Today's campaign video is painful. Yesterday at a rally in Rhode Island Hillary Clinton unveiled a new line of attack. Not only did she go after Barack Obama, in the 41 second snip labeled HILLARY Clinton MOCKS Obama SUPPORTERS she seems to attack his supporters as well.
People are hungry for hope. Hope is often dashed, but without it life is overwhelmingly painful. Obama's supporters know that Obama can't deliver on all of their hopes or even most of them, but even if he fulfills 10% of his promise they are convinced we will be better off than if we continue down the same path we are on today. Americans want to believe they have a future equal to their past. They want to believe that we are past midnight and that it is again morning in America.
Today's campaign video is from BarackObamadotcom and is a passage from the last debate about what he thinks is wrong with Washington. Part of the reality he abhors is the pervasive influence of special interests.
If you listen to Obama you will learn that not even he wants to totally end the special interests. He wants to find a place at the table for the rest of us who can't afford our own Vicki Iseman. He is probably right. The most we can hope for is to carve out a seat at table for regular folks. Even that might be a hope too far.
Today's video is called How we bring about the change we seek. I don't know if Obama's approach will be successful. Sometimes you just have to go into the stable and muck it out.
More commentary and today's Campaign Video after the break.
The perceived Washington corruption that most Americans hate is derived directly from the series of Supreme Court free speech decisions holding that it is perfectly OK to bribe a Congressman or Senator so long as the bribes are called campaign donations and are tied to "access" rather than specific votes. The way our current system works requires that every election cycle every Congressman and Senator take millions of dollars in the form of these legal bribes because to be re-elected they are required to pay millions to the mainstream media industry for advertising spots. In a way Congressmen and Senators are little more than bag men for NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and all those holier than thou newspapers.
The lobbying industry, of which Vicki Iseman is a part, has grown fat these last decades making sure the legal bribes that are ultimately used to pay Tim Russert's salary go smoothly. Since lobbyists are capitalists, the best ones demand the highest fees. Vicki Iseman and her firm are among the best. Only the richest corporations can afford the highest fees. The lobbyists promise "access." The client gains special access to make its case to the elected official. Lobbyists never openly promise results in the form of a vote. That would be illegal.
Businessmen don't give a crap about access. They want results. The results provided by the highest paid lobbyists are often better than one would expect if we were just talking about arranging face to face meetings. It is a miracle.
Well, it is widely known that some Congressmen and Senators cheat. Some are open to take more in the way of bribes than the law allows. Sometimes the bribes are not in the form of campaign donations. Sometimes, some lobbyist, to remain competitive, funnels money or services to a Congressman or Senator personally. Some Senators and Congressmen privately let it be known that more than access is for sale. Duke Cunningham is serving serious time in the Federal slammer for crossing the line to the illegal side.
The line between legal bribery and illegal bribery is very fine and sometimes convoluted. Somethings you might consider illegal. For example, plane rides on private jets so the Senator doesn't have to rub shoulders with the riff raff in airline first class were once considered legal. Now they are considered legal only if the Senator sends a check in the amount of the price of a first class ticket to the corporation. The corporation is still spending $4,000 to $10,000 per hour to operate its private jet, but the Senator is only required to pay 1/10th that amount or so.
Old straight talk John McCain has made his reputation claiming he is opposed to the current pay for access system. He might be, but in his day to day operations he seems to have embraced the current Washington system completely. His top advisors are all top drawer lobbyists. His causes just seem to fit the needs of the clients of those lobbyists exactly. His votes always seem to reflect the views of the businessmen who have purchased access from his closest advisors. Whether he has violated the law since the Keating Five is unknown. What is known for sure is he talks like a maverick reformer, but plays the game like he is legally bought and paid for.
Hillary Clinton also moves easily in the Washington insider world. Frankly, every Senator and Representative has to become somewhat comfortable with the legal side of the Washington bribery system if they want to be re-elected. No doubt Obama has had occasional ties to lobbyists. He hasn't really been there long enough to have developed the kinds of connections John McCain and Hillary Clinton take for granted, but he sure does seem to know the rules. That is why he doesn't offer you and me more than a seat at the access table. He has apparently gotten "real."
If you encounter a campaign video in need of broader play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject campaign video of the day.
Today I am going to show a horror movie. This movie was produced by House Republicans. Its message is be afraid, be very afraid. If we don't give Telecoms immunity for their prior law breaking the terrorists win. The President of the United States, 68 Senators, the House Republican leadership and the GOP in general have concluded that stopping lawsuits aimed at discovering the extent of Bush administration lawlessness and willful disregard for the Constitution of the United States is more important than your safety. Instead of negotiating in good faith to reconcile the Senate bill the GOP has elected to make today's video.
The only thing the Bush administration has left is fear itself. Tragically fear was enough to convince 20 cowardly Democratic senators, including my own, to vote against the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. You can read the full Senate FISA bill here. You can see the list of Ayes and Nays here. If your Senator is on the list voting aye like the cowardly Claire McCaskill send him or her a letter. Remind your cowardly Senator that the Constitution is older than his or her pathetic career and if she isn't willing to defend it he or she can and will be voted out at the next election.
You might also want to send a message to Hillary. She took the vote off. Barack Obama took time from the campaign trail to vote against the FISA bill. Good for him.
I haven't heard how Claire justified her vote, but was probably along the lines of "the rule of law is for sissies" or "that dusty old Constitution is just a 'god damned piece of paper.'"
Finally, you can contact the House Democratic leadership. Tell them that you are proud that they are standing tall for the American Constitution. Tell them that you back them 100%. Tell them that they need to post their own video to Youtube explaining to the dunderheads why the Constitution and the rule of law are important. I am sure there are film makers out there (Michael Moore are you listening?) willing to make a video supporting Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the increasingly heroic Democratic House leadership in their defense of America's Constitution.
If you encounter a campaign video worthy of broader play please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject campaign video of the day.
Dishonest GOP horror propaganda video after the break.
Claire, explain yourself. We understand Republicans, most of them are Bush/Cheney followers like lobbyist loving John McCain, who have never met an American freedom they weren't willing to abrogate in their quest for fleeting wealth and personal power, but you are supposed to be made of better stuff. I voted for you because you told me you are a Democrat. For the love of God, explain why you were so willing to sell out America's Constitution so cheaply.
There really is only one choice for Campaign Video of the Day. Last night Hillary gave a closing statement in her debate with Barack Obama that showed real class. If you didn't see it the three minute clip is after the break.
Did Hillary decisively defeat Obama? No. She won on points, but Obama didn't make any mistakes.
They went toe to toe during a discussion of their health care plans. I think Hillary got the better of the exchange, but I have always preferred her health care plan. On the other hand, Obama explained the philosophical difference between the two on the issue of mandates. I can understand how independents and Republicans would find his plan preferable.
I can now easily see either of them in the role of Commander In Chief. We have had a gunslinger President who comes off looking frightened and frozen in place. We need someone who isn't afraid to talk to friends and enemies alike. I am reasonably certain Obama will talk. On the other hand, I can't see other of them backing down if challenged.
We are truly blessed to have two absolutely outstanding candidates.
If you encounter a video in need of greater play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject Campaign Video of the Day.
There was a Wendy's ad campaign many years ago called "Parts Is Parts." The advertiser made his point through an absurdly stupid counterman. A hamburger stand customer asks what was used to make his chicken sandwich. The counterman replies "processed chicken." The customer asks what is used to make the processed chicken and the counterman replies "chicken parts." The customer asks what parts. The counterman replies "a lot of chicken parts." Near the end he utters the signature "parts is parts" implying the hamburger chain wants us to believe that all chicken parts are the same. The point of the ad is that all chicken parts are not equal and interchangeable. A chicken sandwich needs to be made out of the right chicken parts. Quality counts.
For far too long the Republican "countermen" have been telling us "jobs is jobs." For far too long the absurdly stupid media chorus has been repeating the "jobs is jobs" message never looking behind the mindless assumption that all jobs are the same. That's not true. An $8.00 per hour job is not the equal of a $16.00 per hour job, let alone one that pays $28.00 per hour.
Hillary had a chance those few short weeks ago. If after New Hampshire she had told Bill, Mark and Howard to shut up and sit down, and had concentrated on the message contained in today's wonderful ad she might have caught fire. Instead she listened to Bill and a bunch of disciples of Karl Rove who told her to "go negative" on Barack Obama.
If they had done what Kevin G. Hall did when he wrote today's very important McClatchy article Low unemployment rate hides rise in long-term jobless, and asked the follow up questions about why she won New Hampshire, she might have learned that her tears for America's family touched America's struggling parents. Those tears gave them hope that Hillary understood what is really important. Whether Barack attracts naive young people (along with millions of others) or whether he exchanges speech lines with his politician friends is irrelevant. Most of America's parents outside the beltway are tired of being told "parts is parts" and "jobs is jobs." They know there is a difference between the two $8.00 per hour service jobs they now work and their $28.00 per hour factory job that moved to China. Having lost their $28.00 jobs, lots and lots of parents are struggling to juggle two $8.00 per hour jobs. America's families are suffering badly as a result.
Night Shift talks to the people who are hurting most--America's working mothers (and fathers.) Hillary needs a lot more of this message and a lot less of out of touch rich "men behaving badly."
If you encounter a campaign video in need of broader play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject Campaign Video of the Day.
I want to thank the writer of the February 19, At The End of the Day for the McClatchy link. It is important.
Today the primary campaign turns to Wisconsin and Hawaii. The news this morning is that the race is tight in Wisconsin and Chelsea has spent a lot of time in Hawaii. Hillary has a chance. If she pulls the races out I think ads like today's campaign video will be more responsible than any of the silly attempts to drive up Obama's negatives coming daily from Howard Wolfson and Mark Penn.
Rebuild is the title of today's campaign video and it is what America needs to do. It shows Hillary at her best. It shows the Hillary Americans would vote to elect.
If you encounter a Campaign Video in need of broader play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject Campaign Video of the Day.
Today's video, Austin Precinct Captain Training 02/16/08, is very informative. Barack Obama's campaign is so committed to the political ground game that they are willing to fly Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker to Austin, TX to help train precinct captains. I wonder if there were similar trainings in other large Texas cities over the weekend. If you know, please leave a comment.
The film also hints at why people become so excited when they think about Barack Obama's campaign. Americans are sick of going to the mall while bickering and divisive Washington politicians scare and "take care" of them. They want to come together to build a brighter future for all Americans, not just some 50% + 1 collection of special interests. If that sounds cult like, I guess America has been taken over by a cult numbering in the millions.
If you encounter a campaign video in need of broader play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject Campaign Video of th Day.
Every morning I climb the stairs to my office and surf Youtube for campaign videos. Most of the time I find something interesting, or at least timely. I like to rotate between candidates. That makes Blue Girl happy. Now that we are down to two in the Democratic race that means rotating between Hillary and Obama. Of course, even though the primary season hasn't ended the general election has already begun, so I also look for John McCain oriented videos. Since this is a lefty blog, my McCain videos are generally negative. Yesterday's is a good example.
A word about negative videos. There are lots of privately produced videos attacking all of the candidates. Having watched hundreds, if not thousands, I can tell you that most privately produced negative videos suck. Hillary, in particular, attracts rant after pointless, mind numbing rant. I have to work hard to find negative videos worthy of attention. If you want to be a Youtube film maker please note that going negative is best left to the professionals.
I try to find positive Hillary and Barack videos. For Hillary that usually means showing her professionally produced ads and her speeches. There is a lot of good stuff to be found at hillaryclintondotcom. In the battle between Mark Penn and Mandy Grunwald, I am rooting for Mandy. She does good work.
I find a lot of my positive Barack videos at BarackObamadotcom. He is so good on the stump that his speeches always seem to work.
Obama has also attracted a surprisingly large group of fan musicians, artists and very talented filmmakers who spend their own time and money making pretty positive videos, mostly on the theme of hope. Many of these positive Obama supporters are amazingly talented. Some are enthusiastic professionals with time on their hands. Others will be professionals as soon as they graduate from film school. Obvious examples include Will.I.Am's famous video Yes We Can and my current favorite, FIRED UP, READY TO GO. Not nearly as well known is the bouncy Go Obama-Politics of Hope Mix from luniticsandliars.
Today's Campaign Video is from that growing collection of high quality, positive Obama videos. Go Tell Mama is one of the sweetest videos I have seen this campaign season. It's message is very positive. The video is seductively heartwarming. On balance, however, I find Craynol's video a little scary because it elevates Barack Obama from real life politician to something more than a mere mortal. It reminds me of one of the religious cartoons shown in Sunday school classes that always seem to end with the giant face of Jesus staring at us with a benevolent smile. Obama's message of hope resonates with millions of Americans, but I fear America has been so long in the neo-con dark that we are tempted to forget that Obama is merely a very human messenger. We, not he, are the promise. We are electing a President, not a Savior.
If you encounter a campaign video worthy of broader play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject Campaign Video of the Day.
There is talk that Team Clinton headquarters is in turmoil. Mandy Grunwald and Mark Penn are fighting. According to The Wall Street Journal, Mark Penn was recently heard yelling at ad maker Grunwald, "Your ad doesn't work. The execution is all wrong." Grunwald loudly responded "Oh, it's always the ad, never the message."
Today's video Soldiers is from the Clinton campaign. I think it is a quality ad. I hope you agree.
Times are tense for Team Clinton. They are running the very best 1990s model air campaign against a 2008 model combined air and ground game that is being executed to perfection. I sense that Clinton has a chance to at least pull things close this week and to get back in the game come Ohio and Texas. To do so they are all going to have to pull together.
If you encounter a campaign video in need of broader play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject campaign video of the day. Video after the link.
Why is the speech important? Well, a lot of people have been complaining that Obama is short on specifics and long on airy platitudes. This speech is so filled with specifics that not even Kevin Drum should complain. Well, maybe a hopeless policy wonk like Kevin can complain, but some of us would go to sleep listening to Obama recite his list of economic proposals. You should read the speech. If you want more specifics about any of Obama's proposals you can find them at his website. Sam Graham-Felsen has posted a good summary at Obama's community blog.
I will keep looking for video of the full speech.
Both Obama and Clinton make detailed economic proposals that put any made by Senator John "Less Jobs, More Wars" McCain to shame. To tell you the truth when Grandpa John "Munster" McCain isn't talking about ordering one of your children to kill the child of some middle eastern mother he is most likely taking a nap.
If you encounter a campaign video in need of broader play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com Subject Campaign Video of the Day.
Video and extended text after the break. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!
Keeping America’s Promise
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama Janesville General Motors Assembly Plant
February 13th, 2008
It was nearly a century ago that the first tractor rolled off the assembly line at this plant. The achievement didn’t just create a product to sell or profits for General Motors. It led to a shared prosperity enjoyed by all of Janesville. Homes and businesses began to sprout up along Milwaukee and Main Streets. Jobs were plentiful, with wages that could raise a family and benefits you could count on.
Prosperity hasn’t always come easily. The plant shut down for a period during the height of the Depression, and major shifts in production have been required to meet the changing times. Tractors became automobiles. Automobiles became artillery shells. SUVs are becoming hybrids as we speak, and the cost of transition has always been greatest for the workers and their families.
But through hard times and good, great challenge and great change, the promise of Janesville has been the promise of America – that our prosperity can and must be the tide that lifts every boat; that we rise or fall as one nation; that our economy is strongest when our middle-class grows and opportunity is spread as widely as possible. And when it’s not – when opportunity is uneven or unequal – it is our responsibility to restore balance, and fairness, and keep that promise alive for the next generation. That is the responsibility we face right now, and that is the responsibility I intend to meet as President of the United States.
We are not standing on the brink of recession due to forces beyond our control. The fallout from the housing crisis that’s cost jobs and wiped out savings was not an inevitable part of the business cycle. It was a failure of leadership and imagination in Washington – the culmination of decades of decisions that were made or put off without regard to the realities of a global economy and the growing inequality it’s produced.
It’s a Washington where George Bush hands out billions in tax cuts year after year to the biggest corporations and the wealthiest few who don’t need them and don’t ask for them – tax breaks that are mortgaging our children’s future on a mountain of debt; tax breaks that could’ve gone into the pockets of the working families who needed them most.
It’s a Washington where decades of trade deals like NAFTA and China have been signed with plenty of protections for corporations and their profits, but none for our environment or our workers who’ve seen factories shut their doors and millions of jobs disappear; workers whose right to organize and unionize has been under assault for the last eight years.
It’s a Washington where politicians like John McCain and Hillary Clinton voted for a war in Iraq that should’ve never been authorized and never been waged – a war that is costing us thousands of precious lives and billions of dollars a week that could’ve been used to rebuild crumbling schools and bridges; roads and buildings; that could’ve been invested in job training and child care; in making health care affordable or putting college within reach.
And it’s a Washington that has thrown open its doors to lobbyists and special interests who’ve riddled our tax code with loopholes that let corporations avoid paying their taxes while you’re paying more. They’ve been allowed to write an energy policy that’s keeping us addicted to oil when there are families choosing between gas and groceries. They’ve used money and influence to kill health care reform at a time when half of all bankruptcies are caused by medical bills, and then they’ve rigged our bankruptcy laws to make it harder to climb out of debt. They don’t represent ordinary Americans, they don’t fund my campaign, and they won’t drown out the voices of working families when I am President.
This is what’s been happening in Washington at a time when we have greater income disparity in this country than we’ve seen since the first year of the Great Depression. At a time when some CEOs are making more in a day than the average workers makes in a year. When the typical family income has dropped by $1,000 over the last seven years. When wages are flat, jobs are moving overseas, and we’ve never paid more for health care, or energy, or college. It’s a time when we’ve never saved less – barely $400 for the average family last year – and never owed more – an average of $8,000 per family. And it’s a time when one in eight Americans now lives in abject poverty right here in the richest nation on Earth.
At a time like this, it’s no wonder that the mortgage crisis was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The equity that people own in their homes is often their largest source of savings, and as millions upon millions have seen those savings and their home equity decline or disappear altogether, so have their dreams for a better future.
I realize that politicians come before you every election saying that they’ll change all this. They lay out big plans and hold events with workers just like this one, because it’s popular to do and it’s easy to make promises in the heat of a campaign.
But how many times have you been disappointed when everyone goes back to Washington and nothing changes? Because the lobbyists just write another check. Or because politicians start worrying about how they’ll win the next election instead of why they should. Because they’re focused on who’s up and who’s down instead of who matters – the worker who just lost his pension; the family that just put up the For Sale sign; the young woman who gets three hours of sleep a night because she works the late shift after a full day of college and still can’t afford her sister’s medicine.
These are the Americans who need real change – the kind of change that’s about more than switching the party in the White House. They need a change in our politics – a leader who can end the division in Washington so we can stop talking about our challenges and start solving them; who doesn’t defend lobbyists as part of the system, but sees them as part of the problem; who will carry your voices and your hopes into the White House every single day for the next four years. And that is the kind of President I want to be.
I didn’t spend my career in the halls of Washington, I began it in the shadow of a closed steel mill on the South Side of Chicago. We organized churches and community leaders; African-Americans, whites, and Hispanics to lift neighborhoods out of poverty; provide job training to the jobless; and set up after school programs so that kids had a safe place to go while their parents worked.
Those are the voices I carried with me to the Illinois state Senate, where I brought Democrats and Republicans together to expand health insurance to 150,000 children and parents; where I led the fight to provide $100 million in tax relief for working families and the working poor.
They’re the voices I carried with me to Washington, where the first bill I introduced was to make college more affordable; where I fought against a bankruptcy bill that made it harder for families to climb out of debt; and where I passed the most sweeping lobbying reform in a generation – reform that forced lobbyists to tell the American people who they’re raising money from and who in Congress they’re funneling it to.
So when I talk about real change that will make a real difference in the lives of working families – change that will restore balance in our economy and put us on a path to prosperity – it’s not just the poll-tested rhetoric of a political campaign. It’s the cause of my life. And you can be sure that it will be the cause of my presidency from the very first day I take office.
Now we know that we cannot put up walls around our economy. We know that we cannot reverse the tide of technology that’s allowed businesses to send jobs wherever there’s an internet connection. We know that government cannot solve all our problems, and we don’t expect it to.
But that doesn’t mean we have to accept an America of lost opportunity and diminished dreams. Not when we still have the most productive, highly-educated, best-skilled workers in the world. Not when we still stand on the cutting edge of innovation, and science, and discovery. Not when we have the resources and the will of a decent, generous people who are ready to share in the burdens and benefits of a global economy. I am certain that we can keep America’s promise – for this generation and the next.
So today, I’m laying out a comprehensive agenda to reclaim our dream and restore our prosperity. It’s an agenda that focuses on three broad economic challenges that the next President must address – the current housing crisis; the cost crisis facing the middle-class and those struggling to join it; and the need to create millions of good jobs right here in America– jobs that can’t be outsourced and won’t disappear.
The first challenge is to stem the fallout from the housing crisis and put in place rules of the road to prevent it from happening again.
A few weeks ago I offered an economic stimulus package based on a simple principle – we should get immediate relief into the hands of people who need it the most and will spend it the quickest. I proposed sending each working family a $500 tax cut and each senior a $250 supplement to their Social Security check. And if the economy gets worse, we should double those amounts.
Neither George Bush nor Hillary Clinton had that kind of immediate, broad-based relief in their original stimulus proposals, but I’m glad that the stimulus package that was recently passed by Congress does. We still need to go further, though, and make unemployment insurance available for a longer period of time and for more Americans who find themselves out of work. We should also provide assistance to state and local governments so that they don’t slash critical services like health care or education.
For those Americans who are facing the brunt of the housing crisis, I’ve proposed a fund that would provide direct relief to victims of mortgage fraud. We’d also help those who are facing closure refinance their mortgages so they can stay in their homes. And I’d provide struggling homeowners relief by offering a tax credit to low- and middle-income Americans that would cover ten percent of their mortgage interest payment every year.
To make sure that folks aren’t tricked into purchasing loans they can’t afford, I’ve proposed tough new penalties for those who commit mortgage fraud, and a Home Score system that would allow consumers to compare various mortgage products so that they can find out whether or not they’ll be able to afford the payments ahead of time.
The second major economic challenge we have to address is the cost crisis facing the middle-class and the working poor. As the housing crisis spills over into other parts of the economy, we’ve seen people’s entire life savings wiped out in an instant. It’s the result of skyrocketing costs, stagnant wages, and disappearing benefits that are pushing more and more Americans towards a debt spiral from which they can’t escape. We have to give them a way out by cutting costs, putting more money in their pockets, and rebuilding a safety net that’s become badly frayed over the last decades.
One of the principles that John Edwards has passionately advanced is that this country should be rewarding work, not wealth. That starts with our tax code, which has been rigged by lobbyists with page after page of loopholes that benefit big corporations and the wealthiest few. For example, we should not be giving tax breaks to corporations that make their profits in some other country with some other workers. Before she started running for President, Senator Clinton actually voted for this loophole.
I’ll change our tax code so that it’s simple, fair, and advances opportunity, not the agenda of some lobbyist. I am the only candidate in this race who’s proposed a genuine middle-class tax cut that will provide relief to 95% of working Americans. This is a tax cut –paid for in part by closing corporate loopholes and shutting down tax havens – that will offset the payroll tax that working Americans are already paying, and it’ll be worth up to $1000 for a working family. We’ll also eliminate income taxes for any retiree making less than $50,000 per year, because our seniors are struggling enough with rising costs, and should be able to retire in dignity and respect. Since the Earned Income Tax Credit lifts nearly 5 million Americans out of poverty each year, I’ll double the number of workers who receive it and triple the benefit for minimum wage workers. And I won’t wait another ten years to raise the minimum wage – I’ll guarantee that it keeps pace with inflation every single year so that it’s not just a minimum wage, but a living wage. Because that’s the change that working Americans need.
My universal health care plan brings down the cost of health care more than any other candidate in this race, and will save the typical family up to $2500 a year on their premiums. Every American would be able to get the same kind of health care that members of Congress get for themselves, and we’d ban insurance companies from denying you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. And the main difference between my plan and Senator Clinton’s plan is that she’d require the government to force you to buy health insurance and she said she’d ‘go after’ your wages if you don’t. Well I believe the reason people don’t have health care isn’t because no one’s forced them to buy it, it’s because no one’s made it affordable – and that’s what we’ll do when I am President.
If we want to train our workforce for a knowledge economy, it’s also time that we brought down the cost of a college education and put it within reach of every American. I know how expense this is. At the beginning of our marriage, Michelle and I were spending more to payoff our college loans than we were on our mortgage. So I’ll create a new and fully refundable tax credit worth $4,000 for tuition and fees every year, a benefit that students will get in exchange for community or national service, which will cover two-thirds of the tuition at the average public college or university. And I’ll also simplify the financial aid application process so that we don’t have a million students who aren’t applying for aid because it’s too difficult.
With so many mothers and fathers juggling work and parenting, the next cost we have to bring down is the cost of living in a two-income family. I’ll expand the child care tax credit for people earning less than $50,000 a year, and I’ll double spending on quality afterschool programs. We’ll also expand the Family Medical Leave Act to include more businesses and millions more workers; and we’ll change a system that’s stacked against working women by requiring every employer to provide seven paid sick days a year, so that you can be home with your child if they’re sick.
In addition to cutting costs for working families, we also need to help them save more – especially for retirement. That’s why we’ll require employers to enroll every worker in a direct deposit retirement account that places a small percentage of each paycheck into savings. You can keep this account even if you change jobs, and the federal government will match the savings for lower-income, working families.
Finally, we need to help families who find themselves in a debt spiral climb out. Since so many who are struggling to keep up with their mortgages are now shifting their debt to credit cards, we have to make sure that credit cards don’t become the next stage in the housing crisis. To make sure that Americans know what they’re signing up for, I’ll institute a five-star rating system to inform consumers about the level of risk involved in every credit card. And we’ll establish a Credit Card Bill of Rights that will ban unilateral changes to a credit card agreement; ban rate changes to debt that’s already incurred; and ban interest on late fees. Americans need to pay what they owe, but they should pay what’s fair, not what fattens profits for some credit card company.
The same principle should apply to our bankruptcy laws. When I first arrived in the Senate, I opposed the credit card industry’s bankruptcy bill that made it harder for working families to climb out of debt. Five years earlier, Senator Clinton had supported a nearly identical bill. And during a debate a few weeks back, she said that even though she voted for it, she was glad it didn’t pass. Now, I know those kind of antics might make sense in Washington, but they don’t make much sense anywhere else, and they certainly don’t make sense for working families who are struggling under the weight of their debt.
When I’m President, we’ll reform our bankruptcy laws so that we give Americans who find themselves in debt a second chance. I’ll close the loophole that allows investors with multiple homes to renegotiate their mortgage in bankruptcy court, but not victims of predatory lending. We’ll make sure that if you can demonstrate that you went bankrupt because of medical expenses, then you can relieve that debt and get back on your feet. And I’ll make sure that CEOs can’t dump your pension with one hand while they collect a bonus with the other. That’s an outrage, and it’s time we had a President who knows it’s an outrage.
Those are the steps we can take to ease the cost crisis facing working families. But we still need to make sure that families are working. We need to maintain our competitive edge in a global by ensuring that plants like this one stay open for another hundred years, and shuttered factories re-open as new industries that promise new jobs. And we need to put more Americans to work doing jobs that need to be done right here in America.
For years, we have stood by while our national infrastructure has crumbled and decayed. In 2005, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave it a D, citing problems with our airports, dams, schools, highways, and waterways. One out of three urban bridges were classified as structurally deficient, and we all saw the tragic results of what that could mean in Minnesota last year. Right here in Wisconsin, we know that $500 million of freight will come through this state by 2020, and if we do not have the infrastructure to handle it, we will not get the business.
For our economy, our safety, and our workers, we have to rebuild America. I’m proposing a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank that will invest $60 billion over ten years. This investment will multiply into almost half a trillion dollars of additional infrastructure spending and generate nearly two million new jobs – many of them in the construction industry that’s been hard hit by this housing crisis. The repairs will be determined not by politics, but by what will maximize our safety and homeland security; what will keep our environment clean and our economy strong. And we’ll fund this bank by ending this war in Iraq. It’s time to stop spending billions of dollars a week trying to put Iraq back together and start spending the money on putting America back together instead.
It’s also time to look to the future and figure out how to make trade work for American workers. I won’t stand here and tell you that we can – or should – stop free trade. We can’t stop every job from going overseas. But I also won’t stand here and accept an America where we do nothing to help American workers who have lost jobs and opportunities because of these trade agreements. And that’s a position of mine that doesn’t change based on who I’m talking to or the election I’m running in.
You know, in the years after her husband signed NAFTA, Senator Clinton would go around talking about how great it was and how many benefits it would bring. Now that she’s running for President, she says we need a time-out on trade. No one knows when this time-out will end. Maybe after the election.
I don’t know about a time-out, but I do know this – when I am President, I will not sign another trade agreement unless it has protections for our environment and protections for American workers. And I’ll pass the Patriot Employer Act that I’ve been fighting for ever since I ran for the Senate – we will end the tax breaks for companies who ship our jobs overseas, and we will give those breaks to companies who create good jobs with decent wages right here in America.
I believe that we can create millions of those jobs around a clean, renewable energy future. A few hours northeast of here is the city of Manitowoc [MAN-a-ta-WOC]. For over a century, it was the home of Mirro manufacturing – a company that provided thousands of jobs and plenty of business. In 2003, Mirro closed its doors for good after losing thousands of jobs to Mexico.
But in the last few years, something extraordinary has happened. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Doyle and Mayor Kevin Crawford, Manitowoc has re-trained its workers and attracted new businesses and new jobs. Orion Energy Systems works with companies to reduce their electricity use and carbon emissions. And Tower Tech is now making wind turbines that are being sold all over the world. Hundreds of people have found new work, and unemployment has been cut in half.
This can be America’s future. I know that General Motors received some bad news yesterday, and I know how hard your Governor has fought to keep jobs in this plant. But I also know how much progress you’ve made – how many hybrids and fuel-efficient vehicles you’re churning out. And I believe that if our government is there to support you, and give you the assistance you need to re-tool and make this transition, that this plant will be here for another hundred years. The question is not whether a clean energy economy is in our future, it’s where it will thrive. I want it to thrive right here in the United States of America; right here in Wisconsin; and that’s the future I’ll fight for as your President.
My energy plan will invest $150 billion over ten years to establish a green energy sector that will create up to 5 million new jobs over the next two decades – jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced. We’ll also provide funding to help manufacturers convert to green technology and help workers learn the skills they need for these jobs.
We know that all of this must be done in a responsible way, without adding to the already obscene debt that has grown by four trillion dollars under George Bush. We know that we cannot build our future on a credit card issued by the bank of China. And that is why I’ve paid for every element of this economic agenda – by ending a war that’s costing us billions, closing tax loopholes for corporations, putting a price on carbon pollution, and ending George Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans.
In the end, this economic agenda won’t just require new money. It will require a new spirit of cooperation and innovation on behalf of the American people. We will have to learn more, and study more, and work harder. We’ll be called upon to take part in shared sacrifice and shared prosperity. And we’ll have to remind ourselves that we rise and fall as one nation; that a country in which only a few prosper is antithetical to our ideals and our democracy; and that those of us who have benefited greatly from the blessings of this country have a solemn obligation to open the doors of opportunity, not just for our children, but to all of America’s children.
That is the spirit that’s thrived in Janesville from the moment that first tractor came off the assembly line so many years ago. It’s the spirit that led my grandmother to her own assembly line during World War II, and my grandfather to march in Patton’s Army. When that war ended, they were given the chance to go to college on the GI Bill, to buy a house from the Federal Housing Authority, and to give my mother the chance to go to the best schools and dream as big as the Kansas sky. Even though she was a single mom who didn’t have much, it’s the same chance she gave me, and why I’m standing here today.
It’s a promise that’s been passed down through the ages; one that each generation of Americans is called to keep – that we can raise our children in a land of boundless opportunity, broad prosperity, and unyielding possibility. That is the promise we must keep in our time, and I look forward to working and fighting to make it real as President of the United States. Thank you.
Today's campaign video is Barack Obama's victory speech in Madison, Wisconsin. This link takes you to the short version of the speech. The full 26 minute speech can be found after the break. You can also contrast Obama with McCain's Potomac primary victory speech. If McCain and Obama are the nominees McCain will be 72 and Obama will be 46. Talk about a generational divide.
If you encounter a video in need of broader play please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject Campaign Video of the Day.
Today I thought we would take a look at how local news is covering the Presidential race. The video is from Hillary's campaign and is called "Hillary's Visit To Maine A Major Success." It is a nicely done local news segment featuring long lines of people trying to get into a Hillary event.
If you encounter a campaign video in need of broader play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject Campaign Video of the Day.
Having just won Nebraska, Washington state, and Louisiana Barack Obama addressed a roaring crowd at the Virginia Jefferson-Jackson Dinner last evening. Today's video is that speech. Can Hillary stop him? I don't know. What do you think?
If you see a video needing broader coverage please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject: Campaign Video of the Day.
I can't recall two more able candidates with two more devoted groups of supporters. Recently it became clear that Hillary Clinton's fund raising effort was in trouble. Her fat cat friends are maxed out. Small donations from hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans have funded Barack Obama's campaign. They have continued to give and their ranks have continued to swell. They aren't close to being tapped out. I wrote that Barack's approach is good for democracy. "A chorus of millions of ordinary Americans is crushing the very best fat cat fund raisers in the Democratic party." Even better for democracy is the response of Hillary's less affluent supporters. They have come through for her in spades. Over the last few days 75,000 new contributors have contributed several million to her campaign. It seems that neither candidate is going to lose for want of funds. Now we can get back to the business of selecting a President by evaluating the merits of each candidate.
In I was overwhelmed by the wave of new contributors, Hillary thanks her new donors and shares some of their stories. Do yourself and America a favor and vote with your wallet. Go to your favorite candidate's website and give him or her a donation. You will be happy you did. If you encounter a new campaign video in need of broader coverage, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject Campaign Video of the Day.
Yesterday Mitt Romney quit his long losing struggle for the Presidency. During his teary speech he argued that remaining in the race would make it difficult for John McCain to win the November election. A victory by either Obama or Clinton is tantamount to surrendering to international terror. In short, Romney reasons that dropping out of the race is a noble gift to the nation and the only course for a true patriot. If he remained in the race a moment longer he would help the terrorists win.
What drivel, but sadly Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh and a bunch of other conservative blow hards really believe that a win by any of the remaining candidates is a tragic loss. Maybe they are really concerned that their decades long run as voices of hate disconnected from reality is coming to an end.
If you encounter a campaign video in need of broader play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject campaign video of the day.
Today's campaign video was posted to Youtube by rackjite1 and can be found after the break.
Today's Campaign Video is Obama's A Chorus of Millions. I picked this video not just because it is extraordinarily inspirational, but because its title touches on the events of February 6, 2008. As you know Barack and Hillary came out of Super Tuesday basically tied. Both have spent tens of millions buying ads and campaigning across the nation. Both have armies of supporters. On the morning of the 6th it was revealed that late last week Hillary loaned 5 million to her campaign. Why? Mark Halperin says that among other reasons "the pool of wealthy donors not infected with Clinton Fatigue is largely maxed out and tapped out." The N.Y. Times reports that Hillary's advisors are saying
she’s considering another loan because money is tight now — the mega-primaries yesterday were quite the financial drain. And although she won many states yesterday, including some very big states like New York and California, the victories weren’t resoundingly decisive enough — especially when you look at the extremely tight delegate matchup right now — to inspire a lot of new giving...
While Hillary impressively raised $120,000,000 from $2,000 per plate dinner speeches and similar events, she has maxed out her donor base. Many, if not most, of her most ardent supporters can't give any more this campaign season. Her gold plated team of Hillraisers has not been particularly good at expanding her donor base beyond the New York, Hollywood, and Washington DC establishments.
In contrast, Obama raised $32 million in January and is on pace to raise $30 million more in February. As of this morning Obama had collected $6,746,495 since Super Tuesday. Most of his contributions have come from hundreds of thousands of small donors who have been giving $5-$10-$100-$200 donations via the internet. They are still giving. Very few of them are close to being maxed out.
Unless Hillary can quickly build a similar base of small donors she is going to find it difficult to compete.
The fund raising battle being waged between Hillary and Barack is very encouraging for the Democratic party and for democracy in general. A chorus of millions of ordinary Americans is crushing the very best fat cat fund raisers in the Democratic party.
If you encounter a campaign video in need of broader play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject: Campaign Video of the Day.
I know, I know, Chris Matthews isn't a darling of the new media, but occasionally his show generates an interesting discussion. In today's Campaign Video Senators Claire McCaskill and Evan Bayh outline the choice this election -- inspirational change v. rock solid competence.
Today is Super Tuesday. If you live in one of the 24 states voting or caucusing today VOTE. No excuses.
If you encounter a campaign video in need of broader coverage, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject Campaign Video of the Day.
"Sen Claire McCaskill (Obama) vs Sen Evan Bayh (Clinton)" after the break.
Why is this video the Campaign Video of the Day? Because in a few short days it has been viewed over 810,000 times. Think about that number. Hundreds of thousand of mostly young people have deliberately dialed into Youtube to watch Barack Obama's response to George Bush's State of the Union Address. When you combine the number of people who have watched today's video with Obama's 32 million dollar fundraising surge from 170,000 people during January, it becomes clear that something is happening in the jaded world of American politics. Something important. Something wonderful.
If you encounter a campaign video in need of coverage, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject Campaign Video of the Day.
Every once in a while a video tells us a lot about a candidate. Today's campaign video, "Timetable for Withdrawal," is an extended clip of last night's scuffle between John McCain and Mitt Romney. The substance of the exchange isn't nearly so telling as what it says about John McCain. It proves beyond any doubt that Good Old John "Straight Talk" McCain is, to paraphrase Harry Truman, a lying SOB. When confronted with his lie he isn't even man enough to admit it. The lesson from today's clip -- no one should ever believe a thing John McCain says. The man speaks with a forked tongue.
One has to wonder why the consolidated corporate media always gives McCain a free pass.
If you have a campaign video in need of wider play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject campaign video of the day.
Video of Straight Talk McCain shown to be a liar after the break.
Remember this exchange if you are tempted to say that you hate Hillary and will support McCain in the general election if Hillary is nominated, or if you are tempted to say you hate Obama and will vote for McCain in the general election if Obama is nominated.
Today's campaign video is Hillary's apology for her spouse's racially divisive comments during the last weeks. My guess is she will keep Big Dog on the porch at least through Tuesday. It is good to see that she takes responsibility for everything that goes on in her campaign.
If you encounter a campaign video in need of broader play, please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject Campaign Video of the Day.
Accountability. We have to be accountable, and we think our politicians should be too. We do not want a replay of the craven perfidy of the last 12 years that nearly sunk the ship of state. The administrators of this blog have decided, as a group, that working to elect real Democrats to office at all levels of government is the best way to achieve the restoration of oversight and accountability.
But please! Don’t make the mistake of thinking of us as battered wives who keep coming back for more, because that would be totally wrong. Parole Officers would be much more fitting. (Full Mission Statement here.)
