Obama - What He'd Do With All This Palin Stuff

So the MYBO lists are still flurries of anti-Palin activity (I call it "Palinating"). We're completely engrossed by this ridiculous selection of Vice President. But in the name of this blog, I wonder, What Would Obama Do? Here is an excerpt from a speech from last night, while Hurricane Gustav has been slamming the Gulf Coast:

That spirit of looking out for one another, that core value that says I am my brothers’ keeper, I am my sister’s keeper, that spirit is most evident during times of great tragedy, it’s most evident during times of great hardship, it’s most evident when natural disasters strike because we understand that only God has control and so it takes it out of the realm of politics. We all understand that we have to come together.

But that spirit can’t just be restricted to moments of great catastrophe. Because as I stand here today and look out at the thousands of folks who have gathered here today, I know that there’s some folks that are going through their own quiet storms.

[…]

There’re people out there who’ve seen their jobs shipped overseas. There’re people out there who don’t have healthcare, maybe they’ve been trying to pay it on a credit card but mostly they’ve just been putting off trying to see a doctor. There’re seniors out there that don’t know how they’re going to pay their home heating bill this winter. There are folks out there that don’t know how they’re going to fill up the gas tank. There are young people in this audience right now that have graduated from high school, have the grades and want to go to college, but don’t have the money. There are young people being born in the inner cities, right here in Milwaukee, that don’t see any prospects for the future that think the only path available to them is a casket or a jail cell.

All across America there are quiet storms taking place. There are lives of quiet desperation. People who need just a little bit of help. Now, Americans are a self-reliant people, we’re an independent people. We don’t like asking somebody else to do what we can do ourselves but you know what we understand is that every once in a while somebody’s going to get knocked down. Every once in a while somebody’s going to go through some hard times. When we least expect it tragedy may strike. And what has always made this country great is the understanding that we rise and fall as one nation, that values and family, community and neighborhood, they have to express themselves in our government. Those are national values. Those are values that we all subscribe to. And so that the spirit that we extend today and in the days to come as we monitor what happens on the Gulf that’s the spirit that we’ve got to carry with us each and every day. That’s the spirit that we need in our own homes and it’s the spirit that we need in the White House. And that’s why I’m running for president of the United States of America.

Because if there’s a poor child out there, that’s my child. If there’s a senior that’s having trouble, that’s my grandparent. If there’s a guy who’s lost his job, that’s my brother. If there’s a woman out there without healthcare, that’s my sister. Those are the values that built this country. Those are the values we are fighting for.

So, what would Obama do? He'd keep moving on, talking about the issues, talking about a new dawn in America. Palin is a non-issue, so let's follow Obama and shape the future together.

To be clear

I'd like to clarify my position on "being positive." I am not in any way advocating saying only nice things about Senator Obama's opponents. Instead, I'm suggesting, tell the complete truth, but do it respectfully. The "What Would Obama Do?" concept is not literal, either, in that, as grass roots campaigners, we can and should talk about issues in detail that often Obama cannot.

For example, Senator McCain has clearly stated that one of his essential goals is to appoint Supreme Court justices specifically to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/95b18512-d5b6-456e-90a2-12028d71df58.htm

It is not negative campaigning to point this out. It is not "dirty" to provide truthful and complete information on the opponent's positions. With the above issue, it is also not negative to mention that no previous modern presidential candidate has admitted that they would select Supreme Court justices based on a "litmus test" of this kind, either for or against an issue. It would be negative, though, to say something like, "John McCain hates women," which would not be productive or influential at all.

Negative campaigning about McCain would include, for example, his age, his personal relationship/marriage issues, his temper, or the Internet-based "Manchurian Candidate" issue. You'll never hear Obama talk about these things, but, instead, you'll hear him honor McCain's military service, then talk about the issues McCain has stated his position on.

Cindy McCain is off limits, other than her public statements, such as her comments about Michelle Obama. The reason is, if the Republicans bait us into attacking Cindy, it will blur the evilness of their attacks on Michelle. We MUST take the high ground, and let the Republicans look like fools throwing their poop at us like chimpanzees as we march proudly to the White House.

The key is, we don't need to go negative to win, and, in fact, it would only serve to hurt us. We're winning now, and we will continue to do so as people finally get to know McCain for who he is now (versus the "maverick" he was in 2000), and as people who were not paying attention to the primary start listening to Obama and learning who he is. We should be positive, hopeful, respectful, and understanding that there are valid other viewpoints than ours, so we can use this new form of campaigning to usher in a new era of politics along with a new President.

Welcome to the WWOD blog

It's difficult to remain positive during this campaign! Senator Obama wants a new kind of campaign, and has asked his supporters to join him in being positive, respectful, and sticking to the issues. So I've created this site to help us think before we speak, "What Would Obama Do?"

I am a reformed Republican. My family and I have been working on the Obama campaign in Indiana for many months. I've been a supporter since before Senator Obama announced his candidacy, after reading his book, The Audacity of Hope.

As a Republican during past elections I have been a participant in Republican attack-politics, what I call Old School Politics. Through Obama's leadership, I have seen the light, but it's like suddenly never swearing again - not a quick and easy process. Here is what we should NOT do:

• Attack other candidate's personal lives or personalities.
• Spread rumors or insulting jokes.
• Get caught in arguments about "fake" issues like gaffes, pastors, flag pins, etc.
• Get angry or confrontational, no matter how others are acting.
• Use foul, divisive or racially charged language.

It will be difficult, as I've slipped several times just in the last few weeks. Won't you join me in this new world of positive campaigning?