Fifty-two votes, that's what Senator Tom Harkin said yesterday is the number of "solid" votes in the Senate for a public option. That should be two more than needed. With a 50-50 tie I kind of have a hunch VP Biden would vote yea.

Surely, surely there is not one Democratic Senator in America that would vote to filibuster a vote on the upcoming health care bill.  If there is even one Democratic Senator in America who will lock arms with Mitch McConnell and vote to block, to deny, to filibuster the representatives of the American citizens, our U.S. Senators, a floor vote on a health care bill that will save half a million American lives over the next ten years then let them stand up NOW and say who they are.

What Democratic Senator in America wants to look themselves in the mirror in ten years and know that Kevorkian may have assisted in the deaths of a hundred or so people who wanted to die but they themselves will have assisted in the deaths of half a million of Americans who wanted to live?

Who are you I ask? Stand up and tell us now or either commit to yourself that when the health care bill comes to the Senate floor that you may or may not vote for it but that you will not prevent your colleagues from doing what they were elected to do... voting on legislation. The filibuster has been abused by both sides of the isle many times in the recent decades. With half a million American lives in the balance, now is not the time to abuse it again.

-- cross posted to Steve Everett Blog .com and Daily Kos

If there was is anyone in Congress who was still on the fence on the public option surely they aren't now. No one could have made the case better that a public option must be included than the insurance industries themselves yesterday when they said that if the current health bill in the Senate passes that premiums will go up. They argue that premiums will have to go up in order to maintain their profits.

I'd just like to personally say thank you to Karen Ignagni over at AHIP.org for reinforcing to the American people that without a public option to keep the insurance companies in check that premiums will go up. Of course I think that most Americans already knew that without Ms Ignagni telling us again yesterday. But still, thanks again to Ignagni for telling us again.

I think we all know that the best way to cut costs of anything is to cut out as many middlemen as possible. I have believed and continue to believe that it's just a matter of time before we as a society finally realize that the insurance companies do nothing to help in providing  health care in America except drive the cost up by them being one extra stop between and ill American and the American getting care.

I don't think it's a matter of if but a matter of when the last health insurance company in America exists. At least for basic care. There may continue to be a few that would provide insurance for some type of above and beyond premium cutting edge or experimental care but in the future about 95% of health care in America will not involve a private health insurance company.

Very simple. The government will collect the money needed for health care either through premiums or taxes or both and the single payer system will then be in effect and it will be that way for the rest of the life of our nation. We must not forget that this is not just a financial issue it is also a moral issue.

Let me just also add that health care costs can't be brought down simply by a better and more efficient system of collections and payments. Bringing down health care costs will also have to involve a renewed effort in America to have a healthier population. Programs and initiatives to encourage better fitness, better diets and less stressful lifestyles.

Yes, lowering health care costs I believe will be about a 50/50 effort with half going toward a better system of fixing and paying for sickness and half going toward initiatives of preventing sickness in the first place. But first things first, and right now that is a major reform of the health care system in America. I think it will happen. I think it's about to happen. It's the primary reason I donated about 20 hours a week to Obama's presidential campaign and I hope I'm not disappointed.

One more thing. I promise this is the last. It doesn't take 60 votes to get a public option. It merely takes 60 votes to end discussion on a pending bill. I have to believe that there has to be a handful of Senators who even they they may not vote for the public option they still will have the decency to not vote to prevent the bill going to a vote. When that happens we only need 51. Actually only 50 because I kind of have a hunch in the case of a tie that the public option can count on Joe Biden voting yea.

-- cross posted to Steve Everett Blog .com and Daily Kos

There's a lot of debate going on lately after a top general in Afghanistan requested 40,000 more American troops to be moved there. That would probably help him accomplish what he wants and thinks should be accomplished. Eighty thousand would probably help him even more. I think it's the wrong approach.

I think it was and continues to be a mistake to use the American military to attempt to fight and respond to a crime of international hijacking and mass murder. The FBI and CIA in cooperation with other international law and intelligence agencies could have been used and should have been used to locate the 9/11 planners and preferably arrest, but if need be, kill them. Case closed.

What happens when a group of radicals in China send 19 to attack America? Do we send our armies into China?

What happens when a group of radicals in Russia send 19 to attack America? Do we send our armies into Russia?

What happens when a group of radicals in India send 19 to attack America? Do we send our armies into India?

If America politicians and citizens choose to continue to react to international crime by sending our military into the nations where the planning may have occurred then we're going to have one heck of a defense budget in our future and Afghanistan and Iraq will likely be just the beginning of us sending our young men and women into harms way into foreign nations in the 21st century.

What if a group of American radicals hijack and fly a plane into a downtown Beijing skyscraper? Does China then have a right to send its military to America to attempt to root out all potential threats to their homeland?

Hopefully the insanity will soon end. I believe the best, and possibly only hope, of this planet avoiding a horrendous unleashing of weapons in this century is the development of a strong and functioning international justice system to prosecute international crime and resolve international disputes. I believe it can be done. I believe it must be done.

John Kennedy said, "The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty, and all forms of human life."

With a robust, adequate and enforceable international justice system to resolve international disputes we could avoid Kennedy's concern over the abolishment of human life. International armies would no longer be needed and with the money saved from that we could also accomplish Kennedy's hope of ending poverty.

-- cross posted to Steve Everett Blog .com and Daily Kos

We know who Mitch McConnell is fighting against. But just who is he fighting for?

We know McConnell is fighting against the 50 million Americans who don't have health insurance. We know McConnell is fighting against, by my estimate, and additional 40 or 50 million Americans who are either under-insured or have counterfeit insurance. That is insurance they think they have until they file a claim and get the news that, sorry, that procedure is not covered. Didn't you read the fine print?

So who, who is Mitch McConnell fighting for? It is widely reported that McConnell has received over $3 million dollars from health industry interests, more than any other U.S. Senator.

If that's who Mitch McConnell is fighting for then it appears they picked the right politician to rent because McConnell is surely putting up one "heckuva" fight, to borrow a complimentary adjective from a previous administration.

But can McConnell last 15 rounds going toe to toe with Obama on the issue of health care repair? I doubt it. I don't expect him to throw in the towel but I expect this political battle will leave McConnell, politically speaking, with a bloody nose, swollen eye and staggering back to his corner.

I have a hunch if real health care reform passes then a large percentage of the millions of Kentuckians who will then be able to buy an honest health insurance policy will remember who was for reform... and who was against, when they enter the voting booths next November and for the next several elections to come.

-- cross posted to  Steve Everett Blog .com and Daily Kos

President Obama, bring our troops (citizens) home. What need -- or right -- does our nation have in having a military presence in over 100 countries around the globe? Iraq 140,000; Afghanistan 45,000; Germany 57,000; South Korea 27,000; Japan 32,000; Italy 10,000; Britain 9000; Bahrain 1500; and so on.

How would Americans feel if there were a military presence of over 100 nations from around the world in our country? Flying their planes over our homes?

America's infrastructure is crumbling, our debt climbing. Our education system is failing our youth in many critical areas such as math, science and engineering.  A side effect of cancer or getting sick in America is bankruptcy. In other words we have plenty that needs to be done here rather than sending our citizens out on global patrol that isn't wanted, isn't needed and isn't appreciated.

So President Obama if you have four years or eight years, before you leave office, as commander-in-chief please bring ALL Americans troops back to American soil. We don't want foreign troops on our soil, and other nations across the globe don't want foreign troops on their lands. We can't afford to continue this policy and I believe in the ethics of reciprocity, the golden rule, and I believe this policy is contrary to that.

We, as a nation, have allowed this policy of a global military presence to continue year after year because we can, not because we it's right. It's now time to get it right, not just out of respect for other nations on earth, but for our own good. The enormous amount of taxpayer money saved would benefit Americans much more if spent right in the U.S.A.

-- cross posted to Steve Everett Blog .com

Since the Democratic takeover of the Senate in 2006 the senior senator from the great commonwealth of Kentucky has done one thing for the people of Kentucky and the nation. That one thing he has done is NOTHING. Mitchie has done NOTHING except break the Senate record for filibusters.

Senator Mitchie, how about doing SOMETHING or get out of the way of progress in America. If Kentucky would have had a strong Democratic candidate for the Senate in 2008 then Senator Mitchie, despite being the most bought and paid for Senator in American history, would have still been thrown out of the Senate.

But Mitchie is still there. Filibuster McConnell is still there. Kentucky deserves better. America deserves better. Senator Mitchie and his pack continue to do anything and everything possible to deny President Obama's effort to finally implement a moral health care system in America.

Senator McConnell and his band of merry men continue to say no to any type of health care reform despite the fact that the current system will bankrupt America in the not too distant future. They eagerly spent a trillion dollars on Iraq which wasn't on the books. Why are they now howling when Obama wants to spend a trillion on America, which he will pay for and not just pass the cost along to the next administration like the last crew did.

Senator McConnell and his throng continue to say no to any type of health care reform despite the fact that the current system is unnecessarily allowing the deaths of many Americans by the day. If it were not for long ago written Congressional voting protections would they not legally be guilty of criminally negligent manslaughter which occurs when a death is cause by negligence, willful blindness or omission to act?

So McConnell, do your state a favor, your nation a favor. Get busy doing SOMETHING....  OR GET OFF THE POT!

-- cross posted to Steve Everett Blog .com

Barack Obama has been in office now for about seven months. Not a bad start in my opinion. He came into office as we all know facing probably the most wide range of problems and mess that have ever been left over from a previous presidency.

Due to actions taken by Obama, Congress and the private sector the worst of the economic uncertainties seem to be behind us. Long term economic recovery and prosperity will still be up to whether or not the private sector in America can continue to innovate as it did in the twentieth century.

I agree with Obama when he often says that the nation that leads the world economically in the twenty-first century will be the nation that is first to innovate in clean energy and green technologies. The nations that lead in that, and other areas such as bio genetic engineering, those will indeed be the nations whose economies flourish over the next decades.

So... let's take a look at the Obama Presidency so far. I'd say great job on the economy. I'd say good job on taking steps to finally end American military involvement in Iraq. What's next? Could it be... real progress for easing Israeli/Palestinians relations? This has been talked about for how long? Reports are out in the past few hours from The Guardian in the U.K. that Obama may be on the "brink" of a deal in the Middle East.

Even if he fails on health care, which personally for me is a top issue, if he makes a Mideast deal that would significantly improve the lives and safety for both Israelis and Palestinians then the economy (1) Iraq (2) and the Middle East (3) would appear to me to give Obama a fantastic trifecta in the first year of his presidency.

If he can also lead the way for real and substantial health care reform in America, which I think he will do next month, then that could give Obama a year that what will be considered by many political pundits now and in the future one of the most successful years for any American president in the history of our nation.


-- cross posted to Steve Everett Blog .com

In late 2002 when much of the nation favored a military invasion of Iraq a state senator in Illinois tried to warn America of what was likely to happen. America didn't listen.

Some said the war would cost no more than $50 billion. Some estimates now have the long range costs at $3 TRILLION. Some said the war would be a cakewalk.

What did Obama say in 2002?

Barack Obama on October 2nd, 2002:

"I don't oppose all wars. And I know that in this crowd today, there is no shortage of patriots, or of patriotism. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other arm-chair, weekend warriors in this Administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.

What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income -- to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression.

That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.

I know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history.

I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.

So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the president today. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings.

You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to make sure our so-called allies in the Middle East, the Saudis and the Egyptians, stop oppressing their own people, and suppressing dissent, and tolerating corruption and inequality, and mismanaging their economies so that their youth grow up without education, without prospects, without hope, the ready recruits of terrorist cells.

You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to wean ourselves off Middle East oil, through an energy policy that doesn't simply serve the interests of Exxon and Mobil.

The consequences of war are dire, the sacrifices immeasurable. We may have occasion in our lifetime to once again rise up in defense of our freedom, and pay the wages of war. But we ought not -- we will not -- travel down that hellish path blindly."

Yes, so much of what Obama warned about and predicted unfortunately came true. If only America had of listed to him then.

Obama now predicts that without reform the cost of health care in America will in not too many years ahead, overtake our entire national budget. Will America listen this time or ignore Obama once again? If we as a nation choose to ignore him again we can only hope that this time he is wrong.

I guess the choice basically comes down to on health care is will we as a nation listen to the politicians and predictors who have been wrong time and time again over the past several years or will we as a nation listen to those whose predictions have been correct? It would seem to be an easy choice wouldn't it?

-- cross posted to Steve Everett Blog .com

As President Obama pushes harder and harder to finally bring affordable health insurance to all Americans the fatcats who are making billions are pushing back equally as hard. Who will win the tug of war? I hope (and believe) that this time the winner will be health care that will be affordable for all Americans.

There are many ideas floating around and legislation has also recently been passed in the House. I believe the easiest, best and fairest way to bring about health care reform is to reform the basic fundamentals of the system. One of the biggest, most profitable and unnecessary component in the current system is a highly profitable middle man, the health insurance industry. This industry IS NOT needed and is the single biggest cause of skyrocketing costs and immoral denials of coverage. The billions saved annually, along with other proposals, would likely be enough to make basic coverage affordable for all Americans.

This would leave us with a much simpler, efficient and less expensive single payer system. The government could operate the collection of premiums and payment of claims or with government oversight this could be done in the private sector with a nationwide non-profit coop or exchange. If delivering a postal letter is important enough for the U.S. government to be involved with then making life saving health care affordable for all Americans should also be important enough for government involvement.

A few other random thoughts I have on health care:

Physicians who test to see if a surgery is necessary and the physician who does the surgery must not continue to be the same person. There is TOO much conflict of interest in this situation.

Actually future health care will likely need to be a three step process with three types of physicians involved. One who focuses on prevention and determines if and what tests should be performed. One who performs the tests and the physician who does the surgery or needed corrective procedure.

(1) Dr. Prevention, who would work with their patients to prevent medical problems. Probably Dr. Preventions will more and more rely on genetic testing and genetic analysis along with traditional preventative procedures.

(2) Dr. Tester, who would receive patients referred from prevention specialists. They would be licensed to ONLY see patients referred from prevention specialists who suspect a medical problem. That would reduce the overall cost of medical care by drastically reducing the number of unnecessary tests.

(3) Dr. Surgery, who would do the corrective procedures and who would only be allowed and licensed to do surgery on patients referred by testing physicians.

Using this three level system of care would enormously reduce the number of unnecessary testing and surgeries thereby greatly reducing the overall cost of health care in America.

Back to the health insurance industry for a minute. No, I haven't changed my mind, the industry should be eliminated and done so as soon as possible. This will be an enormous savings to the citizens of our nation. The nation as a whole however should not just throw these health industry employees to the curb. A portion of the savings should be allocated for transitional financial support as their current jobs are phased out and for retraining and doing what needs to be done to get as many of the former employees new jobs.

Health care in America can be improved. It must be improved or at it's current trajectory it will in years to come cause financial ruin in America. I think it's time. I think the right person is at 1600 Penn Avenue and I think major health care reform in America is just around the corner.

I used to be a regular blogger but not so much anymore. On Tuesday President Obama asked for bloggers to get involved in the push for reform. Mr. Obama, I hope I have now done my part... and in the coming weeks I know you will. Good luck Barack. I know you will never forget what your mother experienced in her final months and I believe that, along with your incredible intelligence will be enough to get a moral health care system for America so that fewer and fewer future mothers will have similar experiences.

-- cross posted to SteveEverettBlog.com, DailyKos and various other media outlets.

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Fired up and READY TO FINISH!
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Boy oh boy. How many hours have I blogged and commented to other blogs in the past 12 to 18 months.

Never had been much of one for politics. Somehow that changed around the 2006 election. Got initially involved primarily out of anger over what I saw in the three national branches of government. Then I saw a Charlie Rose one hour interview with a Senator named Barack Obama and that got me even more involved.

Now after all of the blogging, two and three hours a day most days, what really matters is only days away. I say to the other bloggers across the nation, we must ALL get out to vote on Tuesday if you haven't early voted already.

Am I relieved we're now this close to election day? Very relieved. I'm strongly supporting Senator Obama but whatever the outcome I have to get back to focusing on making a living. I've had a photography business for about 6 years and about a year ago started the process of opening a real estate office. I've grossly neglected both over the past few months. I suppose it won't do me a lot of good even if I've done my small part to help elect competent leadership in Washington if I allow my own business to fail :-)

I've enjoyed the campaign discourse along the way. Wow, how long ago does the Democratic primary seem now?

After hearing that first one hour interview of Senator Obama in my mind there was no doubt that he was the most capable politician in America to be the next president. Did I think he would make it? I'll have to admit I knew it would be tough.

To get past the very intelligent and capable Hillary Clinton who of course is married to probably one of the top 5 popular politicians of the 20 century. What a challenge that was. I initially expected Rudy Giuliani to be the Republican candidate and I think that might have been a tough challenge for Barack but Rudy self-destructed. I think Obama was the better candidate but let's keep it real. Obama has had to campaign with the handicap of a percentage of Americans who automatically won't vote for him because of the level of pigment in his skin and another percentage of Americans who automatically won't vote for him because of his name.

Obama vs McCain? I believe that this race is has perhaps the widest intelligence gap in modern presidential history. Obama appears to me to be one of the most intelligent people I've ever heard. Will the majority of Americans agree with that on election day? I'll know in a few days.


As my blogging for this campaign is coming to an end please allow me to leave you with a quote I wrote a few months back that really sums up kind of how important I feel this election is.

--
"Without Washington, Jefferson and Franklin perhaps America would have never been born, without Lincoln perhaps America would have disintegrated, without Roosevelt perhaps America would have been conquered, without Obama perhaps the greatness of America would have been lost forever." -- by Steve Everett on April 20th, 2008, SteveEverettDailyQuotes.com.
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My fellow bloggers, lets change America (for the better) on November 4th.

And a few links for the road.
http://www.fightthesmears.com/
http://www.johnmccainrecord.com/
http://www.barackobama.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom
and one more. I registered and published this site myself
http://www.DailyDoseOfObamaVids.com/

and a couple of videos. Let's finish on November 4th, 2008 what kind of began in Iowa on January 3rd, 2008. That's it, I'm out of here.

IOWA VICTORY SPEECH. (13min)


AMERICAN STORIES, AMERICAN SOLUTIONS. (30min)


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Fired up and READY TO FINISH!

Cross posted at SteveEverettBlog.com and Daily Kos.
Subscribe to the Steve Everett Blog Rss feed.

VIDEO: Ralph Stanley for Obama. (1min)


VIDEO: National security press conference, October 22nd in Richmond Virginia. (8min)


VIDEO: Virginia - Rural issues. (2min)


VIDEO: Virginia Issues - Healthcare. (3min)


VIDEO: Virginia Issues - Economy, by Governor Tim Kaine. (2min)


VIDEO: Obama ad titled "Don't let up" (30sec)


VIDEO: Colin Powell's endorsement for Obama. (12min)


VIDEO: Remember all those great MoveOn.org ads. Here are a couple.



Real Clear Politics latest Virginia polls.


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Fired up and READY TO FINISH! How about you?

Cross posted at SteveEverettBlog.com and Daily Kos.
Subscribe to the Steve Everett Blog Rss feed.

VoteVets.org

VIDEO: McCain and the GI Bill (30sec)


VIDEO: The Draft and John McCain (6min)


VoteVets.org
VIDEO: McCain/GI Bill (30sec)



VIDEO: Speech by Senator Obama in Canton Ohio on Monday titled "Closing Argument." (31min)
"We can not let up for one day or one minute or one second."
"Calling for less regulations 21 times just this year."
"Not this time, not this year, not when so much is at stake."
"I can take one more week of John McCain's attacks but this country can't take 4 more years of the same failed policies. It's time to try something new."
"There's no reason that this century can't be another American century."

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Fired up and READY TO FINISH! How about you?

Cross posted at SteveEverettBlog.com and Daily Kos.
Subscribe to the Steve Everett Blog Rss feed.

As the campaign enters it's final week today's videos take a look back.

VIDEO: December 10th, 2007, Springfield Illinois, Senator Obama announces his candidacy for president. (22min)



VIDEO: January 3rd, 2008 Iowa victory speech. (14min)


VIDEO: January 29th, 2008, American University, Washington D.C. Senator Ted Kennedy endorses Obama. (15min)


I hope to get a few more of these Daily Doses out but if not I've really enjoyed watching the videos myself and thanks for the kind comments. I've donated as much time as possible to the Obama campaign over the last year or so, somewhat neglecting my photography business but I don't regret one minute.

After this election I'll need to get back to working on the bottom line for my business but with an Obama win on Tuesday I believe this nation will be led by the best person possible in getting it's bottom line back in order over the next 4 or 8 years.

Again thanks for the comments on the video blog posts. I'm with all the rest of the Obama supporters who I know will be doubling down their efforts this final week to not only try to ensure a victor for Barack Obama on November 4th but also a successful day for Congressional elections throughout the nation to give the Obama administration the help and backing they will need from the House and Senate.

The past 7 plus years has been one of the biggest nightmares in American history and in my mind the most disastrous and dangerous administration in our nation's history. In 8 days we have the opportunity to finally begin to wake up from that long nightmare and wake up to the beginning of some of the best days in our nation's history.

Wake up to ending two wars. Wake up to the end of 50 million Americans uninsured. Wake up to the end of warrantless searches of American citizens. Wake up to the end of American involvement in torture. Wake up to the end forever of American initiated wars of choice and wars of so called preemption. Wake up to the end of Americans floating helpless, some dead, in the streets following natural disasters. Wake up to the end of a mindless administration cloaked in secrecy abusing the executive privilege claims to hide their actions. These things MUST NEVER EVER again be allowed to occur in this country.

Fired up and READY TO FINISH! How about you?

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Cross posted at SteveEverettBlog.com and Daily Kos.
Subscribe to the Steve Everett Blog Rss feed.

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Sorry, just had another thought or two I'd like to add. I really believe if elected then in 50 or so years from now Senator Obama will be looked back upon as being one of the best leaders our country and the world has ever had. Someone who came on the national and international scene at such a critical time.

A time which has so many seemingly dismal political leaders. Of course America's leadership in the Executive Branch the past 7 years has been worse than awful. But also worldwide competent leadership seems to have been in a void. Putin in Russia seems to me to be just KGB wanna-be politician. I'm not a big fan of Sarkozy in France. I think Royal would have been a better choice. Hopefully an Obama win could lead to a wave of quality leaders in other nations.

The citizens of the world deserve better political leaders than we've had in recent times. Hopefully in a few days we in America can began to get the kind of leadership we must have to face 21st century problems.