, Obama has served on the boards of some of Chicago's leading foundations and chaired the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a $50 million philanthropic effort to reform the public schools.


THIS was the final straw for me! Get him the hell out of the Democratic Party! I want a republican in the Senate instead!<sarcasm>

[Blue-Jay]

29. Amazing what you find out when you dig a little, ain't it?

It didn't really take too much digging either.

No! Let's instead throw away everything that the man has said and done for a single soundbite on Tim Russert's Weekly Whore-A-Thon! That makes much more sense to me!

[JohnKleeb]

31. I bet that research was even more easier than proving that Kerry

isnt republican lite. All you had to do was find Obama's platform.

[in_cog_ni_to]

37. It was easier, John.

I went to his web site. Right there in BLACK and WHITE....Barak on the issues. THE MAN IN ALL HIS GLORY!

http://www.obamaforillinois.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={98F1584F-9302-4038-BE87-6B52E9151CB3}

I'll leave the link....just in case the foaming at the mouth has stopped and someone decides they might like to learn something about who he REALLY is. ;)

[JohnKleeb]

41. very easy to do though I found that proving Kerry was easy as well

Good research. I look forward to Senator Obama.

[in_cog_ni_to]

44. When I read about Kerry and the Iran/Contra

investigations....my views of him changed. The woman he chose to marry is AWESOME. That says a lot for him too. :)

[PopSixSquish]

30. I Know What You Mean

How dare the good people of Illinois elect a man who graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School? Was a civil rights attorney and even lectures on constitutional law at the Univeristy of Chicago?

I mean, dear God, why don't they elect someone like W who can neither spell "Illinois" or "magna cum laude" and wouldn't know what the Constitution was if one of the founding fathers rose from his grave and smacked George upside the head with it.

[in_cog_ni_to]

35. We're the scum of the earth.

Aren't we? :eyes:

[AP]

43. This biography is WHY it's so important for con's to attack him...

...and they know the only way to do it is by making people on the left suspicious of him.

[Doomsayer13]

36. B-b-b-bbbut he didn't call Bush a baby killer nazi!

He must be a republican lite zell miller whore!

:crazy:

[Lex]

38. Now you're catching on.

Pathetic, eh?

I want to scream "Grow up!" here sometimes, but then I'd get flamed like hell.

: puts on flame retardant suit :

[in_cog_ni_to]

39. We have plenty of water to put out those flames.

;) I'm still waiting for Obama haters to read his positions on the issues and then tell me he's just like Zell Miller. :smoke:

[in_cog_ni_to]

40. kick....Obama on the issues is here! read it! n/t

[Bat Boy]

45. That's all well and good...

But nowhere in any of those comments does he mention Bush's bad personal hygiene or propensity for eating babies. He says absolutely nothing about the Satanism practiced in the Oval Office (as exemplified by the replacement of the enormous presidential on the carpet with an enormous pentagram.) Obama has never once mentioned that Cheney needs to drink the blood of the elderly to survive.

In short, until Obama says everything I believe, in exactly the language I would use, he is unfit for office and would most likely eat babies too. Jewish babies.