Tag Archives: Barack Obama

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The Road Travelled …


I am writing to you not knowing what side of the political table you sit at hoping some of you will be voting for Barack Obama for a 2nd term. If not, so be it. I want you to know that I am fundraising for the Democratic Party . We have at least six weeks to go before Nov.6 there are fellow Americans participating in early voting as we speak. In some parts of the Country, Voter Suppression is rearing its ugly head. As a woman, mom, business owner and person of colour, I am beyond disheartened at what has transpired. I do not usually ask for money but given what Mr. Romney and Paul Ryan are offering. I have to step up and at least try to find people to stand up speak out and give Barack Obama a second term. I hope some of you feel this way as well.  So, I am formally asking for a Contribution to help the Democratic Party continue what we aspired and started in 2008 and was ignored by the Republican party who met the same night Barack was sworn in. Some in the Republican Party stated compromise was a dirty word while others turned toward race and fear in 2010; it was the turning point. The extreme right gained control and exacted out record numbers of filibustering as well as obstructing major legislation that would have shortened our recession.

If, you are so inclined to donate and vote for Barack Obama to fight against the unlimited money taking over politics today click on the link below:

http://Barackobama.com

I support Obama because he represents the bold and drastic changes we need NOW action not the lip service we received from the last administration. The President of the United States knows and understands we need to pay attention to our debt deficit, our environment, that we need to narrow the gap between the haves and have none and we all know we need better health-care.

Last, our future is our children and that means better educational opportunities…

Thank you for your time

Carmen

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

a message from Stephanie


Mitt Romney agreed it’s “fair” that millionaires and billionaires like himself pay a lower tax rate than many middle-class families do.

That’s not our spin — that’s straight from Romney. On “60 Minutes” this week, he actually agreed that it’s “fair” that he got to pay a lower tax rate on the millions he made last year than a worker making $50,000 paid. Why? “It’s the right way to encourage economic growth.”

As anyone who’s been paying attention over the past few decades knows, Romney is flat-out wrong. Tax breaks for millionaires and tax hikes for middle-class families lead to endless deficits, not economic growth or job creation. That’s why President Obama is fighting to ensure that millionaires like Romney pay their share

We put together some content that looks at Mitt Romney‘s idea of tax fairness, as well as a couple videos that look at Romney’s positions on education, which he talked about this week. Check them out, and make sure your friends do, too.
#1 Romney’s idea of tax fairness Here’s the video of Romney on what he thinks is fair when it comes to taxes. Take a look, then share it with others:

#2 President Obama’s plan This week, President Obama laid out the details of his plan to build our economy from the middle class out. Voters in Iowa began casting their ballots this morning, so it’s a great time to let your friends and family know about the President’s plan to keep our country moving forward. Share this videowith them:

#3 Tax returns and reforms Romney has defied a decades-long precedent by only releasing two years of his tax returns. That leaves a lot of questions unanswered, but the tax returns he has released show that he benefits from loopholes in the tax code that give an advantage to millionaires and billionaires. So it’s no surprise that Romney doesn’t want to reform the tax code so that all Americans pay a fair share — he wants to keep rewarding millionaires and billionaires at the expense of the middle class. Take a look at this postabout his tax plan, and pass it along:

#4 Romney on class size At the Education Nation Summit this week, Romney doubled down on his assertion that classroom size doesn’t matter. But you don’t just have to listen to Romney to know that his policies are bad — watch Massachusetts teacherstalk about what happened to schools in their state when Romney served as governor, then pass the video along to the teacher or parent in your life:

Also take a look at this videothat tells the story of a Colorado teacher who got to speak with Romney. You’ll be stunned to hear how he treated her:

Thanks for all you do,
Stephanie

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

GottaRegister.com : GottaVote.com


Sep 27, 2012 by    
Mitt Romney:

“There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what …”

“… who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it …”

“… And they will vote for this president no matter what …”

“… And so my job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

 

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Jeremy Bird, BarackObama.com


Obama - Biden

If you think your $5 isn’t enough to make a difference in this campaign, take a minute to read the letter below — it’s officially gone viral among campaign staff (with the sender’s permission).

The most powerful thing about making a donation is that you’re joining more than 3 million other Americans who believe ordinary people should decide this election.

It adds up. And it depends on each of us doing our part:  

https://donate.barackobama.com/Sandy

Thanks,

Jeremy

Jeremy Bird
National Field Director
Obama for America

————————————————————————–

Dear President Obama,

I’m writing to tell you about the $15 my family just donated to your 2012 campaign.

It was $15. That’s really all we could give.

My husband Steve is currently a student at Temple University. Since starting his degree, three years ago, we’ve been living considerably below the poverty level (I keep forgetting which percent … does it matter?). But we aren’t complaining. Two healthy daughters; dusty, well-travelled backpacks in the basement; a house full of memories — a future full of hope. We’re the lucky ones.

So — we’re currently “poor on money — rich in life” (as we like to say). It hasn’t always been like this. My husband spent most of his life doing what he loved — playing or coaching basketball. Born in SE Iowa, he was an Academic All-American and once-upon-two-good-knees-ago, the “local town hero” of his small town — after bringing home the State Championship during high school, followed by NJCAA National Championship years later as a coach. He’s a big a fan of yours by the way … as a player, father and president … not necessarily in that order.

But this really wasn’t supposed to be a letter about him.

It’s about this year’s campaign. It’s about wanting to say that $15 means something these days and deserves a moment of pause (and some words on paper) for this girl and her family of Obama fans.

— $15 is a special pizza dinner at our local pizza stop (Poppi’s in Wynnewood).
— It’s 1 1/2 tickets to see the newest film at the old-school cinema we walk our daughters to.
— It’s getting fresh fruit, instead of frozen; fresh veg, instead of canned.
— It’s tickets to the Franklin Institute in the heart of Philly. (We’ve never been.)

It’s all these things to a family like ours.

I’ve listened with curiosity, mostly frustration, as the nation debates Citizens’ United and the string of new laws that now allow the bellowing voices of private interest to drown out the sounds of tiny voices (like ours/mine). Our pebble-in-the-ocean support feels almost pointless. “Leave the campaigns to the rich,” I think to myself, “Get your daughters a pizza instead.”

But I refuse to allow new laws to stop us/me from being A PART of this campaign. After all, I will never be a “player” (in the political sense), but I still want to believe I can play a part.

Then, out of the blue, there you are — shooting a jumpshot on my (Facebook) wall — and asking for “players” to join you on your home court. I had to smile, and then I couldn’t resist. And so, I have relinquished those $15.

Please know that they count. To us. Please stay in Washington. Do, in this second term, what you were not assisted/supported to do during your first term. Get this country moving/working/hoping again.

Please continue being a champion for the middle class — I’m hoping the next pizza will be on you.

Wishes to your brave wife and beautiful daughters from another brave wife with two beautiful daughters.

All good things,

Sandy & Family, PA

—–
More than 3 million people like you power this campaign. If you can, please donate today.

Thanks,

Jeremy

Jeremy Bird
National Field Director
Obama for America

————–

 

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The 28th Amendment : Ian Bassin – Avaaz.org


The flood of corporate and special interest money pouring into our elections is corrupting American democracy to the breaking point, but we have a powerful opportunity to begin to take our democracy back if we act in the next 48 hours.

Since the Supreme Court’s radical 2010 Citizens United ruling gutted most legal limits on what billionaires and corporations can spend on influencing our elections, so-called “SuperPACs” have raised more than $300 million from a tiny group of super wealthy donors.  With this money, Big Oil can block efforts to fight climate change, Wall Street can block fair taxation and defense lobbyists can rev up the war machine — even when the public is opposed. The threat to good government is existential — yet the candidates are barely talking about it. We can change that by making sure big money in politics and the need for a Constitutional Amendment to fix the problem is a central topic in the first presidential debate.

PBS’s Jim Lehrer will moderate the debate — and his staff told Avaaz that if we petition for him to ask a question on this issue, they’ll present it to him this Friday, along with how many people signed.  So let’s build a massive call — sign below and share with everyone you know:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/us_election_debate_i_full_us_list/?biEWLbb&v=18232

Just one man, Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, has already vowed to spend more than $100 million dollars supporting Mitt Romney’s candidacy. Adelson is a savvy investor — a new analysis shows he stands to win back more than $2 billion in tax breaks if Romney ends up in the White House. But the problem affects both parties. The system is broken and most Americans know it: in poll after poll, a supermajority of Americans of all political persuasions say they want common sense limits put on what the super-rich can spend on our elections.

Centuries ago, America’s founders designed a way for us to put this genie back in the bottle, a way for us to amend what’s broken: by reversing the Supreme Court decisions that created this mess with a Constitutional Amendment.  Some argue that an amendment is too hard to achieve, but organizing for an Amendment is a powerful tool in itself which forces candidates to stake out a position on this issue for voters to judge and can serve as leverage for other reforms like transparency and public financing, which are also needed. That’s why calls for an Amendment are gaining steam – several versions have already been introduced in Congress and President Obama recently offered support for the idea.

Jim Lehrer is no dummy: he knows that few issues are more worthy of debate than big money and corruption in government. But the campaigns will be pushing for softball questions, so it’s our job to remind Lehrer that the purpose of these debates is to force candidates to address the issues that matter to us, on the record and unscripted.  Sign now and forward this to others:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/us_election_debate_i_full_us_list/?biEWLbb&v=18232

Around the world Avaaz members have come together by the millions to challenge government corruption and pay to play politics. With our fragile democracy in the US now at risk of being taken over completely by the 1%, it’s time to fight back. That’s why we’re launching Elections not Auctions, an Avaaz project to stem the flow of unlimited money into our democracy.  They have the money, but we have the power.

With hope and determination and fighting spirit,

Ian, Joseph, Morgan, Dalia, David and the entire Avaaz team

SOURCES

Poll: Americans largely in favor of campaign spending limitations (LA Times / AP)
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-poll-citizens-united-20120916,0,7468934.story

Right-Wing Billionaires Behind Mitt Romney (Rolling Stone)
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/right-wing-billionaires-behind-mitt-romney-20120524

Obama Grows More Reliant on Big-Money Contributors (NYT)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/us/politics/obama-grows-more-reliant-on-big-money-contributors.html?pagewanted=all

Jim Lehrer to moderate DU presidential debate Oct. 3 (The Denver Post)
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_21301449/jim-lehrer-moderate-du-presidential-debate-oct-3

Obama, on Reddit, proposed overturning Citizens United (LA Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-president-obama-reddit-ama-20120829,0,7159605.story

National Survey: Super PACs, Corruption, and Democracy (Brennan Center)
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/national_survey_super_pacs_corruption_and_democracy/

How One Mega-Donor Could Save $2.3 Billion Under Romney’s Tax Plan (Think Progress)
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/09/11/825851/romney-adelson-taxes-billionaire