Cross posted at MyBarackObama.com, on Xysea's blog:

Hi,

I've only blogged once on MyBarackObama before, but this time I'm on a mission.  I have something to say to Senator Obama.

DON'T PLAY THE MIDDLE.

Today my daughter turns eleven.

Wow, it seems like just yesterday that she was born.  As a matter of fact, I’ll never forget the day that I found out she had been conceived.  November 5th, 1996.  Election day.  What a day.  I was so excited to be voting for the first time and then to find out I was having a child.  Actually, that part scared the shit out of me.  You see, I hadn’t voted before that day because I wasn’t legally old enough.  I had just turned eighteen.  Old enough to vote, but way too young to become a father.

As a resident of Arizona, I have over the years heard nothing good about McCain. In fact when you ask people who live here "what has McCain done for AZ?" you get the same responses, "I don't know" or "nothing". Occasionally you get the "He is a veteran", or the POW comment, but most frequently no one knows why he is a Senator other than he already is one.
If Arizona is so locked down for McCain, why are there not some McCain bumper stickers? I have seen exactly ZERO McCain stickers.

According to an analysis by MAPLight, a non-partisan group that tracks campaign contributions, The 94 Democrats who voted YES on the FISA Bill received on average $8,359 in contributions from Verizon, AT&T and Sprint from Jan. 2005 to March 2008.
The 116 Democrats who voted NO received an average of $4,987 from the Telecoms during the same period.
God only knows what the average Republican Congressman skimmed off the Telecoms.

So take note, all you future Congressman buyers, for just $8,000 they'll strip the Constitution for you. God only knows what $9,000 would buy you in favors. Your pocket change may be enough to land you your own Off-Shore oil rig - or maybe an Ambassadorship (I've got dibs on Switzerland).

Recently I who am a member of a group on Democrats.org was like other members subjected to a series of emails designed to garner support for a Hillary write in campaign, and barring that threaten us and the Party with switching their vote to McCain. While I have little time for these threats, I do feel that they must be answered.

I have been engaging in a bit of online debate with a few McCain supporters and am in the process of building my own little Rebuttal database of arguments for Obama and against McCain on a range of subjects.  My intent in the weeks to come will be to address individual issues and common arguments against Obama one by one and, with your help, expand that database into a very powerful Kossak tool in combatting the Republican scourge.

(If if this is already being done, I apologize because I haven't found it.  Please vote in the poll accordingly)

Here is the concept:

-I post a "Making the case for Obama" diary on a certain subject.
-You all reply on that subject with comments, suggestions, additions, links, whatever useful input you have to add (try not to get too wonkish on every little detail, but links are always good).
-I tidy it up and add it to an existing diary on that subject, or if it is slightly off topic, start a new diary accordingly.  

Well, by now we all know that the House passed the shameful (and inherently unconstitutional by just about any study of the Constitution) disgrace that is the current FISA bill with a whopping 105 Democrats supporting its passage. This is the bill that makes the warrantless wiretapping legal as well as provides immunity for the telecom companies who knowingly provided the Bush Administration with our conversations illegally.

Many of us know that a filibuster is the surest way to kill a bill in the Senate and that there are 49 Democratic Senators, nine more than are needed to sustain a filibuster. By now, many of us also know that Obama intends to vote for the bill, as of course does head capitulator Harry Reid and other assorted Senators including some Democrats. And we are starting to hear the gurgling forth of excuses from a few of them, much of it akin to what we heard in the House last Friday.

(cross posted at the EENR blog)

Senators, please follow me below the fold...

I really want to see Senator Obama use his oratory skills to speak out against immunity for the telecoms.  But once again this is like Senator Obama said that Chris Rock said, protecting the constitution is something you are supposed to do!!!!!

The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer.

Henry Kissinger
1923-, American Republican Politician, Secretary of State

They have this vote on the Friday before summer?   Yeah. They choose the day before summer to have this vote! Far fewer people are paying attention today. But we are!  

Will Olbermann Special Comment Obama's compromise to provide immunity for telecoms?  Well, tonight we find out if Keith Olberman has principles or whether he''s just a mindless Obama supporter?

As I browsed through the list posted today on TPM about staffing additions to team Obama, I grew curious about the last name listed; African American Vote Director: Rick Wade

While other Kossaks are pondering the deep inner meaning of the Solis-Doyle hire, I wanted to take a good look at the person who will more than likely be coordinating GOTV efforts in African-American communities.

Is it possible that it was just one week ago when Hillary Clinton conceded the primary race and endorsed Barack Obama? Those who supported her have had time for the reality to sink in. Some have returned to DKos to test the waters, some never left. How well we are doing as we transition from what has been perceived as an essentially pro-Obama site back to being "on mission" i.e., an online community supporting the entire Democratic Party? This poll offers an opportunity to continue a dialog between Barack's and Hillary's friends and to learn what Clinton supporters are thinking about the GE.  Are we ready for this? Thanks in advance to any of Hillary's loyal supporters who vote in this poll and/or post comments.  If you have been away, welcome back! Let's go out for coffee and talk.

UPDATE:  104 votes in 2 hours; Clintonistas are reading DKos

CNN.com's maps and stats of this year's as well as previous campaigns for president give the armchair pundit a chance to take a deep dive into the Obamanator's strength in key counties in key states for the November election. What might be most important about taking a close-up, county-sized approach is a correspondingly reduced need to generalize the wants, needs and basic rights of the people concerned.

In NY and across the country, political college groups are fighting the school's student association and the administration for money and rights. How student interests need to be represented to make sure the little guys doesn't get screwed.

Am I crazy?  I ask not because my own notion wasn't reflected in yesterday's "Why Clinton Lost" stories, but because I could've sworn that lots of, if not most kossacks, shared my ideas of why Clinton lost.  For God's sake, it was the Iraq War vote, wasn't it?

For loyal supporters, Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech on Saturday was a sad ending to a long and trying campaign.  Rivalry between followers of two very strong candidates led to intense animosity between hard-core Clintonista's and the legions of Obamabots, as evidenced by bitter arguments on DKos and elsewhere. Clinton's speech went a long way toward healing the rift for Sen. Obama's supporters. Now, we move on to the main event, the Fall campaign for POTUS; and, a critical issue is how many of Hillary's supporters will support and vote for their former mortal enemy, Barack Obama. While Clinton supporters are being welcomed onto DKos with graciousness and open arms, their support for Obama remains to be seen. This poll examines the initial effect of her strong endorsement of Obama in the speech.  Disclaimer: This poll is unscientific and has no general validity.  Also, as the poll isn't for Obama supporters, I am using the first comment to offer Obamabots a response option.   But first, a salute to Hillary Clinton.

In the post-primary debate about what Obama needs to do to win over Clinton supporters, I keep seeing women writing about their willingness to vote for McCain or not vote at all because of their anger at Obama.

It doesn't matter that all their claims of sexism are based on the words and actions of others, not Senator Obama or anyone officially associated with him. For some reason, he is supposed to apologize to all the offended women for what others have done. It also doesn't seem to matter that Clinton was quite comfortable accepting the votes of racists and stating that the fact of some entrenched racism is one reason she's more electable. It doesn't matter that she fanned the flames of the racist use of Reverend Wright by further trying to associate Obama with Farrakhan.

But worst of all, it doesn't seem to matter that John McCain has publicly stated that he would like to overturn Roe v. Wade. How can any feminist use any excuse for helping put this man into office? Imagine the scenario below:

The coded message is.... Select me VP or I will go Independent. That is exactly what I saw in tonites NY. speech, wher Hillary summoned her supporters and big time donation people for her speech.

Remember in this venue there is no cell phone or text messaging.
Remember she thanked Senator Obama for Running, not Winning.

Remember these people areoput for power at any cost.

At Any Cost!

This is just a wakeup call to any of you few who, like me, let this one creep up on you.  Yes, we voted for the presidential nominee some months ago, but today is the regular primary!  Two very important ballot initiatives are at stake; one must go up and one must go down:

Vote NO on Prop 98
Vote YES on Prop 99

San Franciscans:

Vote YES on Measure A!  Please make teaching children a decently paid profession again, if just a little!  

You know the facts; even this late, every little bit counts!  there's still two hours left to vote!   Call a friend!  Go vote and then have a beer!  Or some chamomile tea.  More below the fold.