105 million voted in the presidential election in 2000
121 million voted in 2004
so far, with 95% of precincts reporting, only 112 million voted (extrapolate that to 100% and its only 117 million.)
here is data from 3 key states
2000 2004 2008 2008 % counted PA 4,912,185 5,765,764 5,390,910 97.95% OH 4,705,457 5,627,908 5,012,434 95% FL 5,956,243 7,609,810 8,005,681 99%
here are the voter registration statistics for those states
VOTER REGISTRATION 2000 2004 2008 PA 7,781,997 8,366,663 8,758,031 OH 7,531,555 7,972,826 8,164,823 FL 8,880,396 10,476,437 11,247,634 ]]>
· Nationally, in the first quarter of 2005, 31,000 new homes priced under $125,000 were sold. In the first quarter of 2006, that number had declined to 18,000 homes, and by fourth quarter 2007 that number was down to 8,000.
· The number of new homes sold in the $125k-$249,999 range declined from 34,000 in first quarter 2005 to 26,000 in first quarter 2006, declining to only 14,000 by fourth quarter 2007.
· And for the $150k-$199,999 range, sales fell from 66,000 in first quarter 2005 to 57,000 in first quarter 2006, before plummeting to 33,000 by fourth quarter 2007.
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But you know what? Some areas of this country are a lot more patriotic than others. In some parts of the country, its tough to find a flag displayed on the Fourth of July and Memorial Day. In other places, flag display on "patriotic" holidays is the norm -- the places where you didn't wait until 9-11 to wear a flag pin.
]]>Not only does this reward bad behavior by the people responsible for this crisis, the likely consequences of this move are pretty horrible.
]]>Obama's biggest mistakes, in order, were:
1) Not participating in further debates, and ignoring states like West Virginia and Kentucky. That wasn't just a missed opportunity to introduce himself to more voters, it was a signal to voters that they didn't matter to him. It also provided evidence to those doubtful of Obama that he lacks the personal characteristics that a President needs to govern in the face of pressure and adversity.
]]>Filled with reporter Matt Bai's Obamessiahanism, the piece is unreadable for all intents and purposes. But it is notable for one big reason -- Bai renders black female politicians invisible in his discussion of black politics.
Of the 15 African Americans whose names get a "link" from the Times, there is only one woman -- Michelle Obama. In addition to the "linked", there are other black political figures quoted or mentioned -- none of whom are women.
]]>Better the Devil you know, than the Devil you don't know.
Does this constitute an endorsement of McCain -- no. McCain's record has been all over the place...he, like Hillary Clinton, has been running for President for the last eight years. Clinton, of course, spent the last eight years with her eye on November, because Democrats are supposed to be smarter than Republicans. McCain knew he had to go way right -- and "support the President" -- if he expected to win the GOP nomination.
]]>A document included as an exhibit in the Nelson vs Dean Lawsuit that was filed in October 2007 in an attempt to force the DNC to seat the Florida delegation provides indisputable proof that the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee singled out Florida and Michigan for sanctions, and ignored violations of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
The document is a tentative list of state primaries and caucuses, and is dated September 13, 2007. The listing for Florida says (“P” designates a primary)
]]>1/29/08 Florida P Date of state primary; date violates rules; Non-Complia
An article entitled Obama Meets with Conservative and Progressive Religious Leaders at the Christian Broadcasting network, included a list of "religious leaders" that Obama is trying to get support from...
Most of these leaders are rabidly anti-gay and anti-choice. And they even include one "religious leader" who played a role in Monica Goodlings efforts to put more right wing Christians in the DoJ....
Here's a partial list...
Hillary Clinton didn't need to do anything -- she chose to get behind Barack Obama, which is what she was expected to do.
18 million people cast their primary ballot for Hillary Clinton -- she didn't need to do anything to remain a potent force in the Democratic Party. She could have, had she chosen to, told Barack Obama "it ain't over 'til its over, I'm still the better choice, I've still got more experience, I've still got better ideas, and I'm still far more electable than you -- and superdelegates have nearly three months to figure that out."
But we are now going to be told ...
]]>That’s because, in violation of the DNC charter, a secret meeting was held, and secret votes were taken -- violations of specific Charter “sunshine rules” provisions. A deal was struck among Obama supporters on the committee to completely ignore what is known as the “fair reflection” rule (see note below), and to treat the constituency groups that had provided Hillary Clinton with considerable margins in two states (Hispanic/Latino voters, older voters, women, Jewish voters in Florida, older voters, working class voters, rural voters, and women in Michigan) as “half voters”.
]]>This thread is intended for people who go there and tell her to come back here and paste their letters....
mine is below the break
]]>She considers herself the guardian of the rules.
Article 9, Section 12: of the Charter of the Democratic National Committee states: All meetings of…official party committees…shall be open to the public and votes shall not be taken by secret ballot.”
On Saturday, a secret meeting was held, at which votes were taken.
At the end of the morning session, a one hour lunch period was announced, and the afternoon session would commence after that lunch. Members of THE PUBLIC were told to return in one hour.
THE PUBLIC, which had a right, under the charter to attend the meeting, showed up.
]]>I'm thinking of starting a campaign to demand refunds (and possibly sue) the DNC for its failure to abide by its own rules. The easiest one to prove is the Sunshine rule.... TONS of others were violated, but they require explanations. The Sunshine rule is simple -- all business is conducted in public. No "smoke filled/back room deals".
Yesterday there were various news reports that deliberations were expected to last until midnight --- and that was before the morning part ran over a couple of hours.
An agenda was announced in the morning that did not occur that afternoon. But a one hour lunch expanded to three hours...after which three resolutions were offered, each allowed only 10 minutes of discussion.
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