From Alaska to Florida, to battleground states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, working with the AFL-CIO through the Labor 2008 program, helped make the difference for the Obama-Biden ticket and other pro-worker candidates this year.

Thousands of IBEW members volunteered--knocking on doors, leafleting workplaces, making phone calls and stuffing envelopes--to convince their co-workers to vote for candidates who have built strong records of supporting working families.

"These efforts weren't just about partisan politics," says International President Edwin D. Hill.  "They were about the very survival of working families. I am so proud of the work of our members in Labor 2008."

Watch a recap of the IBEW's efforts.

I have been an advocate of Richardson, for Secretary of State - for quite some time. But given the economic situation - is Bill actually better suited for Secretary of Commerce?

What do you think?

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliabl e-source/2008/11/rep_linda_sanchez_pregn ant_now.html

It's actually going to be funny, listening to people who attacked Bristol Palin defend Linda Sanchez. And, vice versa, of course.

They are obviously in different situations.

One is a private citizen, and a kid, and had an "accident".

The other is a public official, and an adult, and the pregnancy is wanted.

Democrats we are the majority party now.  We have responsbilities to 100% of the population.  We can no longer look at the country from a protest point of view from various numerical minorities if we don't want to return to be minority status.

Or is that where most here feel comfortable?

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,233 5035,00.asp

This article shows that the exremists in the gay rights movements have moved past tolerance, acceptance, and even equality.  They are demanding that people who disagree with them have their rights curtailed.

In this case the E-harmony business decided it was better to settle than fight a civil lawsuit.  I think that is a horrible idea because it will re-invigorate others to use the law to force others to think a certain way.

Let's understand:

E-harmony had a business that matched

men

with

women

Everyone was welcome to purchase their service if that's what they wanted.

There are other businesses that offer similar services for people seeking same sex relationships.

Yet, the premise of this suit is that it is discriminatory for
eharmony to be in the business that they want to be in, and that the government should either force them to change their business or go out of business.

For people who keep comparing this to race, this is just one of many examples of why the comparison is not apt.

First it is offensive to me as an African American to compare what my people have gone throught to an orientation that a person can declare or not declare and switch based on their preference.

But I digress.

When blacks sue to be served by the private businesses, it was to receive the same  exact service as the next person.  No better. No worse.  No different.

This person who brought the suit is forcing eharmony to have to actually change his business, change his computer programs, and now actually do something the company obviously didn't want to do.

If Democrats on all sides of these issues can't agree that a website has the right to determine what business they are selling, and not be forced to offer a service they might disagree with, we will deserve to lose the majority.

Luckily, so far President - elect Obama has shown himself to be in tune with the American people.

It would be equal to forcing MyDD to print pro-Republican material to balance the pro-Democratic tilt on this site.

So, Obama isn't going to change Dont Ask Dont Tell until he gets a 'consensus' with the Joint Chiefs on the Issue.

Fat chance of that happening.

LMMFAO

I guess Obama agrees with the 'wingnuts' that homosexuals need to stay  in the closet and stop flaunting their deviancy.  This is funny stuff.

OBAMA:  All things to all lefties - and the gays are the first thrown...lmao...under the bus.

EXCLUSIVE: Obama to delay repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell'

OOPS

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008 nov/21/obama-to-delay-repeal-of-dont-as k-dont-tell?page=2&comment_page=2

Sarah Palin is the ift that just keeps on giving. Unfortunately, this time she's giving us ineptness mixed with insensitivity.

Since the speculation has started regarding Hillary Clinton leaving the Senate and who Gov Patterson should tap to replace her, I'll throw my preferred hat in the ring as well... Rep Kirsten Gillibrand.

My family lives in NYC but we own a second home in the Hudson River Valley in Gillibrand's district. I've always been super impressed by her. I've seen her campaign and also heard her speak at an Eleanor Roosevelt luncheon for women in politics.

She's got reams of political promise, is telegenic, appealing, charismatic and lots to recommend her. In my opinion, she's a rising star for our party. I believe she could potentially go "all the way" and be our first woman President. She's young (41), smart (graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1988, law degree from the UCLA School of Law), experienced for her young age (both public and private sector). She served as Special Counsel to Andrew Cuomo (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development) during the Clinton Administration. She has also served as a law clerk on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and as a partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner where she worked on a wide range of legal and policy-related issues.

NY-20 contains many very rural counties and communities where Republicans predominate (due mainly to conservative social views on "moral" issues and gun control). She won her first race (a very grassroots effort) in 2006 against the formidable 4-term GOP incumbent John Sweeney by a 6% margin (an upset victory). She was the first Democrat to win the seat in almost 30 years and the first woman to represent the district. She just defended her seat in a tough race against Sandy Treadwell to win her 2nd term (62% to Treadwell's 38%).  

She has 2 young sons, Theo aged 4 and Henry who was just born in May.

Yesterday there was this article in the NYTimes ("In a Roomful of Representatives, Perhaps a Senator in Waiting") with the following snip:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/nyregi on/20paterson.html

People who are familiar with Mr. Paterson's thinking on the matter have said in recent days that while the governor had not made a short list, he has discussed several names -- including Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, Representative Kirsten E. Gillibrand of Hudson, Representative Brian Higgins of Buffalo and the Bronx borough president, Adolfo Carrión Jr.

Mr. Paterson would prefer to have a candidate who is from upstate or is a woman or is Latino, according to people who know the governor's preferences but requested anonymity so they could speak openly about his thinking.

On September 5th, 1995, one of the most important and stirring speeches ever delivered by an American statesperson was delivered in Beijing.  In one of those strange historical moments when it becomes immediately apparent how odd it is that no one has yet said something so obvious and so important before, or at least not as clearly or as loudly, Hillary Rodham Clinton declared: "If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights once and for all."  Anyone who doubts the importance of this address, who doubts the quality of its content or form, should take a few brief moments to review Clinton's remarks in their entirety: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches /hillaryclintonbeijingspeech.htm.