-----It's hard to believe that he has come as far as he has!!!!!!
> Watch the 20 second video and you will have an instant summary on the > American "politician class" . It is very embarrassing, if not downright > shameful who we elect to represent us. Remember this is the "super > delegates" choice!
> > Subject: 57 States > > > > > > Senator who does not know how many states there are? Give me a break!!!
Dear Boss, > > > > I have enjoyed working here these past several years. > You have paid me very well, given me benefits beyond > belief. > > I have 3-4 months off per year and a pension plan that > will pay my salary till the day I die and a health plan that > most people can only dream about. > > > > Despite this I plan to take the next 12-18 months to > find a new position. > > > > During this time I will show up for work when it is > convenient. In addition I fully expect to draw my full > salary and all the other perks associated with my current > job. > > > > Oh yeah, if my search for this n ew job proves > fruitless, I will be back with no loss in pay or status. > Before you say anything, remember that you have no choice > in the matter. I can and will do this. > > > > Sincerely, > > Every Senator or Congressman running for President. > > Try that at your job and tell me how it works out.
SCHENECTADY 2 conservatives, 2 positions for Nov. Men lead efforts for Obama, McCain BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Two conservative, white local men have found themselves on opposite sides in this year’s presidential campaign. Chris Diedrich, a self-described independent who says “liberal” is a dirty word, is organizing Schenectady For Obama. His counterpart, Republican J. Christopher Callaghan, is pulling together Sen. John McCain’s Capital Region campaign. They are taking their groups in radically different directions as well. Callaghan says he isn’t going to try to convince anyone to vote for McCain but will focus his efforts on getting out the vote in the 72 hours before Election Day. The group for Sen. Barack Obama, on the other hand, is running at least two events every week. In many weeks, they have four or more events planned for the Schenectady area alone. Demand for Obama yard signs, shirts and other materials has been so high that one member recently offered his garage for storage. Callaghan is still waiting for Mc-Cain yard signs to arrive. But he isn’t worried about the wait. He doesn’t plan to energize local Republicans until the first day of November. “We have to show some support, but basically people will make up their own minds,” he said. “Seventytwo hours before the election is the important part, to make sure they’re enthused to go out to vote.” OBAMA ENTHUSIASM Diedrich’s group is already counting down the days — there are just 87 left — and time seems to be slipping away. They’re trying to ramp up the pace so they can get more done in the few months remaining. Even the simplest issue — like a recent shortage of bumper stickers — has to be addressed immediately, they say. “We can’t wait till next week. A week is a long time,” said Jeanette Bearzi at one of the group’s meetings. The group is running voter registration tables at nearly every city event, from the farmers market days to Jazz on Jay concerts and Jerry Burrell Park basketball tournament games. They plan to start walking the streets on Saturdays, knocking on doors and talking up Obama. They’re most enthusiastic about his foreign policy. Even his speech to Germans drew their adoration — not because of what he said but because 100,000 foreigners were waving American flags instead of burning them. “The U.S. used to be a place everyone wanted to live. It was nice to see he was well-received,” Bearzi said. Kathy Nye added, “Our reputation abroad is awful right now.” Obama, she said, will restore the country’s good name. They’re also telling their neighbors that in Obama, voters finally have a politician they can trust. RALLYING GOP SUPPORT Republicans aren’t quite as energized about McCain. Callaghan, for example, disagrees vehemently with one of McCain’s signature pieces of legislation, the McCain-Feingold Act regulating campaign finance. Callaghan thinks it violates freedom of speech guarantees. He’s not happy with McCain’s stance on stem cell research, either. (McCain wants to ban it.) “I don’t agree with him on every issue,” he said. “If I were designing a perfect candidate, he’d be a little younger than John McCain, he’d be a little more conservative than John McCain. But we have pretty good raw material here.” He has heard grumbling from some Republicans in the region, most of whom strongly supported Rudy Giuliani during the primaries and then turned to the more conservative choices after Giuliani dropped out. “We have in our party true believers,” Callaghan said. “They’d rather lose an election than compromise a principle. But we don’t need a president who will be a doctrinaire with regards to one position — you can’t govern effectively. You need someone who will bring everyone together.” And that, he said, is McCain’s greatest strength. “Even with McCain-Feingold, which I disagree with, he had the courage to reach across the aisle and come up with a solution. I agree campaign finance is a problem,” Callaghan said. He also likes McCain’s stick-toitiveness. “Supporting the surge last year was a political death wish. The conventional wisdom was to stay away from the war if you want to get elected president of the United States,” Callaghan said. That trait, he thinks, will win over Republicans who wanted a more conservative candidate. “There’s no one saying he’s not honorable, he’s not candid. No one is concerned about his character,” Callaghan said. “The character traits: courage, integrity. And consistency, which I think is a gotcha for Obama.” PRAGMATIC APPROACHES Both Callaghan and the coordinator for McCain’s New York/New Jersey campaign first responded to questions about why they wanted to vote for McCain by saying that they don’t want Obama. Other Republicans also said they have deep concerns about Obama. “John McCain has the background. You can look and say he has demonstrated good character,” said Tom Buchanan, chairman of the Schenectady County Republican Committee. “Obama may or may not have good character. It’s a risk, and at the end of the day, I think he’s too risky.” State Sen. Hugh Farley, RNiskayuna, agreed: “I’m concerned about the lack of experience with Sen. Obama,” he said. He added that he has concerns about McCain, too, but respects him anyway. “He’s not the normal politician — he stands up for what he believes in, not what is popular. You have to admire that even if you don’t agree with him on everything,” Farley said. Farley was an enthusiastic Giuliani supporter but said he’s switched his allegiance and his enthusiasm over to McCain. Other Republicans, he said, are more subdued in their support. “It’s a very strange election,” Farley said. “I find Democrats saying, ‘I’m going to vote for John McCain.’ I see Republicans not enthusiastic but they’re going to vote for him.” As for his own decision, he said it’s partly pragmatic. “I’ll tell you why I’m enthusiastic: I think he’s probably the one Republican who could win this year,” Farley said. Despite the lukewarm support locally, Republican insiders insisted that their party is not “settling” for a “second-choice candidate,” as one insider put it. Buchanan in particular spoke glowingly of McCain. “I think John McCain’s a reliable conservative. Is he independent? Absolutely. But I think that’s what makes John McCain special and unique,” Buchanan said. “John Mc-Cain has shown a willingness to stand up for what’s right. John Mc-Cain is not afraid to say something that may not be political. I think at the end of the day, people are going to trust John McCain.” Even the man’s stance on fighting to victory in Iraq will help him win votes, Buchanan argued. “While people may like, in the abstract, the U.S. to withdraw from the war, the American people don’t want to see defeat in Iraq and they don’t want to see chaos descend on Iraq,” Buchanan said. “Take Vietnam. They didn’t put in a dove candidate in 1968; they put in Nixon. They called Ronald Reagan a warmonger with the ‘Take down this wall’ [speech]. People wanted peace. If people want peace, they’re going to want peace from a strong nation.” INDEPENDENT BACKING While Republicans seem to be coalescing around McCain, Obama has drawn many Capital District residents who are straddling the fence when it comes to party affiliation. That’s been done many times before, but it’s unusual for a non-Democrat to organize a local campaign, particularly in Schenectady, which is heavily Democratic. It’s because of Diedrich that Schenectady For Obama meets at a coffee house, rather than a political offi ce. Diedrich doesn’t feel comfortable supporting other Democratic candidates, and he figures that the Obama group is more likely to draw a bipartisan membership if Republicans and independents aren’t asked to gather in offices festooned with banners for local Democrats. “We’re not a partisan group,” Diedrich said firmly when members pointed out that retiring Democratic Congressman Mike McNulty’s offi ce is a lot quieter and more organized than their circle of chairs at the Muddy Cup. “Look, our mission is to elect Obama,” Diedrich said. “I’m not sure we can connect ourselves to the Democratic Party directly. We don’t have a lot of them, but I’m fi nding some Republicans are supporting Obama. And some independents. We do have some. My sole purpose is to elect Obama and unify people to do so.” There’s no way to mistake Diedrich for a staunch Democrat. He believes in a strong military — although he doesn’t like the war in Iraq. He thinks liberals (“That dirty word that starts with L,” he said) are ruining society. Today’s children need more discipline, especially in school, he says. ‘BREATH OF FRESH AIR’ In many respects, he admitted, he sounds like a conservative — the sort of voter that Republicans hope to count on each year. But in many ways, Diedrich also looks like the typical Obama rallier. He’s never been this involved in politics before and can only name one presidential candidate for whom he ever felt much excitement. He distrusts Washington politics and hates it when candidates resort to mud-slinging. “Obama brings a breath of fresh air,” Diedrich said. “He uses words like ‘unity’ and ‘communication.’ ” He was so moved that he started Schenectady For Obama without any idea of how to negotiate the hurdles of campaign finance, electioneering laws or the basics of leading a group of headstrong adults. The task was made more complicated by the fact that most local Democrats were ardent supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton. But they all appear to have moved to Obama’s side. Even Schenectady Mayor Brian U. Stratton, who was one of the first politicians in the nation to endorse Clinton, said he’ll campaign for Obama — because Clinton asked him to. “I’m supporting Sen. Clinton’s support for Sen. Obama,” Stratton said. “She is an outstanding leader. I wish that she were the nominee. I still believe she would be the best leader possible.” But unlike the disappointed conservative Republicans, Stratton thinks Obama is nearly as good as Clinton. “Of course, he espouses the Democratic themes we all support, like an immediate end to the war,” Stratton said. At a recent meeting with mayors, Obama won Stratton over by promising support for federal programs to help rebuild city sewer and water systems, fund energy efficiency projects and increase funding for the Community Development Block Grant program that has been reduced in recent years. BRUCE SQUIERS/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER The group Schenectady For Obama meets at the Muddy Cup to discuss the campaign on Thursday.
At a recent meeting with mayors, Obama won Stratton over by promising support for federal programs to help rebuild city sewer and water systems, fund energy efficiency projects and increase funding for the Community Development Block Grant program that has been reduced in recent years.
Both parties know how to use municipal works to keep economy moving....they are just with different titles.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Imagine, Obama filling the VP slot with BS. What a combo!
At least he would be out of Schenectady!!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
According to today's paper, it appears Ron Paul is not prepared to go quietly though at the same time he's no longer a real factor, so I'm not sure I get his angle.
Ron Paul is holding his OWN convention because he wasn't invited to speak at the Republican. Ya, this shows party unity, independence and an "I can do it myself" attitude (when he can't)
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader will be live in Albany at The Egg tonight (Oct. 16) at 7:30. Did you know there are six candidates on the New York state ballot this November? Let’s not just accept the two choices corporate America is comfortable feeding us. Nader was against the bailouts and is against corporate welfare! He is absolutely in favor of single-payer health care! He will get us out of Iraq immediately! He is for alternative and sustainable energy (like solar and wind)! He’s on the ballot in 45 states and is being virtually ignored by all corporate media (Fox, Clear Channel, NPR and the N.Y. Times)! Nader has been shut out of the debates. Celebrate democracy by coming to see the people’s candidate speak.
well it is over for the repubs now and there will not be a party left in a year or 2.
it will be over for life as we know it and the democrats too......they will be called democrats in name only,......we shall ALL fear the next qeneration..........the pendulum has come back the other way......let's see who qrabs it.......
I forqot the quys name that talks about the 60's qeneration and not wantinq to qrow old and investinq for playinq when older but, I'm sure his diet now consists of his words---or atleast the money he was paid for that commercial spot.......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
ALBANY Nader tries to make a 3-way race 3rd party presidential candidate addresses supporters at The Egg BY JUSTIN MASON Gazett Reporter
Some people aren’t aware Ralph Nader is running for president this year. In fact, recent polls have shown that nearly two-thirds of Americans don’t realize the 74-year-old consumer advocate and long-time activist will make his third run for the White House this century or that his name will appear on ballots in more states than it did during his run in 2004. “I bump into people all the time and they ask me, ‘what are you doing?’ ” he told a near capacity crowd at The Egg at the Empire State Plaza Thursday night. “And I say ‘let me give you a card.’ ” Nader stopped in Albany as part of a tour through New York. Before arriving in the Capital Region, the independent candidate made stops at New Paltz and in Manhattan, where he decried the recent $700 billion federal bailout of Wall Street while standing in front of the New York Stock Exchange. More than 300 supporters enthusiastically welcomed Nader to The Egg, where he continued his criticism of the bailout and faulted the two-party system for failing to serve the public interest. He also took aim at the major media outlets — including every major television network — for imposing a “blackout” on his campaign and disregarding him as a serious candidate. “I have no doubt if I was in those de- bates, this would be a three-way race,” he said. Nader’s message was grim about the state of American politics, which he described as rife with corporate influence. But the often vitriolic message seemed to engage his audience through the hourlong speech. “They are laughing at us,” he said. “They are mocking us, and they are daring us to revolt against their corporate paymasters.” He drew cheers when he called for an end to the war in Iraq and a renewed push for solar and wind energy. He also received thunderous applause when he suggested the tax system should make money from speculation on Wall Street. “We could have huge revenues from taxing the things we want to diminish instead of honest labor,” he said. Nader also called for the formation of a “Congress action group” to watch over politicians in each of the nation’s congressional districts. He suggested the group could keep their respective communities apprised of events in the Capitol. “There is only one thing Congress wants and that’s to stay in office,” he said. “You’ve got the key to that office.” Nader announced his bid for the presidency in February, naming San Francisco lawyer Matt Gonzalez as his running mate. Despite his candidacy being roundly characterized as having little impact, he predicts his ticket will win far more than the 400,000 votes he garnered running as an independent in 2004, and perhaps more than the 2.8 million he drew as the Green Party candidate in 2000. Many Democrats faulted Nader for tipping the scales of the 2000 election toward George W. Bush. Among his millions of votes, he earned 97,000 in the swing state of Florida, which Bush won by 537 votes. Joseph Zimmerman, a political science professor at UAlbany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, said Nader’s 2008 campaign seems more reminiscent of his 2004 run, in that he hasn’t drawn much attention from the mainstream media. He doubted Nader’s running would have an effect on the outcome, as many have speculated it did in 2000. “The media has decided his day has passed and they have more important people to focus on,” Zimmerman said. But Zimmerman said Nader’s candidacy isn’t necessarily as focused on winning votes as much as it is on getting his message of change across. Despite winning little support at the polls, Nader has remained a voice for broad reform in government. “That’s what we need is more reformers who won’t give up if they lose one election,” he said. “Nader proves he has staying power even though he doesn’t have much influence.” Lora-Lynne Krobetzky, a former Green Party candidate for the Schenectady City Council and member of Nader’s campaign, lauded his determination and predicted his campaign this year would eclipse his 2000 run. She said Nader’s message is resonating now more than ever because voters have become disenchanted with the political process. “It’s about building a movement throughout the country,” she said after Nader’s speech, “and trying to create some choices instead of the two-party system.”
Presidential hopeful Ralph Nader addresses the crowd Thursday night at the Lewis Swyer Theater at The Egg in Albany. BRUCE SQUIERS/ GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER
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