Adrienne Campbell, 26, recently found out she has ovarian cancer and she is uninsured. Her emotional story caught the attention of the attendees at the Dearborn Health Care Forum.
OK, America, so I pulled a tiny prank tonight—and it was so classic that I have to tell you all about it.
It involves freedom of speech, a friendly message to one of those crazy Republicans we all know—and it forced that crazy Republican to get up at three in the morning because he could not handle the threat to his world view.
Wanna hear all about it?
Then come along and follow the story...because it’s worth it.
In 2004, George W. Bush broke the record for the most votes ever received for President of the United States: 62,040,010. For the worst President in our history.
This tells us something about half of the country.
Four years later, his successor, Barack Obama, received AT LEAST 63,112,000 votes from the other half of the country.
Went out to volunteer today and got sent off to Flint, where my task was to walk the streets and hand out door hangers. Easy stuff.
The last precinct we did over by Hurley Hospital...damn. All I can say, is...damn. Empty lots, abandoned houses all over the place, phone boxes ripped open and stripped of copper...The stuff that makes you wonder: "what country am I in?"
Yet with this and all of the bad news that's come out of Flint over the years it was refreshing to see that there's also still some very vibrant, neatly-kempt - downright beautiful - neighborhoods in the city too. It was a great time walking these streets and talking to folks.
Had my first visit to Angelo's Famous Coney Dogs for lunch. Absolutely classic...and deliciously horrible for one's health.
Everywhere we went, Obama signs all over the place. Just about everyone was gung-ho Obama, Obama, Obama. That's Flint. Hopefully it translates into a knockdown margin tomorrow.
(Headed into the home stretch. - promoted by Eric B.)
I hope you read my blog post today at mi.barackobama.com. With only four days left until the most important election of the last eighty years, I'm doing everything I can do to help create the change we need by electing Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Please join me in working hard these last four days to elect Barack Obama president, and read my blog post to learn about all the reasons why Senator Obama will be a partner for Michigan in the White House. Eight years of Bush policies are enough
(It usually takes a couple cups of coffee to angry up my blood in the morning... - promoted by Eric B.)
When historians look back at the 2008 Presidential election, they will recount with disgust the GOP attempts to convince the public that the Democratic candidate--a sitting Senator--was a 'terrorist' and a 'socialist.' It is with great dismay, therefore, that I wake up this morning to find the editorial board of the Detroit News parrotting this offensive GOP campaign under the guise of an 'endorsement' of John McCain for President. The editorial has the right to endorse whichever candidates it chooses, but their decision to pluck langauge and arguments directly from the GOP box of rotten rhetoric is cowardly and cynical in the extreme. When a newspaper echoes political propaganda in the form of an 'endorsement,' it represents more than the failure of journalism. It is the failure of civic responsibility itself.
If you're like me, you've been meaning to get down to your local Obama office and do something useful in this here election cycle. But things just keep getting in the way: kids, work, home repair projects, [insert excuse here] or maybe you're just too tired.
Well, here's the plain truth: if we're going to do something besides write checks or type stuff into a computer, the time to act is now. In less than two weeks this thing is going to be over.
Yeah, things do seem to be going pretty well for our side...especially here in Michigan. But don't let that make you complacent. You never know what last-minute evil tricks the Republicans have their sleeves.
And anyway, this isn't just about winning. It's about delivering a massive body blow - the most emphatic rejection possible - to the drown-government-in-a-bathtub, trickle-down philosophy that's paralyzed this country for years (virtually my entire life). We desperately need to throw them to ground - and we may never get a chance like this again.
So here's what I'm going to do. For four hours on the Saturday and Sunday before the election - and for eight hours on both Monday and Election Day - I'll be at Lansing Obama HQ making phone calls and going door-to-door. I'd like to do more, but at least it's something.
If you're in the Lansing area, the campaign is especially looking for folks those last four days before the election. If you can help, Chris Lewless is your man (a Michlibber from w-a-y back). Contact him here:
Chris Lewless
christopher_lewless@yahoo.com
517-974-6072
BTW, the Lansing office is located conveniently in the old Michigan Catholic Conference building, right in front of Saul Anuzis and Republican state headquarters (seriously!):
505 N. Capitol Ave.
Lansing, MI 48933
(517) 485-4124
And if you're located outside of Lansing, your local Obama office can be found right here.
After we're done and accomplished our task, you shall find me running joyously through the streets of the 'hood, waving my American flag and yelping with pure delight. We've waited eight years for this. Eight. Long. years.
Just a few months ago, the Bush Administration sent me a $600 Economic Stimulus Payment. By sending such payments to taxpayers, this Administration thought it could jump-start the economy.
This stimiulus program has proven to be a miserable failure. I put my stimulus payment into the bank,where it has drawn a paltry interest, far less than the rate at which price inflation is eating it away. Thank goodness I didn't put it into my mutual fund, where it would have lost far more of its value.
I have decided that the only way I can help stimulate the economy is to help Barack Obama get elected, and bring real change to our economy and to our nation. So, yesterday I took that stimulus money out of the bank and I donated it to his campaign. I hope all his supporters will consider doing the same.
Governor Granholm appeared today on Face the Nation with Bob Sheiffer, Roy Blount, Heather Wilson and Diane Feinstein discussing Presidential politics.
And here, in case you haven't seen it yet, is a perfectly swell little slideshow from Governor Granholm's debate prep sessions with Joe Biden (h/t dKos).
Okay...here's my story...
So there we are at Barack's rally in East Lansing: Charlie and Rachel (my twins - Bear and Bird, respectively) and my godmother Carol (Joanie had an appointment). A Great rally; great speech; great crowd. Weather was lousy with a cool, brisk wind and occasional sprinkles of rain. Didn't matter though - between 10 and 20 thousand people braved the elements to fill what is a rather small, but picturesque field in the old part of the MSU campus.
When the speech ended, I picked up Charlie and Carol carried Rachel toward the rope line with hopes of shaking the hand of the pres-to-be. Somewhere in here Carol and I got separated.
Anyway, the Bear and I got within reaching distance and my arms ached as I held him up high, waiting for Barack to make his way around the circuit. Charlie was, of course, being his regular 14-month old charmer self, flirting with the ladies and giggling and grabbing at everything in sight - including an Obama sticker worn by a guy next to us. In an act of goodwill, the man took his sticker and put it on the Bear's shirt. The Bear was very happy about this.
Securing the votes in Congress to pass real immigration solutions into law isn’t going to be easy. The next President – no matter who wins – will need to lead his own party first to get it done.
(West-siiiide in the house! - promoted by PerfectStormer)
This is Chris, from the Michigan Federation of College Democrats reporting live from the MFCD Make It Happen Bus. Thanks to a newly purchased verizon internet card, look out for live updates throught the course of the week. Friday, the Make It Happen tour, which is graciously sponsored by Lt. Governor John Cherry kicked off forcefully. With a stop at Monroe CCC and then a huge kickoff event with the UofM Dems Friday, MFCD continued to crawl over to the sunny 7th CD.
Hundreds of fans were in downtown Detroit today for a visit from the Today Show. Governor Grahnolm was interviewed by Ann Curry about the state of the Presidential race. For some reason Curry insisted the race was tied in Michigan, even though at least one poll is showing Obama with a 10 point lead.
Update: Corrections made; there is not a stop at Michigan State University. Instead, it is at Grand Valley State University.
Member of the Black Eyed Peas and Star of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to Register Voters on Campuses Across Michigan
Detroit, MI – Will.i.am, of the Black Eyed Peas, and Tatyana Ali, of "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," will be appearing on college campuses and in Campaign for Change offices this weekend across Michigan to register voters and energize volunteer canvassers. Will.i.am and Ali will be hop-scotching college campuses across Michigan on Saturday and Sunday, to encourage students to register to vote prior to the October 6th registration deadline and making stops at local campaign offices for canvass kick-offs.
Events for Saturday, September 20, 2008, include (all listed events are open to press):
10:00 to 10:15 am Lansing Canvas Kickoff Lansing Campaign for change office 505 N. Capitol Avenue Lansing, MI 48933
11:30 am to 12:15 pm Albion College Operation Registration The Quad 611 E. Porter St Albion, Michigan 49224
1:30 to 2:30 pm Western Michigan University Step for Change Show Parking lot outside Sangren Hall 1903 West Michigan Avenue Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5421
3:30 to 4:15 pm Benton Harbor Canvass Kickoff Broadway Park- Broadway & Empire St. Benton Harbor, MI 49022
5:45 to 6:30 pm Grand Valley State University Operation Registration Kirkhof Center West Lawn 1 Campus Drive Allendale, MI 49401
7:00 to 7:45 pm Hope College Operation Registration The Kletz Center 150 E. 10th Street Holland, MI 49423
8:20 to 9:30 pm Grand Rapids Eastown Festival Grand Rapids Office 1433 Wealthy St. SE Grand Rapids, MI 49506
More information on Sunday events to be released tomorrow.
Some years ago, jazz guitarist Pat Metheny vented at some
length
on his online bulletin board about Kenny G's decision to overdub his
smooth jazz saxophone all over Louis Armstrong's classic "What a
Wonderful
World." The rant was picked
up by Harper's Magazine. Here's a small taste:
(W)hen Kenny G decided that it was appropriate for him to defile the
music of the man who is probably the greatest jazz musician that has
ever lived by spewing his lame-ass, jive, pseudo bluesy, out-of-tune,
noodling, wimped out, fucked up playing all over one of the great
Louis's tracks (even one of his lesser ones), he did something that I
would not have imagined possible. He, in one move, through his
unbelievably pretentious and calloused musical decision to embark on
this most cynical of musical paths, shit all over the graves of all the
musicians past and present who have risked their lives by going out
there on the road for years and years developing their own music
inspired by the standards of grace that Louis Armstrong brought to
every single note he played over an amazing lifetime as a musician.
I only mention this now because it roughly approximates how I feel about
John
McCain coming to Michigan today and copping lines from the man who I
consider to be America's
greatest president, Franklin D. Roosevelt. From
the Chicago Tribune's "Swamp":
"One of our great presidents, Franklin Roosevelt,
expressed this optimism even at the height of the Great Depression. He
said, and I quote, 'plenty is at our doorstop but a generous use of it
languishes in the very sight of the supply.' "
"My friends, that's true again today. I reject the gloom and
doom
that says our nation is in decline," McCain said. "America's best days
are ahead of us."
