I hope you and others like you throughout the country will join, either as managers of each state blog or as participants to be listed on the blogroll.
The “AM” Blogroll (McCain's "morning in America") is designed to be a networking tool for the supporters of John McCain It is not to supplant any other group. Indeed, the AM Blogroll will also concentrate on grass-roots logistics, fund-raising, and eventually will become a ‘get out the vote’ tool for local communities.
It's early, but there are now two model blogs up (and will be more soon). Please visit them at:
(1) http://newmexicoforjohnmccain.blogspot.com/ -- and
(2) http://americanforjohnmccain.blogspot.com/.
http://pennsylvaniaforjohnmccain.blogspot.com/ will be up late Saturday.
The blogs will make it easier for people in each state to communicate with each other. The blog manager's role will be to make it easier for people's sharing share ideas and communicating what's going on in each state. The blogs can help ensure that McCain is competitive in every state, one of his stated goals.
Of course, no one but Senator McCain and his paid staff (a very small group compared to Obama's huge staff) can speak FOR the Senator. However, it is our first amendment right to speak ABOUT the Senator and his opponent.
We very much need volunteers to manage state blogs. Such people should be committed to the election of John McCain and willing to devote perhaps one hour per day to their particular state blog. (As the election nears, particularly in September and October of this year, the blogs will take on a tremendous importance in getting out the vote for Senator McCain.)
If you might not have the individual time to spend on the blog, please consider being a co-manager. There's reason why 2-3-4 people can't be co-managers. Such people won't be receiving instruction from anyone else, since each blog will be an individual enterprise.
That said, however, the state blogs should look alike (see the examples) and be as user-friendly as possible. That's why Blogger (blogspot.com) will be used. It's simple to set up and attract participants.
The goal would be for each state blog to have representatives from all (or nearly all) counties. Bloggers then can share information and suggestions in order to make certain each state is as well-organized as possible for the election. Also, we can learn from each other about successful tactics at winning supporters and getting out the vote.The state blogs should play a critical role.
However, you're encouraged to join other organizations devoted to Senator McCain. You can find out how to do so by going to: http://mccainvictory2008.com/. MV08 will always be an important element in the McCain effort.
If you'd like more information, please direct your questions either to me (TalkTop65@aol.com) or to SJReidhead@mac.com. You can also leave comments at our blogs.
Every state is going to be critical, but some may be more critical than others. They include: New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Virginia, and Florida. Your efforts can be crucial in such battleground states -- and others. If John McCain wins most of those states (esp. Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio), he will be the next President of the U.S. With enough effort, each state is winnable.
PLEASE VOLUNTEER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
At the Pennsylvania for McCain site (http://pennsylvaniaforjohnmccain/ (up and running on Sunday), I'll be sharing information provided by political superstar Sharon Caliendo of Oklahoma. She's an expert on individuals leveraging their efforts to elect candidates.
Also, don't forget to visit the models from New Mexico and America generally. Your suggestions are always welcome.
NOTE: THIS BLOG RECEIVES MANY VISITORS FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S. -- BRAZIL, CANADA, MEXICO, FRANCE, AUSTRALIA, AND ELSEWHERE. IF YOU'RE NOT A U.S. CITIZEN, YOU CAN'T CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY TO THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN. HOWEVER, YOU CAN HELP GREATLY BY COMMUNICATING YOUR SUPPORT FOR MCCAIN TO FRIENDS AND RELATIVES IN THE U.S. PLEASE START DOING SO TODAY! IF YOU ARE A U.S. CITIZEN OVERSEAS, THIS BLOG (AND OTHERS) WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT TO VOTE IN THE PRIMARY AND GENERAL ELECTION.
One of the finest bloggers in the history of, well, the blogosphere is SJ Reidhead, Cindy, of New Mexico. She's written an absolute wing-doozer of a column titled "Here he comes walking Down the Street -- Hey, hey it's Obama!" It is an absolute must-read, and you can find her blog it at: http://thepinkflamingo.blogharbor.com/blog. The direct link to the Obama column is as follows: http://thepinkflamingo.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/2/15/3526556.html.
Here are excerpts, starting with first two paragraphs in the piece:
I have a collection of pieces about Barack Obama today. I think I have two points about him. First, he is nothing more than your average crooked, corrupt, Chicago ward-healer politician with a good publicist. The man is corrupt. He is smoke and mirrors. If investigations into his fund-raising ever get started, the man is highly vulnerable.
Next, breathe a little easier. Barack Obama is not a cult. He’s a rock star. It is a generational thing – but it has nothing to do with politics.
This is exactly what Barack Obama is. He’s a rock star. He’s the hottest thing since Michael Jackson. He isn’t a cult. He’s a happening. He’s hip. He’s now. He’s all that. He’s entertainment. It’s the thing to do. You stand in line, sigh with bliss, scream, pass out, and then go chase him.
Ladies and gentlemen the Beatles have landed again and morphed into a presidential candidate. The beauty of this is the fact that “teen idols” have a short shelf life. Yesterday I thought I picked up twangs of buyer’s remorse, but today all I’m hearing is adoration. Roger Simon thinks he may be peaking too early.
From Right Pundits: Why the super-delegate bribes? “…This smells like political corruption of the highest form. Obama’s political action committee has donated $228,000 to 34 superdelegates who subsequently pledged their support, and the list of bribed superdelegates is growing. That is $8,000 per vote. He has donated another $466,000 to superdelegates who are still officially on the fence. Hillary Clinton’s political action committee has donated $95,000 to 13 delegates who subsequently pledged their support. That is $7,500 per vote. She has donated another $100,000 to superdelgates who are technically uncommitted. John McCain should fillet Barack Obama over this issue. Quid pro quo paying for votes tears at the heart of our democratic system. And love campaign finance reform or not, John McCain is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this Valentine’s Day gift from the Democrats….”
Superdelegate purchase? “…About half the 800 superdelegates -- elected officials, party leaders, and others -- have committed to either Clinton or Obama, though they can change their minds until the convention. Obama's political action committee has doled out more than $694,000 to superdelegates since 2005, the study found, and of the 81 who had announced their support for Obama, 34 had received donations totaling $228,000. Clinton's political action committee has distributed about $195,000 to superdelegates, and only 13 of the 109 who had announced for her have received money, totaling about $95,000….”
THE CULT
Charkes Krauthhammer on the cult of Obama “…Interestingly, Obama has been able to win these electoral victories and dazzle crowds in one new jurisdiction after another, even as his mesmeric power has begun to arouse skepticism and misgivings among the mainstream media. ABC’s Jake Tapper notes the “Helter-Skelter cultish qualities” of “Obama worshipers,” what Joel Stein of the Los Angeles Times calls “the Cult of Obama.” Obama’s Super Tuesday victory speech was a classic of the genre. Its effect was electric, eliciting a rhythmic fervor in the audience — to such rhetorical nonsense as “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. (Cheers, applause.) We are the change that we seek.”
That was too much for Time’s Joe Klein. “There was something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism ... ,” he wrote. “The message is becoming dangerously self-referential. The Obama campaign all too often is about how wonderful the Obama campaign is.”You might dismiss the New York Times’ Paul Krugman’s complaint that “the Obama campaign seems dangerously close to becoming a cult of personality” as hyperbole. Until you hear Chris Matthews, who no longer has the excuse of youth, react to Obama’s Potomac primary victory speech with “My, I felt this thrill going up my leg.” When his MSNBC cohosts tried to bail him out, he refused to recant. Not surprising for an acolyte who said that Obama “comes along, and he seems to have the answers. This is the New Testament.”…”
THE BOTTOM LINE
Barack Obama is the biggest thing since Michael Jackson. He is a super-star. The great thing about that is the moment something more exciting comes along, the fair weather fans are going to desert him. That's the way the game is played. They are always looking for the newest sensation. Obama is fresh meat for a generation that has never known this sort of excitement. It won't last. He's actually more the Mili-Vanilli (my spelling might be off) of the political world. He's a lip-syncer. There is nothing there but total and complete Chicago style political corruption. He is preaching purity and change to a generation who has not background in history or politics.
His opponent, John McCain must be the one who defines the Obama sensation. He must latch on to the corruption and push it for all it is worth. Obama followers are from the Day Care Generation. They can't handle being fussed at or anyone raising their voice. They must be handled with care, or they will go home and not play at all. If they cannot be swayed to reality, then the best place for them is at home, pouting.
Steve Maloney says: Cindy is absolutely correct in her piece when she says I'm doing a lot of research on Obama's finances, with emphasis on his big benefactor, America-hater George Soros, whose net worth is somewhere between $8.5 billion and $11 billion. He funnels huge sums, directly and indirectly, legally and illegally, to Barack Obama.
I have some excerpts below:
