Last night, we held our breath. There was no more time for calling or canvassing. It was like that moment when astronauts slingshot around the moon. We were Houston, watching intently but unable to assist.
Today we breathe deeply, and the sky looks more blue than ever before. Today we can do anything.
Last night, we watched the electoral votes surging slowly and erratically upward, and we sat taller by the minute.
Today we wear our Obama buttons just for fun, like football fans gleefully displaying our loyalty to the winning team. Today we love everyone who shared this moment with us, even (or especially) Senator John McCain.
Last night, there were whoops of joy, clapping hands, tears, laughter, cheering, hopping, and dancing in the street.
Today we remind each other of the hard road ahead, as if suddenly we must temper hope with realism, when for so long we have tempered realism with hope. It is so easy now to slough off fear and cynicism. It is so easy to smile and think of the better future that lies ahead for our children, so we keep reminding each other not to leave behind the tools that will help us climb this mountain.
Last night, the church bells were ringing through the cold, still air.
Today, we are practicing the sound of it in our mouths: President Obama.
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Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Jeannie's Endorsements
I'm a bit late in posting this, as of course it was published before the election. Nonetheless I'll include it to not have a missing link in my archive.
Vote for progress
Jeannie’s endorsements for 2008
Melvin Edwards for Catoosa County Board of Education
Check out the questionnaire interview completed by Brent Williams and Melvin Edwards. Williams talked only about his love of numbers. By contrast, incumbent Melvin Edwards talked about his love of kids and his love for education. As Edwards put it, education has been his whole life. As a former student of Ringgold Middle School where Edwards was principal, I know that his words ring true. Back then I thought he was too strict with his shiny shoes and militaristic attitudes. Now I read in the news about bomb threats and sexual assaults in schools all over the country, and understand why Melvin Edwards ran such a tight ship. He loves the kids in this county and wants to make sure every single student receives a solid education.
Both candidates recognize that we have major budget issues as a result of Perdue’s 1.5 billion cut in state educational funds. Williams is focused on budget cuts and is threatening to outsource our school buses. Edwards is focused on educating the children in this county.
Ralph Noble for District 3 State Rep
The children of north Georgia desperately need an advocate in Atlanta to prevent further robbing of our educational system. That’s why I am endorsing Ralph Noble, who is a public school teacher and former president of the Georgia Educators Association. On his website, Noble states, “My top priority will be to fully fund education in Georgia.”
Noble’s platform also includes fighting for responsible middle class tax cuts and providing quality, affordable health care for children and the elderly. Noble believes that groceries should always be tax exempt and that hunting and fishing rights should be protected. These types of “common sense” approaches to government make Ralph Noble an excellent candidate for the Georgia House of Representatives.
Sadie Morgan for District 2 State Rep
In District 2, the best choice for the Georgia House of Representatives is Sadie Morgan. Sadie is not a career politician. Like many people in her district, she knows the day-to-day struggle of raising a family in a weakening economy. Sadie Morgan was talking about the coming foreclosure crisis during the last campaign, while her Republican opponent Martin Scott was so out of touch, he claimed the biggest problem facing District 2 was Islamic fascism. What a joke! The only fascists around here are the ones who wear white sheets.
Bruce Coker for Georgia Senate
Just as we need Sadie’s vision and Ralph’s common sense in the statehouse, we also need solid, real-people representation in the Georgia Senate. Bruce Coker is a long-time public servant who truly cares about the individuals in his district. While he may not possess the slick charm of incumbent Jeff Mullis, Coker also lacks the lobbyist ties and political entanglements.
Jeff Mullis has proven to be an expensive employee without results. Consider that citizens are paying Mullis $75,000 per year as head of the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority to bring business to the county, in addition to what he makes as state senator. Some citizens point out that this is “double dipping” and a conflict of interests. More telling, no jobs have been produced. Time has come to release Mullis from both his ineffective positions.
Jim Powell for Public Service Commissioner
Jim Powell will stop the systematic deregulation of the power industry, which has increased power prices by about 40%. Once again power producers will be required to practice least-cost planning so that our rates are kept low. Fuel source diversity and energy efficiency are two ways Powell will bring down those rates. As a former senior official with the U.S. Department of Energy, Powell has more than twenty years in federal energy policy and programs, making him easily the most experienced candidate for the job.
Jeff Scott for US Congress
The first time I heard Jeff Scott speaking about smaller government and personal responsibility, I scoffed, “I’m not sure that guy is really a Democrat.” Frankly, he sounded too much like Reagan. Since then I’ve decided that Dr. Scott is a super-moderate kind of guy who thinks about issues deeply without checking the party line. For example, the Democratic platform on health care is that it should be freely (or at least cheaply) available to everyone. Dr. Scott emphasizes teaching healthy living habits and prevention so that medical costs are decreased.
Incumbent Nathan Deal has been a bad deal for north Georgia. He has repeatedly voted right down Bush’s party line -- against education and health care and in favor of Big Oil, invasion of our privacy without warrant, and endless war. Most frightening is Deal’s collusion with neoconservatives who want to replace income taxes with a 26% sales tax that will destroy small businesses and unfairly burden the middle class.
What we need in Washington is a fresh, open-minded representative who will look out for ordinary people like me and you. I have every confidence that Dr. Jeff Scott is the man for the job. Last weekend I asked Dr. Scott why he was running for office. He replied, “to get the government ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’ back to the people.”
Jim Martin for US Senate
As a state representative, Jim Martin helped found the PeachCare program that continues to provide affordable healthcare for thousands of Georgia children. Under two governors – one Democrat and one Republican – Jim Martin served as head of Georgia Department of Human Resources. Now Martin is running for the US Senate in order to help Americans recover from the failed policies of Bush and Cheney.
Incumbent Saxby Chambliss has been nothing but a Bush lapdog. Chambliss voted against bringing our troops home. He has repeatedly voted against health care for children and veterans. He even voted against requiring better gas mileage for new cars and against researching alternative fuels. He has voted down the line with the Bush agenda with only one exception: Chambliss supported farm subsidies, a wasteful corporate welfare program that benefits wealthy agricultural interests. Amazingly, Chambliss is even worse than Bush.
Barack Obama for President, Joe Biden for Vice President
The Obama/Biden ticket is truly an opportunity to turn around our economy, our foreign policy, and our future. The McCain camp talks about change even as they support every failed policy Bush has put forth. They say there have been “mistakes made,” yet never enumerate what those mistakes were or how they would fix them. In short, McCain hopes to be Bush’s third term. The only citizens who should vote for the McCain/Palin ticket are those people who are prospering in this economy and happy with the way Bush has lead this country. If you are not happy with Bush, you will not be happy with McCain.
Vote for progress
Jeannie’s endorsements for 2008
Melvin Edwards for Catoosa County Board of Education
Check out the questionnaire interview completed by Brent Williams and Melvin Edwards. Williams talked only about his love of numbers. By contrast, incumbent Melvin Edwards talked about his love of kids and his love for education. As Edwards put it, education has been his whole life. As a former student of Ringgold Middle School where Edwards was principal, I know that his words ring true. Back then I thought he was too strict with his shiny shoes and militaristic attitudes. Now I read in the news about bomb threats and sexual assaults in schools all over the country, and understand why Melvin Edwards ran such a tight ship. He loves the kids in this county and wants to make sure every single student receives a solid education.
Both candidates recognize that we have major budget issues as a result of Perdue’s 1.5 billion cut in state educational funds. Williams is focused on budget cuts and is threatening to outsource our school buses. Edwards is focused on educating the children in this county.
Ralph Noble for District 3 State Rep
The children of north Georgia desperately need an advocate in Atlanta to prevent further robbing of our educational system. That’s why I am endorsing Ralph Noble, who is a public school teacher and former president of the Georgia Educators Association. On his website, Noble states, “My top priority will be to fully fund education in Georgia.”
Noble’s platform also includes fighting for responsible middle class tax cuts and providing quality, affordable health care for children and the elderly. Noble believes that groceries should always be tax exempt and that hunting and fishing rights should be protected. These types of “common sense” approaches to government make Ralph Noble an excellent candidate for the Georgia House of Representatives.
Sadie Morgan for District 2 State Rep
In District 2, the best choice for the Georgia House of Representatives is Sadie Morgan. Sadie is not a career politician. Like many people in her district, she knows the day-to-day struggle of raising a family in a weakening economy. Sadie Morgan was talking about the coming foreclosure crisis during the last campaign, while her Republican opponent Martin Scott was so out of touch, he claimed the biggest problem facing District 2 was Islamic fascism. What a joke! The only fascists around here are the ones who wear white sheets.
Bruce Coker for Georgia Senate
Just as we need Sadie’s vision and Ralph’s common sense in the statehouse, we also need solid, real-people representation in the Georgia Senate. Bruce Coker is a long-time public servant who truly cares about the individuals in his district. While he may not possess the slick charm of incumbent Jeff Mullis, Coker also lacks the lobbyist ties and political entanglements.
Jeff Mullis has proven to be an expensive employee without results. Consider that citizens are paying Mullis $75,000 per year as head of the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority to bring business to the county, in addition to what he makes as state senator. Some citizens point out that this is “double dipping” and a conflict of interests. More telling, no jobs have been produced. Time has come to release Mullis from both his ineffective positions.
Jim Powell for Public Service Commissioner
Jim Powell will stop the systematic deregulation of the power industry, which has increased power prices by about 40%. Once again power producers will be required to practice least-cost planning so that our rates are kept low. Fuel source diversity and energy efficiency are two ways Powell will bring down those rates. As a former senior official with the U.S. Department of Energy, Powell has more than twenty years in federal energy policy and programs, making him easily the most experienced candidate for the job.
Jeff Scott for US Congress
The first time I heard Jeff Scott speaking about smaller government and personal responsibility, I scoffed, “I’m not sure that guy is really a Democrat.” Frankly, he sounded too much like Reagan. Since then I’ve decided that Dr. Scott is a super-moderate kind of guy who thinks about issues deeply without checking the party line. For example, the Democratic platform on health care is that it should be freely (or at least cheaply) available to everyone. Dr. Scott emphasizes teaching healthy living habits and prevention so that medical costs are decreased.
Incumbent Nathan Deal has been a bad deal for north Georgia. He has repeatedly voted right down Bush’s party line -- against education and health care and in favor of Big Oil, invasion of our privacy without warrant, and endless war. Most frightening is Deal’s collusion with neoconservatives who want to replace income taxes with a 26% sales tax that will destroy small businesses and unfairly burden the middle class.
What we need in Washington is a fresh, open-minded representative who will look out for ordinary people like me and you. I have every confidence that Dr. Jeff Scott is the man for the job. Last weekend I asked Dr. Scott why he was running for office. He replied, “to get the government ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’ back to the people.”
Jim Martin for US Senate
As a state representative, Jim Martin helped found the PeachCare program that continues to provide affordable healthcare for thousands of Georgia children. Under two governors – one Democrat and one Republican – Jim Martin served as head of Georgia Department of Human Resources. Now Martin is running for the US Senate in order to help Americans recover from the failed policies of Bush and Cheney.
Incumbent Saxby Chambliss has been nothing but a Bush lapdog. Chambliss voted against bringing our troops home. He has repeatedly voted against health care for children and veterans. He even voted against requiring better gas mileage for new cars and against researching alternative fuels. He has voted down the line with the Bush agenda with only one exception: Chambliss supported farm subsidies, a wasteful corporate welfare program that benefits wealthy agricultural interests. Amazingly, Chambliss is even worse than Bush.
Barack Obama for President, Joe Biden for Vice President
The Obama/Biden ticket is truly an opportunity to turn around our economy, our foreign policy, and our future. The McCain camp talks about change even as they support every failed policy Bush has put forth. They say there have been “mistakes made,” yet never enumerate what those mistakes were or how they would fix them. In short, McCain hopes to be Bush’s third term. The only citizens who should vote for the McCain/Palin ticket are those people who are prospering in this economy and happy with the way Bush has lead this country. If you are not happy with Bush, you will not be happy with McCain.
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