Category: Barack Obama

In a brilliantly timed political move, Barack Obama just happened to begin his ‘shore up my foreign policy credentials’ tour of the mideast and Europe just as Netroots Nation was being held!

Original article by Lance Selfa via socialistworker.org.

Subheaded:

The real audience for the Obama campaign’s “move to the center” isn’t some group of swing voters, but the political, media and business establishment of the U.S.

(cross posted at dailykos)

The real issue is not the New Yorker and what its editors and artists consider satire. I wish it were. But look at the News Headlines for the last weeks. Which Candidate has been in the news? Which Candidate has made a “flub” more often? Which candidate has had a member of his “team” or a famous supporter make a flub. Which candidate has been labeled as having an erosion in his support?

Do you see where I am going?

By Gregory Kafoury, subheaded as Will Progressives Go Gently Into Another Political Night? via counterpunch.com.

Just saw Stevie Wonder at the White River Ampitheater – Here is the incredible version he did of Chick Corea’s “Spain”.  He also did a nice cover of the Stylistics’ “People Make the World Go Round.”  I woke up with an “earworm” of it going around in my head.

He presented his daughter Aisha who sang a number & is one of his backup singers (“Isn’t She Lovely” was written about her.) We saw the winner of the Sing With Stevie Wonder contest, a white chick from Lynnwood.  Stevie was also joined by Sanjay Malakar of nearby Federal Way, who originally auditioned with “Signed Sealed & Delivered,” which is the song Obama rallies usually close with.  (Someone had to whisper Sanjay’s name into Stevie’s ear so he could announce him, as he apparently doesn’t “follow” American Idol either.)  

Stevie put in about five plugs for Obama – he overtly said he supports him during the introduction, kept talking about positivity, not being afraid to win, change, hope, moving forward, and ended with “Yes We Can!”  He mentioned a racial incident in which some of his band were told a restaurant was closing which obviously wasn’t.  “In 2008, in America, this is simply unacceptable,” he said.

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The Ampitheater is huge.  It’s hosted Radiohead, Coldplay etc. and provides some competition to The Gorge Ampitheater further to the east.  You have to cross some interesting terrain to get to it.  Loved the graffiti on the rez and the fireworks stands like Kenny’s Big Kaboom and Safe Insane Fireworks and would drive out there again with a camera, even at today’s gas prices.

The Muckleshoots sold $4 bottles of Dasani water, which is just Seattle water straight out of the tap, and they sold Indian Tacos and Fry Bread for $7, beers for $8.  I smuggled in my own pop and could definitely have brought in a camera but I didn’t know.

(more at http://www.silencedmajority.bl… – accepting submissions and comments!)

Via Blue Tidal Wave: http://www.bluetidalwave.com/2…

. . . all I got left is cynicism, snark and recycled outrage.

See, it was easy back in ’06 – when things were soooo bad. I mean, outrage was running, what – buck-and-a-quarter, maybe six bits a gallon back then, right? I was livin’ large, drivin’ the Escalade of outrage – we all were. And it was easy back then to figure out who our collective outrage should be aimed at:

Those filthy, nasty Republicans

– who, after all, were actually running things, so blaming everything on them was totally legitimate.

And I was committed to taking Congress away from those cretinous bastards so we could put a stop to the occupation of Iraq, and to warrantless wiretapping of Americans, and to the whole idea of the President as king. You know, like we did 230 years ago, right?  

From the Chicago Tribune on July 3: http://www.chicagotribune.com/…

Here’s a link for the FISA vote: http://www.senate.gov/legislat…

An editorial from http://socialistworker.org: http://socialistworker.org/200…

And so, the word has come from on high (and I’m sure many others).  The ‘Reality’ card has been played.

Now, how can you argue with ‘reality’?  Particularly in the ‘netroots’?  After all, isn’t that what we’re supposed to be about?  Reality?

Of course, we all know that it’s just a catch phrase.  It’s just a f’n brand.  But, as with most things political, it’s used to try to keep the flock in the pasture.  The reality police are the dogs used to keep the flock together.

By Glen Ford of blackagendareport.com via dissidentvoice.org:  http://www.dissidentvoice.org/…