Dear Madam Speaker,


Yesterday I stood next to my longtime neighbor, and eco-warrior, Rob, “Birdlegs” Caughlan, just a few feet away from you, as you so graciously supported the brilliant mathematician, and wind engineer, Jerry Mc Nearney (CA-11) at his fundraiser in San Jose. Rob was his spokesman in ’06 and encouraged my support of this fine person as well as the true American hero, Charlie Brown in CA-04.

My heart was bursting with pride as I stood near my congresswoman, Anna Eshoo, and was reminded by you that our California delegation has a majority women, and that the number of women in that delegation is larger than some states entire delegation. You all magnificently represent all the best in modern California as you lead our nation in these very difficult times.

Because you are such a hero to me, and were actually standing in the same room. I allowed myself the indulgence to imagine what I would have said had we had a moment to chat.

I also have a family that is very excited and energized at a chance for an Obama presidency.  I understand all the reasons why. However, I have been a longtime supporter of Hillary and feel that it is she who is better able to get the work done that has “ the fierce urgency of now”.

My son, came home from Boston at spring break, which led to many discussions a day with all our family and friends.  His new city and state went for Hillary as did our own. He said that he was struck at how shallow the Obama kids understanding of Hillary was. He’s studying communication for a career in public service. When he filled them in, they opened their hearts to her. He never had to say anything about Obama to get this shift in his friend’s perceptions, he just told them about her. My son did a report on Bill in fourth grade, during the impeachment. (I tried to steer him to a less contovertial choice but he loves Bill) He endured humiliation then from classmates whose parents spoke ill of the president at home, but he held firm to his support based on his own research. It was amazing to watch at the time, I'm sure it helped him in the college dorms successfully present a favorable view of Hillary.

It reminded me of a functional MRI study written about in the NY Times late last year. It showed a unique appeal that only Hillary had. In the study of independents and partisan voters who had strong views of the current candidates, when people who didn’t “like” her actually watch her make a presentation, their brains lit up only for her in an area that suggests empathetic analysis and processing of a disconnect between previous perceptions and what they are seeing right before their eyes. After actually seeing her for who she is, they open up to viewing her more favorably. 

If the eloquent and persuasive Obama were on her ticket as VP,  and helping America see the real Hillary, rather than joining that tired old chorus of Clinton attacks, they would be unstoppable.

Karl Rove knew this about Hillary instinctively. I believe that is why the Republican attack machine suddenly became faced with blonde women when they went after her. Smoke and mirrors to retard her progress towards universal health care, and so much else.
We can’t let that false view of Hillary take her down. 

My family and I agree  that a Clinton/Obama ticket would  also be the way to erase the doubts about his readiness to serve in such an important office at such an important time for our nation and our world. We think it is the traditional role of the VP to be the spokesman for the administration’s plan. Their plans are so similar. How could Democrats have a better spokesman than Obama? 

Al Gore and Obama’s cousin, Dick Cheney, have made the office of the VP much more important. I believe Hillary would give him many opportunities to shine on his own. We would all require that from her. My son agrees that he’s “man enough” to take the number two spot behind her - after all -  he’s married to Michelle, and she’s a powerful woman.  There will be no doubts about Obama when he runs as an incumbent on the top of the ticket in 2016 for another eight years of Democrats in the White House. I believe he has the potential, like Hillary, to be a truly great president.

I urge you to find a way, as I believe you can, to bring together both halves of our wonderful Party, after all the votes are cast, assuming they each have roughly half the party's support as they do now, and let this talented duo turn to the important work of switching more congressional districts red-to-blue like CA-11 and CA-04.
 


Yours Truly
Carol S.

"Obama's story keeps changing"

Klaus Marre @ The HIll has a troubling piece on Obama's state senate records and Judicial Watch's attempts to search them.

 “nobody knows where they are, if they exist at all” and claimed that “Obama’s story keeps changing.”

here's the zinger:
“It appears that Obama never kept records of his time in the Illinois state legislature, or he discarded them,” Fitton stated. “Either way, he clearly intended to leave no paper trail.”


Judicial watch is a self described conservative watchdog, they also went after Bush/Cheney tho.

Obama will need a better answer to this problem to avoid looking like Bush and his National Guard records.

Axelrod knows that each of these characteristics has its flip side — optimism can be read as naïveté, independence as ideological unmooredness, unjadedness for a lack of experience and bipartisanship as an instinct to avoid necessary combat.


This is Axelrod's anticipation of some of Obama's problems way back when (4/1/07).......

The piece also supports my thoughts about how much Obama's candidacy, via Axelrod,  is tied to the revival of the Chicago "political machine". I view his candidacy, in many ways, as a move by that same Chicago machine, to take back their former power position in the Democratic party from the Clinton/Arkansas "machine", which has dominated for 16 yrs.

Very poignant 3rd reason to read it is the story near the end about how much Hillary did personally, at the height of the Monica scandal, for Susan and David Axelrod's foundation on epilepsy and how his campaign for Obama is another "Judas" move against Hillary.

h/t eriposte @ left coaster

Here's Barack Obama writing in 1990 on Political Power of Black Churches.

He says their traditional role includes "supporting candidates for office".  Isn't that a violation of IRS rules?


Is he gonna have to run from these words?
http://www.edwoj.com/Alinsky/AlinskyObamaChapter1990.htm