Der Parson's rant

It's a great day to be alive and to be a American!

I'm watching Obama give his speech now. I think I can also safely say Thank god it's over! We can finaly breath. No more political ads on tv and radio. Hopefully we can end these wars and get this country back on the right track!

CHICAGO TRIBUNE ENDORSEMENT: Chicago Tribune endorses Barack Obama for president -- chicagotribune.com: "This endorsement makes some history for the Chicago Tribune. This is the first time the newspaper has endorsed the Democratic Party's nominee for president."

I can hear the cons. crying about the "liberal media" already. I'm not sure I would count The Chicago Tribune as a liberal media out let any more then I would say Fox News is fair and balanced.

The Tribune in its earliest days took up the abolition of slavery and linked itself to a powerful force for that cause--the Republican Party. The Tribune's first great leader, Joseph Medill, was a founder of the GOP. The editorial page has been a proponent of conservative principles. It believes that government has to serve people honestly and efficiently.

They go on to talk about McCain's reckless vice presidential pick and his tax policy that is going to add trillions more to the budget. It's is pretty interesting reading.

This is pretty funny. Gramps is getting desperate.

John McCain's Voicemail to Barack Obama Leaked to Press (Listen) - 236.com - The Room

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I just signed up to have one sent to me.

MoveOn.org Opens voting for their Obama In 30 seconds contest.

Local blogger Robert Rouse from Left of Centrist has a video in the contest staring is children.



You can follow this link to vote

Here is the text from the speech Obama gave in Fort Wayne today.

Obama: Let’s bend that arc toward prosperity for all | The Journal Gazette

There is also are article from The Journal Gazette which has a video of the speech.

I didn't get to go, because the tickets were gone before I could get on the website to get one.

Obama to visit city on Friday

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama plans to visit Wayne High School, 9100 Winchester Road, at 11 a.m. Friday, Fort Wayne Community Schools spokeswoman Krista Stockman said Thursday morning.

The doors will open at 9 a.m.

The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. For tickets, visit in.barackobama.com

By the time I heard about this and went to the website to get tickets it said they are no longer available. I signed up for the waiting list just in case.

Guess who's coming to diner | The Journal Gazette

Owner Nabi Faghihi realizes using his small diner on the city's southwest side as a venue for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's visit to Fort Wayne today is somewhat odd.

“The menu's three times bigger than the restaurant,” Faghihi joked Thursday.

Inside the front door of Sara's Family Restaurant, a smiling picture of George W. Bush greets customers above a list of specials - the Reuben sandwich platter and French onion and vegetable beef soups Thursday.

Hillary comes to Fort Wayne, probably to make sure Bill didn't leave any stains behind when he was here a few weeks ago.

On another note, The Obama campaign is openining a office here in Fort Wayne on Saturday around 10am. (I couldn't find links for more info though) I might try to get up and drive down there a take some pictures and maybe see what kind of information they have.

Obama confronts U.S. legacy of racial division | The Journal Gazette

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don’t feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience – as far as they’re concerned, no one’s handed them anything, they’ve built it from scratch. They’ve worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor.

They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren’t always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze – a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns – this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding. This is where we are right now. It’s a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years.

This is just a section of Obama's speech. It's like he read the mind of this white blue collar worker, of course I can't say it because then I'm racist, or a woman hater because I just don't get this warm fuzzy feeling from Hillary.

Obama, Huckabee Win Iowa Caucuses - Politics on The Huffington Post

DES MOINES, Iowa — Sen. Barack Obama, bidding to become the nation's first black president, swept to victory in the Iowa caucuses Thursday night over Hillary Clinton and a high-powered Democratic field. Mike Huckabee rode a wave of support from evangelical Christians to win the opening round among Republicans in the 2008 campaign for the White House.

Hopefully this is some good news for Obama and he can keep this momentum going. Personally I favor Edwards, but I think anything is better then Hillary or a full blown Republican especially Huckabee. The bad thing is ol' Hillary will circle the wagons and really go on the attack now to pick up NH and try to get back in front.

Losing Ground In Iowa, Clinton Assails Obama - washingtonpost.com

Clinton, campaigning across Iowa on Sunday, appeared to be spoiling for a fight with her chief Democratic rival in national polls -- even at one point describing the battle as "fun."

"I have said for months that I would much rather be attacking Republicans, and attacking the problems of our country, because ultimately that's what I want to do as president. But I have been, for months, on the receiving end of rather consistent attacks. Well, now the fun part starts. We're into the last month, and we're going to start drawing the contrasts," she said.

That drew a swift rebuke from Obama. "This presidential campaign isn't about attacking people for fun, it's about solving people's problems, like ending this war and creating a universal health care system," he said in a statement. "Washington insiders might think throwing mud is fun, but the American people are looking for leadership that can unite this country around a common purpose."

Hopefully Obama and Clinton will keep this in-fighting going and turn voters off and help John Edwards get more support. That's what I hope for anyway.