The Vice President carries weight, if their political stature going in allows it. Cheney carries weight because it was his money and his connections that got GW into the Prez position and it is his supporters and their financial backing that has kept him there.

On the other hand, Al Gore did not have a great deal of power in the WH. He was being primed to be the heir apparent, and was ‘in training’.

If she chooses to run as a VP, before you balk at it, ask yourself:

• Do you think Hillary is politically smarter than you are?
• Does Hillary have stature going in?
• Does she wield a little power of her own?
• Would she keep an eye on the WH activities?
• Do you think she would have negotiated for delivery of some of her major issues, before making any VP decision?
• Is having an eye in the WH better than nothing at all?
• Is an ascendency into the WH better than nothing at all?

A personal note on all of this: I was sitting at Burger King 2 days ago in the morning sipping on a senior coffee to wake myself up. There was an older married couple in the booth behind me. Keep in mind that I live in a Republican stronghold. Wife says to hubby - “Oh, that HILLARY! She is trying to wrangle a place in the White House.” (This tells me they are Republicans ) Husand replies, “Yeah, but it is better than having her in there as President”. Wife quickly replies, “NO, it isn’t! Then we would be stuck with a Democrat in the White House for 16 years!!”

I had to ask myself, in all my anger and stupidity, am I missing the obvious?

So, this is my constant prayer since then - “Please give her the wisdom and knowledge to do the next right thing for the country.”

I vote issues, not candidates. My top issues are health care coverage for everyone in the US and investment in our children’s educations. That is why I chose Hillary, that is why I stick with her, regardless of her decisions. She promised me, personally, she would work on my number one issue; I promised her I would stick by her, no matter what……………..

Mark It!

I have been thinking about this today. I realized that I don’t want to become another ‘jerk’ that tells Hillary what she can or can’t do. Between the media, Obama, obamabots, and the DNC, this lady has seen more than her share of jerks telling her what she can and can’t do.

After giving this some very serious thought today, I know that I have to respect her for any decision that she has made. And, I have to accept the fact that she is much more politically savvy than little ole me. I am a pea-brain politically. And, I would be the last one to kick her when she is down. She has been beat up enough.

My personal goal - Universal Health coverage for all. And, in one of her town meetings I got to have my question placed before her. This was her answer to me, paraphrased a little — Sharon, I guarantee you that my health plan will cover every person in your Rare Cancer group and every person in the United States. My question was whether she would guarantee me, personally, that ALL people in the US would be covered.

So, now, I have to sit back and realize that in order to give me that, she will make the decision that will get it. I trust her implicitly to make the right decisions for me, my rare cancer group, and the rest of the country. And, who am I to tell her differently? I am just a pea-brain, remember??

Honestly, I am behind Hillary Clinton 1000%, NO MATTER WHAT………….

Mark It!

From John:

Dear Hillary Family,

TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION! Howard Dean is working to remove Hillary from first ballot at the convention! I.E he is trying to have her stricken from the record…the annals of history, and diminish the gravity of her historic place in history. Remember, Obama had Alyce Palmur removed from the ballot here in Chicago so he had no one to challenge him….SEE A PATTERN?

WOMEN: Dean is also pressuring Hillary to release her delegates! THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED AND UNCALLED FOR AND MALICIOUS! For every delegate that he takes, he is diminishing the women’s movement and stripping us of the delegates we elected to represent our votes for HILLARY!

P.S HILLARY DID NOT NOR WILL SHE EVER RELEASE HER DELEGATES!

Please, I know we are in shock, but we have to set aside our fears and overcome and persevere!

Mark It!

This young lady is an American soldier, speaking her mind the only way she knows how - honestly and unafraid. Listen to this video and she will tell you who nominated Mr. Obama:

And, her second part to this talks about accountability. Excellent videos.

She is soooo right. I have been saying this for a long time. This is why I will not vote for Obama, and I will not vote for McCain. I will only vote for Hillary, or no one for President.

Take Care, Sharon

Mark It!

Here is our own Will Bower on Fox. Thank You Will:

Mark It!

In an earlier story, No Quarter rushed to counter a rumor started today at Taylor Marsh, which published the headline Hillary Releases Delegates, linking to a quote from a delegate who was reportedly on a conference call with Clinton and Ickes last night. Apparently the rumor is now spreading like wildfire across the blogs, including at Politico.
The rumor is FALSE.

I have just received an e-mail message from Mary Boergers, a former Maryland State Senator and a pledged Clinton delegate. Mary was on the conference call with Hillary Clinton last night, and she has given NoQuarter permission to publish her message in full:

–> Candidates Not Released

Hillary Clinton, through a surrogate, has given us clear messages today.

• She wants us to keep fighting for her.
• For political reasons, she cannot be her own voice.
• She needs us to continue being her voice for her.
• She wants to take this to the convention floor for a floor battle (This has been done before).
• She needs our help in getting people behind her for that fight.

With that in mind, our new mantra is “Role Call“. I want to see it on your avatars, banners, websites, blogs, etc……..

Take It To The Floor

Roll Call!

Mark It!

I wonder if Hillary was thinking this, when she gave her suspension speech:

Mark It!

–> Complete Article Starts Here

While Voting Is Power has sent in batches of applications for months, registrars have begun to see a disturbing pattern of misinformation on the forms, including duplicates, cards filled out with different colors of ink, or using the names of pets or dead people. In Jefferson, DiMarco sensed something amiss when a new registration card recently crossed his desk.

The card, partially filled out, had his name and listed his office’s post office box on Citrus Boulevard as the address. It also listed him as a male, a Democrat and African-American.

“And I can tell you I’m only one of those,” said DiMarco, who is white and Republican. There was one bright spot, though. “They flattered me by making me younger — I did appreciate that.”

“We want people to register to vote, but there’s a right way and there’s a questionable way,” Jacques Berry said.

But without active voter drives, people without transportation or knowledge of a pending election could be excluded from the process, said Silas Lee, a political analyst in New Orleans.

As for the wrong names and information, Lee said that is more likely attributed to wanna-be comedians, rather than outright fraud.

“You have some people who have a distorted sense of humor,” he said.

Huh???

Mark It!

As of this writing, I am not voting for Barack Obama; and I also will not be voting for John McCain.  Neither of them represent my viewpoint on the issues that are important to me.  My number one, high priority issue, is Universal Health Care coverage for all Americans.

I am unable to vote for my chosen candidate, Hillary Clinton, because the politicians in the Democratic Party took that right away from me.  (Maybe I need to remind the DNC that she did win the popular vote, by a considerable amount.)

Today, my decision is to not vote on the Presidential line of my ballot.  A non-vote, with no meaningful pro or anti message.  I believe I am not the only person in America who is doing this.

Barack and the Democratic party says that I need to join in party unity to make sure that the Democratic party is elected.  I say, I don’t vote candidates, I vote issues.  And, your chosen candidate does not represent my issues.  So, if you want my vote, you are going to have to give me a carrot.  I haven’t even had one offered to me yet.

The only carrot I will accept is Hillary Clinton as the Vice Presidential candidate with an agreement that you will allow her to work on getting 100% Universal Health Care coverage legislation passed.  Simple carrot, because I am a simple animal.  I don’t ask for much from my party, but this, I need and I deserve!  I put up with a lot of sexual harrassment and verbal/voter/civil rights abuse during this campaign.  I believe the party owes it to me, if they want me to keep voting as a Democrat.

I am sure I am not the only person, in that 18 million ‘voter demographic’ who feels the same way –> Diane Feinstein Interview

Mark It!

I watched Hillary’s speech today, and like many of her supporters, I cried.  Halfway into the speech I started to shake uncontrollably. I had to turn it off. I sat there for a while and just took some breaths. This is not normal for me. I am a realist who faces problems and defeats head on. I have indured some debilitating physical conditions, loss of loved ones, and beat death several times; and I have done it alone, with no support. So, I am one tough cookie. But, today, I wasn’t. What happened?

I was a child raised with sexual and physical abuse. Then, I married into an abusive relationship (not unusual). As I sat calmly breathing today, flashbacks of long forgotten feelings resurfaced.  This happens sometimes to PTSD survivors when personal crisis hits.  You start feeling hopeless and helpless.  Normally, I can work through it.  Today, I couldn’t.  I just got angry, frightened and wanted to coil up for comfort.

What was going on with me today?  Well, tonight I worked it all through with the help of a friend who listened to me.  It was that old feeling of being abused and violated.  That feeling like there was not way out and that my life was going to be controlled by my abuser.  I had to remind myself that those things happened to me when I was very young.  I am now a very mature lady, capable of protecting myself. 

And, then I thought about the Democratic Party, the media, and the Obama supporters and what they have asked me to endure this year. I have dealt with sexual harrasment, of the worst kind. I have endured coarsly insulting language from Obama supporters. I have been told that I have no worthwhile value to them, my ‘chosen party’. That they can do without me. And, worst yet, I have been told that I better sit back, shut up, and take it to prove that I am a ’good Democratic party follower’. This is the lowest form of abuse!

All the time I have been enduring this, my strength was knowing that I was fighting for something worthwhile - the election of the best candidate that the Democratic party has seen in decades, who just happens to be a woman. And, with someone by my side who was extemely strong - Hillary Clinton. So, I tolerated their behavior and their aggressiveness, just like I tolerated the abuse as a child. I did what I could, in both circumstances, to fight it off. But, a predator is incredibly strong when their goal is to force their personal power and will on you.  Abuse is always about the predator having power over the victim.

When Hillary made her speech today, I immediately felt terribly alone. Like the only thing protecting me against the corruption of this political system was her strength, and now that was being taken away from me. I know she had to do this for the sake of her own life, but that did not stop the fact that I felt helpless and hopeless in the ‘blink of an eye’.

I am still garnering up my strength tonight and I know I will get better with each day. As I draw up my own political battle plan for the future, I feel a little better with each step. I am going to keep fighting for what I know is right, regardless of how tough that may be. I want to leave my grandkids a better place to live in and a country that still offers hope and opportunity to the average person, not just the elite or the corrupt or the wealthy. And, I know if I don’t keep fighting, hard, my grandkids will never have this.

Hillary is a great roll model for all of us.  But, it is a scarey road we have to forge to win our battles.  I realized today that she is much stronger than I am, because she has endured this form of harrassment and abuse for decades and still fought hard in the public arena.  I can do it.  I reminded myself of that by reading a poem that I wrote while battling cancer for two years:

Mark It!

I love the whole irony of this idea.  I found this comment on NoQuarter tonight:

After seeing what happened this weekend, I’ve decided that if Hillary Clinton doesn’t get the Democratic nomination, I’m going to vote for “uncommitted.”

I mean, Donna Brazile, Howard Dean, the RBC, the DNC - they all say that’s the same as voting for Obama, right? And who am I to argue with all those superior political intellects?

So I say, in the same spirit of party unity and reconciliation, let’s give them what they asked for - record numbers voting for “uncommitted,” because I’m sure the Republicans will all say “Oh yeah, that means Obama. Sure, we’ll count that as a vote for him. No problem.”

Sounds like a great idea!

Mark It!

I always said that although he is a Republican, John McCain is a decent and honorable man.  This is what he said tonight:

“Senator Clinton has earned great respect for her tenacity and courage. The media often overlooked how compassionately she spoke to the concerns and dreams of millions of Americans, and she deserves a lot more appreciation than she sometimes received. As the father of three daughters, I owe her a debt for inspiring millions of women to believe there is no opportunity in this great country beyond their reach. I am proud to call her my friend. Pundits and party elders have declared that Senator Obama will be my opponent.”

John, you ‘get it’.  Thank You!

Mark It!

Over 17 million Americans have voted for Hillary Clinton; earning her more votes than anyone in the history of Democratic primaries!,

Mark It!

I have been an active participant in this political stuff for 40 years now. I am going to excerpt a news article from today that squeaked through the radar. Note the words I put in red:

RNC chairman Mike Duncan and Minnesota GOP chair Ron Carey held a conference call with reporters this afternoon to discuss Obama’s visit to the state tomorrow — as well as to argue that McCain will be able to put the state in the GOP column for the first time since 1972.

On the call, the chairmen repeatedly sought to label Obama as too liberal and out of touch with the state, with Carey calling him “the most liberal candidate to run for president of the United States, certainly in my lifetime.”

They also argued that once Minnesotans see the “real Barack Obama … not the PR machine Barack Obama” — and contrast this with McCain — the state will be winnable for them. They added that Obama lacks judgment, while McCain offers “solutions to the world.

My Thoughts: I think they have the tape, and more; but we will not see any of it until Hillary has conceded. I believe she knows it and she may be hanging on for the sake of the party, not herself. But, Obama, in his stupidity, will force her to concede quickly and then, in the infamous words of Emeril Lagasse - BAM!!

On one hand, it will break my heart, because this ’straw that broke the camel’s back’ may be the undoing of the Democratic Party. But, on the other hand, maybe it is time to clear the room, turn the lights off, and shut the party down.

Mark It!

Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin has endorsed Hillary Clinton to become the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, ahead of the primary vote in his Caribbean birthplace.

“These elections will have historic repercussions both in the United States and the world. Senator Clinton has always been consistent in her commitment with the needs of the Latino community,” Martin, 36, said in a statement.

“Whether fighting for better education, universal health care and social well-being, as first lady and senator from New York — representing millions of Latinos — she has always fought for what is most important for our families.”

Martin is a five-time Grammy award winner who, after a successful career singing in Spanish, went global with his first English album in 1999. Including the hit “Livin’ La vida loca”, the ‘Ricky Martin’ album sold 17 million copies.

He also set up the Ricky Martin Foundation to advocate for children’s welfare across the world, and in particular to fight human trafficking.

Mark It!

Excerpt from –> Gallup Article:

According to Gallup’s May 12-25 tracking polling, Clinton is running stronger against McCain than is Obama in the 20 states where Clinton can claim popular-vote victory in the Democratic primaries and caucuses. By contrast, Obama runs no better against McCain than does Clinton in the 28 states plus the District of Columbia where he has prevailed. On this basis, Clinton appears to have the stronger chance of capitalizing on her primary strengths in the general election.

However, just focusing on the swing states in Clinton’s and Obama’s respective win columns, the two are fairly similar. Clinton beats McCain in her purple states (including Florida and Michigan) by 49% to 43%, while Obama slightly trails McCain (43% to 46%) in these states — a nine-point swing in the gap in Clinton’s favor. Conversely, Obama beats McCain in his purple states (49% to 41%), while Clinton trails McCain by one point, 45% to 46%, in the same states — also a nine-point swing in the gap in Obama’s favor.

Clinton’s main advantage is that her states — including Florida and Michigan – represent nearly twice as many Electoral College votes as Obama’s. However, removing Florida and Michigan from the equation, her purple states are about comparable to Obama’s in electoral vote size, and thus the two appear more evenly situated.

What gives Clinton an additional boost in national support — but is not likely to increase her chances of winning Electoral College votes in November — is her superior performance over Obama in the red states where she has captured the popular vote in the primaries. These include such typically safe Republican states as Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, and Arizona.

Editorial comment:  I personally called a number of voters in my area of Arizona.  Based on the calls I made, I honestly believe that the pollers are discounting the power of women!

Mark It!

Who are the Democratic Leaders telling Democrats to vote for Barack Obama because he is the best nominee for the party? Let’s take a look at those who have personal experience in being a Presidential candidate, and therefore, can tell us what type of a candidate is electable:
Howard Dean - Ran in 2004 Primary, resigned.
Chris Dodd - Ran in 2008 Primary, resigned.
Gary Hart - Ran in 1984 Primary, resigned; 1988 Primary
John Edwards - Ran in GE 2004 as VP; lost. Ran in 2008 in primary; resigned.
Jesse Jackson - Ran in 1984 Primary; lost.  Ran in 1988 Primary, lost.
John Kerry - Ran in 2004; won primary; lost general election.
Ted Kennedy - Ran against incumbant Jimmy Carter in 1980 primary; lost.

Ted Kennedy:
During the 1980 Democratic primaries, incumbant President Jimmy Carter increased his approval ratings during the Tehran hostage situation. There was an overall appreciation of Carter’s calm handling of the crisis. Kennedy was suddenly left far behind in the primary polls.

During the primary elections, Carter beat Kennedy decisively in Iowa, New Hampshire, and then several other states (except Massachusetts). When the later primaries in New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut came around, it was Kennedy who won largely due to voter’s growing impatience with the slow method Carter was using to end the hostage situation.

Carter was still able to maintain a substantial lead, even after Kennedy swept the last batch of primaries in June. Despite this, Kennedy refused to drop out, and the 1980 Democratic National Convention was one of the nastiest on record. (Sound familiar?)  On the penultimate day, Kennedy conceded the nomination and called for a more liberal party platform in what many saw as the best speech of his career. On the platform on the final day, Kennedy for the most part ignored Carter.

Howard Dean:
In the early stages of the 2004 Democratic primary, Dean ranked first in total raised ($25.4 million as of September 30, 2003) and first in cash-on-hand ($12.4 million). Dean’s funds came largely in small donations over the Internet; the average donation size was just under $80. His campaign found that raising money on the Internet was relatively inexpensive and the campaign could continue to resolicit funds from the same donors until their individual limit was reached. (Sound familiar?)

After losing in Iowa, Dean gave the following concession speech: “Not only are we going to New Hampshire, Tom Harkin, we’re going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico, and we’re going to California and Texas and New York … And we’re going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan, and then we’re going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House!” At the end, he enthusiastically screamed BYAW!! The press repeatedly played this video and portrayed Dean as a ‘a little crazy’. (Thanks again Media!)  Dean became the Democratic National Committee Chairman in 2005. 

Gary Hart:
Hart ran for Democratic nominee for a second time in 1988. Immediately after he declared his candidacy, the press started hounding him about rumors that he was having an extra-marital affair with intern Donna Rice.  Although he did well in the primaries that he ran in, this negative media attention plagued him throughout his campaign.  (Sound familiar?)

Jesse Jackson:
Jesse ran in 1984 in the Democratic primary, along with several other candidates. He did not win, but what is notable here is that SEVERAL candidates ran through the entire primary season. (What, you mean nobody quit!?)

Jesse ran again in 1988 and, once again, stayed in through the entire process. With a large number of delegates, he hoped to get support to make sure African-American interests were represented in the platform and the VP slot; but that was not to be. (You mean he placed the voters rights ahead of himself?)

1. They don’t know everything about winning the general election, or they would have won!
2. How to ’stay the course’ through the entire process.
3. How to raise a constant flow of donations.
4. How the media can sabotage an otherwise productive campaign.
5. Just like Ted Kennedy, never quit!

If they believe that their own course of action was right for a Democratic Primary, well, you would think they would be endorsing the candidate that is using their ‘power of example’. 

Bill Clinton:
Clinton did not win Iowa, the first primary state. The media brought out information about a supposed extra-marital affair (still not legally proven).  And, so it began - the battle between the Democratic candidate and the media (SOP). As a result, Clinton lost New Hampshire. He did well on Super Tuesday, and lost some ground after that. Clinton had 4 opponents who split the 11 states that he lost, but; overall, he did very well and took 52% of the total votes.  So, maybe we should look at what he has to say:

Jimmy Carter:
Carter, on the other hand, did not fare as well. Carter also did not win Iowa, but he did win New Hampshire. He kept working through the states, trying to acquire delegates and wins. Carter had 8 opponents who split up the 23 states that he lost; but, he was able to win 27 states and a total of 39.3% of the votes.  But, his campaign was in a time when multiple candidates did complete through the entire election.  Why is it so different now?  I don’t know because these are the ‘new rules’, it seems! 

Hillary Clinton is a great candidate. She has won the popular vote; she has won the states that have always been the Democratic electoral college base.  In fact, she has won in the states that would give her an overwhelming electoral college victory.  She also won in a number of swing states; and she has a chance of turning a red state (Arkansas) into a blue state during this general election season.  Why would she quit?  The Democratic Party leaders need to take a long look at this candidate again.  They may be passing up a solid winner!

Mark It!

The Democratic hierarchy seems to be most happy with their personal selection for the Democratic nominee.  The main stream media seems ecstatic over the ‘declared winner’ also. Both of these groups are going around shaking hands and patting each other on the back, for a job ‘well done’.  There is just one small problem with all of this.  They seem to be totally ignoring ‘the elephant in the room’ - Your Vote.

Barack chose to take his name off the ballot in Michigan.  But, prior to the primary –> Obama asked voters in Michigan to cast ‘uncommitted’ ballots, if they chose to vote for him.  And, they did just that.  The vote count was:  Clinton - 328,309 (55.2%); Uncommitted - 238,168 (40%).  By asking voters to cast uncommitted votes for him, I would say that Mr. Obama knows what he would have gotten in Michigan, whether he was on the ballot or not.  And, the voter turnout was proportional to previous presidential primaries. 

In Florida, Obama was on the ballot and even ran ads in Florida, which seems to go against his pledge not to campaign in that state.  There was a high voter turnout in Florida because of another issue on the ballot.  The results were:  Clinton - 870,986 (49.8%); Obama - 576,214 (32.9%); Edwards 251,562 (14.4%).  A total of 1.7 million voters cast their ballots.  Seems like a fair vote count to me!

To add insult to injury, the Democratic party officials have chosen to ‘count their primary votes’ by delegates; unlike the the democratic way Republicans use - one voter, one vote.  And, they don’t necessarily choose delegates based on voter participation only.  They weight the results based on a mathmatical formula that they create for each election.

Some constituents in states that have a caucus vote, may not have an opportunity to have their votes counted in the caucus. States included here, with their pledged caucus delegate count, include: Alaska (13); Colorado (55); Connecticut (48); Hawaii (20); Idaho (18); Iowa (45); Kansas (32); Maine (24); Minnesota (72); Nebraska (24); Nevada (25); North Dakota (