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John Kerry Meets With Dean; Edwards Next
42 minutes ago By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) on Wednesday called for deeper tax cuts for the middle class than proposed by President Bush (news - web sites) and described his Republican critics as "the most crooked ... lying group I've ever seen." After urging labor leaders to support his campaign to oust the president, Kerry met with onetime rival Howard Dean (news - web sites) to discuss a possible endorsement and what role the former Vermont governor might play in his campaign. Kerry greeted Dean as he arrived at campaign headquarters, and the two joined hands and raised them high for cameras. Kerry was scheduled to meet with another key rival, John Edwards (news - web sites), on Thursday. Anticipating their meeting, the Bush campaign issued "Howard Dean's Greatest Hits on John Kerry," a 10-item recounting of Dean criticism of his rival for the nomination. The quotes from news stories include Dean's statement in January that "you're not going to change America by nominating somebody who's a Washington insider whose biggest long suit is talk." Kerry had 2,001 delegates after sweeping four Southern primaries Tuesday, an Associated Press analysis showed. He wasn't expected to reach 2,162, the number needed to secure the nomination, until next week because of the way the party allocates delegates. Earlier Wednesday in Chicago, Kerry toughened his comments about his GOP critics after a supporter urged him to take on Bush. "Let me tell you, we've just begun to fight," Kerry said. "We're going to keep pounding. These guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen. It's scary." Kerry spokesman David Wade said the senator was referring to Republican critics in general. "The Republicans have launched the most personal, crooked, deceitful attacks over the last four years," Wade said. "He's a Democrat who fights back." The Bush-Cheney campaign answered back, saying, "At every turn, John Kerry has claimed to be the victim of an imaginary smear machine. John Kerry has run a relentlessly negative campaign from the very beginning and this comment is completely consistent with that." In a speech to top leaders of the AFL-CIO, Kerry said a "Bush Tax" stemming from the president's economic policies has driven up costs for working families. He vowed to reverse that trend while asking those making more than $200,000 a year to pay the same taxes they paid under President Clinton (news - web sites), effectively repealing portions of a tax cut Bush pushed through Congress. Kerry also proposed creating a $50 billion fund to help states provide relief from state and local taxes for working families that he said have been struggling. "Under George Bush's policies, middle-class families are paying more," he said. "America's middle class can't afford a tax increase. That's why we're going to give the middle class a tax cut." In response, the Bush campaign accused Kerry of favoring broad tax increases that would affect all taxpayers. "John Kerry has voted for higher taxes 350 times and his numbers for new spending don't add up," said Steve Schmidt, a Bush campaign spokesman. "His campaign-trail promises mean he is going to raise taxes by at least $900 billion." It is the first time the Bush campaign has put a number on tax hikes it says Kerry favors. Kerry, the Democratic nomination well in hand, is moving to engage Bush, and the president is returning the favor. The Massachusetts senator said Bush has resorted to personal attacks at an unprecedented early stage in the campaign. "George Bush is running on the same old Republican tactics of fear — and they're already getting tired," he said. "But we have something better than attacks, we have the facts and we have the truth." Kerry said a middle-class tax cut would do far more to spark the economy than what Bush has pushed. "Our middle-class tax cut will help working people afford college and pay for health care and make ends meet," he said. "If this president wants to make this election about taxes after he's cut billions for billionaires and given middle-class families a larger share to pay, we're ready for that fight." Kerry spoke via satellite to AFL-CIO leaders at their winter convention in Florida, courting a constituency he's counting on for money and organizational muscle. Facing an unfriendly White House, labor is likely to play an energetic role in the Kerry campaign, even if he wasn't the first choice of most unions. |
DiversityInc.com article on Demos and AfAms
This isn't in this story, but I was reading something that mentioned that we tend to stick with Demos even if our income goes up because that party basically delivered us our civil rights.
Do Democrats Take African Americans for Granted? By C. Stone Brown -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * 2004 DiversityInc.com March 17, 2004 Loyal, devoted and dependable – those are words often used by Democratic Party leaders to describe African Americans, who vote on average 85 percent to 90 percent of the time for Democrats in presidential elections. In the 2000 presidential election, former Vice President Al Gore received 92 percent of the African-American vote. The percentage of African Americans supporting Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in this November's race is expected to be even higher. This raises a number of questions: Are African Americans loyal to the Democratic Party to a fault? Or do African Americans overwhelmingly support Democrats because they understand and address the issues that most concern them? And do Democrats take African-American voters for granted? "The one thing I've agreed with (the Rev.) Al Sharpton on was that … black people are the Democratic Party's mistress. You're great for a good time around election time, but I don't know you for the rest of the two or four years," said Dana White, a conservative commentator and public-policy expert, referring to Sharpton's frequent chastisement of his party for its mistreatment of African-American supporters. "Strategically, it doesn't work in investments and it doesn't work when you vote, to put all your eggs in one basket … you have to diversify your power," said White. "If one party knows they have you, then there is no incentive for them to do anything differently. If one party feels they are never going to attract you, then there is no reason for them to ever appeal to you." Ever since the 1932 presidential elections pitting Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt against GOP incumbent Herbert Hoover, who presided over the Great Depression, African Americans, who had overwhelmingly voted Republican since the Civil War crossed over to Democrat. That loyalty continues to this day. In return, Roosevelt showed a degree of deference to the aspirations of African Americans, appointing hundreds to federal positions and supporting efforts to desegregate federal jobs. But it was a slow process, including support of civil-rights legislation in 1957, 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Democratic Party obviously benefits from having a base of African-American supporters, but it undermines their leverage to effect change on certain issues, said Mark Martinez, professor of political science, California State University-Bakersfield. "Issues that might be pressed or could be pressed, like affirmative action or economic equality, aren't going to be pushed because Republicans will charge 'class warfare' and rather than push those issues, Democrats tend to back off," he said. Martinez added that if Democrats really want to demonstrate a reciprocal relationship with African Americans, then they need to develop more targeted strategies that specifically address African-American concerns, such as an urban agenda. "What you need are programs that are going to be specifically directed toward areas where you have high concentrations of blacks in America," said Martinez. "You need some kind of community reinvestments acts, such as in the late 1970s when banks were forced to fund local entrepreneurs in inner-cities. The Republican Party has been generally out of step on the issues important to African Americans and that explains the continued strong support among Democrats, said Lorenzo Morris, chair of political science department, Howard University. "Just because African Americans always vote Democrat doesn't indicate a depth of loyalty -- it indicates experience, or constant reflective observation," he said, adding that he believes African Americans probably are more issue-oriented than most voters. "Democrats have earned the support they get from African-American voters and I think the votes are being cast for the party that does a better job on the issues," said Tony Welch, Democratic National Committee press secretary. Welch said it's not in the Democrats' interests to take African-American voters for granted because, although they may not see an alternative with Republicans, staying home on Election Day always is an option. "Our approach is we can't take a single vote for granted anywhere in the country and one of the things that we know is, if African Americans turn out to vote in large numbers, Republicans have a very difficult time beating us. For us, it's not even a question of 'taking for granted,' it's something [we] can't do and expect to win," said Welch. "To treat the most reliable constituency and take them for granted would spell nothing but trouble for the Democrats, short-term and long-term." Morris agreed, but wondered why African Americans don't use their power to their advantage. "One of the things that African Americans should recognize and take more advantage of is the fact that Democrats can't win anything without a strong black vote. Not just a favorable vote – but a high turnout," said Morris. "I never tire in saying there hasn't been one Democrat, except Lyndon Johnson, elected to the presidency by white voters since Roosevelt. In other words, without blacks coming out in significant numbers for the Democratic Party, they're not going anywhere." |
Congressional Black Caucus Meet with Nader
Black Caucus implores Nader to quit But group fails to sway independent candidate to end race for presidency By Kimberly A.C. Wilson Sun National Staff Posted June 23 2004 WASHINGTON - The Congressional Black Caucus challenged Ralph Nader yesterday to call off his independent bid for the presidency, warning that his candidacy threatens its most pressing goal - returning a Democrat to the White House. "We let him know that we consider this to be the most important election of our lifetimes," said the caucus' chairman, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a Baltimore Democrat. "We said, 'Mr. Nader, you have a right to run, but we have not heard a reason to run.' We said to him, 'If you're really our friend ... you need to move on.'" |
Why dont the Dems have confidence in their candidate? First it was GWB stole the election..then it was Nader that affected it...excuses..excuses..excuses...
HOw about the Dems put someone of quality out there...that doesn't just say whats' need to be said to get elected... SMH that some people really want John Kerry to be Prez..at least when he gets in office and starts lying and changing his stance on positions..no one can say they weren't forewarned. |
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George Bush may be firm and consistent, but he is firm and consistent on policies that are DANGEROUS and that is more scary to me than voting someone who may or may not flip flop on some issues. Personally, I haven't seen John Kerry flip flop on any more issues than any other politician and right now he is playing it safe and being moderate to secure his seat in the oval office. Also, I don't see anything wrong with a president or presidential hopeful who listens to everyone and considers all sides of issues, even if that means changing his mind. After all, he WOULD be the president of all Americans, something else I don't see Mr. Bush understanding too well. |
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Wow I actually had a chance to hear both of them speak, I think they will be a great Democrat Duel!
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Hmm. I really don't think Edwards is experienced or charismatic enough to sway Southern voters (who have been voting Republican). But, I feel alot better about voting for Kerry with him on the ticket. Not a Kerry fan (he's Bush-lite). But, I like Edwards and Kerry made a wise choice.
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I can't say it was a surprise (I was secretly hoping that my Evan Bayh theory would come true), but it's the move I expected Kerry to make. Let's just hope it's enough to deliver a decisive win in November -- a clear enough win so that it can't be stolen away like it was in 2000.
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Keep yourself informed and aware:
Kerry-Edwards campaign: http://www.johnkerry.com Bush-Cheney campaign: http://www.georgewbush.com |
Kerry and Edwards made their stop in Cleveland, Ohio today
they talked of having a plan and a vision for America. When pressed on more political issues such as the loss of jobs in Ohio, Kerry stated that he would cut taxes for the Middle Class and repeal Corporate tax breaks and give a tax credit to those corporations that create jobs in the area. It was noted that we lost two million jobs under Bush and Bush only created one million jobs to replace those that we lost. I agree with someone earlier in this post that yes, we do need a Brown coalition-if the Latino and African Americans would begin to coalesce we would be an awesome force to reckon with. It is unfortunate that the present Candidates take people of color for granted as evidenced with the NAACP. We must vote this election! I was shocked to find out that over two million single young women in this country are not even registered to vote! Folks, let's get busy to kick Bush out! |
Interesting info about black voters
Some blacks shift from Democrats
Those who are dissatisfied are turning to the Republican Party or joining the ranks of independents. BY CHRISTINA M. WOODS Shamin Rutledge grew up with Democratic values. But six years ago, she began to feel a conflict between the party's positions on abortion and homosexual rights and her personal values. "The party just wasn't heading in a direction I was comfortable with," she said. So she became a Republican. Her decision placed her on the road less traveled by African-Americans, who overwhelmingly vote and identify with the Democratic Party. In the 2000 presidential election, for example, Al Gore received 90 percent of the African-American vote. Despite the loyalty, political scientists and community members alike say there is increasing dissatisfaction among African-Americans with the Democratic Party. More are identifying themselves as independents or Republicans. Where they're going In 2002, 63 percent of African-Americans identified themselves as Democrats, down from 74 percent in 2000, said David Bositis, senior political analyst with the Joint Center for Political Studies in Washington, D.C. The center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that researches policy concerns of importance to African-Americans and other minority groups. Ten percent of African-Americans identified themselves as Republican, an increase from 4 percent in 2000. The number identifying themselves as independent also rose, to 24 percent in 2002 from 20 percent in 2000. A third of those were ages 18 to 25. Read the rest of the article here |
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I'm sure it will be a success. P. Diddy moves people that way. He's not one of my favorites but this article had him sounding mighteeesexeee.
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Last night I was bored so I decided to watch 106 & Park. Diddy said that he, Dame Dash (Rocawear), Russell Simmons (Phat Farm), and Mark Ecko (Ecko) will all have clothing with voting slogans. Diddy's is a t-shirt that says "VOTE OR DIE!!" in blue and red. He also stated that he will be on 106 & Park EVERY Tuesday to encourage young people to vote. LOL at him saying he wants to make voting sexy.
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Maybe they should go one step further and give it away free to every X number of customer. |
Gina1201
My "boyfriend" is trying to sell some designs to FUBU and Phat Farm. I'm wondering if he even knows about this. He's in meetings with FUBU now so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. CT4 Holla if you hear me when I say P.Diddy is handsome wit' a "Uuuh Huh - Yeah!" I hear yah but he ain't all that to me. I don't know, getting our people to realize that our votes DO count (in some states - excluding Florida, DC and those other places where booths don't work, yadda yadda yadda) is .... mighteeesexeee. He could get it ... a great big two thumbs up. Okay I'm out before I get in trouble - again. |
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umm since I don't hear you, Imma whisper ;) :p LOL Piddy get it? Umm Imma have to pass. P Diddy couldn't get it if he had a coupon and a frequent shoppers card nor if he paid all of my student loans. |
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you really do need a comediene's stage/microphone in your future. *end hijack |
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LOL Maybe I can write for an established comedian because I am tired of oral relations jokes, weed jokes, and baby mama drama jokes. @ BrownSuga, I am more inclined to say it is exciting to see Black men want to rally the youth and Black folks to vote this November, but P. Diddy sexy. . . . about as sexy as Mike Tyson. |
Interesting Fact: Twenty-two million single women did not vote in the 2000 election. Had they voted in the same numbers as married women, 6,000,000 additional votes would have been cast. In Florida that would have meant over 200,000 additional votes would have been cast. The 2000 presidential election was decided by 537 votes in the state of Florida.
from this website: http://www.onevotefilm.com/ http://www.wvwv.org/ PLEASE VOTE!! |
i'm curious how they found out that 22 million single women didn't vote.
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Suppressing the Black Vote in Florida?
Article: http://www.iht.com/articles/534173.html
excerpt: State police officers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando and interrogated them as part of an odd "investigation" that has frightened many voters, intimidated elderly volunteers and thrown a chill over efforts to get out the black vote in November. The officers, from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which reports to Gov. Jeb Bush, say they are investigating allegations of voter fraud that came up during the Orlando mayoral election in March. Officials refused to discuss details of the investigation, other than to say that absentee ballots are involved. They said they had no idea when the investigation might end, and acknowledged that it may continue right through the presidential election. "We did a preliminary inquiry into those allegations and then we concluded that there was enough evidence to follow through with a full criminal investigation," said Geo Morales, a spokesman for the Department of Law Enforcement. The state police officers, armed and in plain clothes, have questioned dozens of voters in their homes. Some of those questioned have been volunteers in get-out-the-vote campaigns. I asked Mr. Morales in a telephone conversation to tell me what criminal activity had taken place. "I can't talk about that," he said. I asked if all the people interrogated were black. "Well, mainly it was a black neighborhood we were looking at - yes,'' he said. He also said, "Most of them were elderly." When I asked why, he said, "That's just the people we selected out of a random sample to interview." Back in the bad old days, some decades ago, when Southern whites used every imaginable form of chicanery to prevent blacks from voting, blacks often fought back by creating voters leagues, which were organizations that helped to register, educate and encourage black voters. It became a tradition that continues in many places, including Florida, today. Not surprisingly, many of the elderly black voters who found themselves face to face with state police officers in Orlando are members of the Orlando League of Voters, which has been very successful in mobilizing the city's black vote. The president of the Orlando League of Voters is Ezzie Thomas, who is 73 years old. With his demonstrated ability to deliver the black vote in Orlando, Mr. Thomas is a tempting target for supporters of George W. Bush in a state in which the black vote may well spell the difference between victory and defeat. |
got this from a listserve today
Memos Show Bush Suspended From Flying
By PETE YOST WASHINGTON (AP) - Newly unearthed memos state George W. Bush was suspended from flying for the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam war because he failed to meet Guard standards and failed to take his annual flight physical as required. The suspension came as Bush was trying to arrange a transfer to non-flying status with a unit in Alabama so he could work on a political campaign there. A memo written a year later referred to one military official ``pushing to sugar coat'' Bush's annual evaluation. ``On this date I ordered that 1st Lt. Bush be suspended from flight status due to failure to perform to USAF/TexANG standards and failure to meet annual physical examination ... as ordered,'' says an Aug. 1, 1972 memo by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, who is now dead. The same memo notes that Bush was trying to transfer to non-flying status out of state and recommends that the Texas unit fill his flying slot ``with a more seasoned pilot from the list of qualified Vietnam pilots that have rotated.'' The Vietnam-era documents add details to the bare-bones explanation of Bush's aides over the years that he was suspended simply because he decided to skip his flight physical. The White House said in February that it had released all records of Bush's service, but one of Killian's memos stated it was ``for record'' and another directing Bush to take the physical exam stated that it was ``for 1st Lt. George W. Bush.'' ``I can't explain why that wouldn't be in his record, but they were found in Jerry Killian's personal records,'' White House communications director Dan Bartlett told CBS's ``60 Minutes II,'' which first obtained the memos. Bartlett said Bush's superiors granted permission to train in Alabama in a non-flying status and that ``many of the documents you have here affirm just that.'' A memo dated May 19, 1972, five days after Bush was supposed to have completed his physical, summarizes a telephone discussion with Bush about how he ``can get out of coming to drill from now through November.'' It says Bush was ``told he could do ET for three months or transfer.'' ET referred to equivalent training, a procedure for meeting training requirements without attending regularly scheduled drills. The same memo says ``we talked abut him getting his flight physical situation fixed'' and quotes Bush as saying he would ``do that in Alabama if he stays in a flight status.'' It also says, I advised him of our investment in him and his commitment.'' Democratic Party chairman Terry McAuliffe said, ``George W. Bush's cover story on his National Guard service is rapidly unraveling. ... George W. Bush needs to answer why he regularly mislead the American people about his time in the Guard and who applied political pressure on his behalf to have his performance reviews 'sugarcoated''' Bartlett told CBS, ``As it says in your own documents, President Bush talked to the commanders about the fact that he'd be transferring to a unit ... in Alabama that didn't fly that plane,'' the F-102, the type Bush was trained in. Using only last names, one of the newly disclosed documents points to sharp disagreement among Bush's superiors in Texas over how to evaluate his performance for the period from mid-1972 through mid-1973. ``Stuart has obviously pressured Hedges more about Bush,'' Killian wrote on Aug. 18, 1973. ``I'm having trouble running interference and doing my job - Harris gave me a message today from Grip (a headquarters unit) regarding Bush's OETR (officer efficiency training report) and Stuart is pushing to sugar coat it. Bush wasn't here during rating period and I don't have any comments from 187th in Alabama. I will not rate.'' The memo concludes: ``Harris took the call from Grip today. I'll backdate but won't rate. Harris agrees.'' At the time, Walter B. Stuart was commander of the Texas National Guard; Lt. Col. Bobby Hedges was one of Bush's superiors in Texas who two years earlier had rated Bush an outstanding young pilot; and Lt. Col. William D. Harris Jr. was another superior of Bush's. Records released this year when Bush's military service re-emerged as a campaign issue contain no evidence that he showed up for duty at all for five months in mid-1972 and document only a few occasions later that year. Asked about Killian's statement in a memo about the military's investment in Bush, Bartlett told CBS: ``For anybody to try to interpret or presume they know what somebody who is now dead was thinking in any of these memos, I think is very difficult to do.'' 09/09/04 06:15 © Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. |
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