Obama's own small-town values

S peakers at the Republican National Convention talked a lot about small-town values.

[Tim]

Starbucks???? OK there goes your small town values argument

[Eagle Ch aak Ora Fan]

Rove and Scmidt are attempting to brand our mainstream media, our favorite pundits and writers as “Piranhas!” which only means one thing The Republicans are trying to steal the fish pet Voters or Nature Lover's Vote? Or is this a Rove, Schmit and Davis Freudian Slip – They chose Piranhas - deep down they see themselves as Piranhas?

Democrats are courting all Republicans and Independents goldfish fans and Nature Lovers!

Trained Goldfish Performs Amazing Tricks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Dolphin play bubble rings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Killer Whale and Trainer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Change we can believe in.

Vote Obama/Biden '08

[Eagle Ch aak Ora Fan]

Rove and Scmidt are attempting to brand our mainstream media, our favorite pundits and writers as “Piranhas!” which only means one thing The Republicans are trying to steal the fish pet Voters or the Nature Lover's Vote? Or is this a Rove, Schmit and Davis Freudian Slip – They chose Piranhas - deep down they see themselves as Piranhas?

Democrats are courting all Republicans and Independents Goldfish, Dolphin and Killer Whale fans!

Trained Goldfish Performs Amazing Tricks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Dolphin play bubble rings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Killer Whale and Trainer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Change we can believe in.

Vote Obama/Biden '08

[Michael Kay]

Nice perspective. I am not sure what the phobia is about cosmopolitan cities. In my experience in the few cities where I have a lived (New York, San Francisco, Buenos Aires) the neighborhoods really feel like small towns. People everywhere like to form smallish groups to feel part of a village and support each other, organize, and gossip too. I suppose that the difference in large cities is that the communities tend to be a lot more diverse; and since urban dwellers tend to walk more and share public transportation, they may even be more inter-connected. Though I suppose a mega-millionaire from a small town like Phoenix must be even more down to earth.

[dolores sandoval]

Great response! Brings back memories of my visits to Int'l
House and my years at the School of the Art Institute. It bugs
me no end, this pseudo experience hurdle. Only one point --
please don't use the word tolerance. Like colour blindness it is
a downer. Appreciative is the bon mot. Colour appreciative too.
Who would opt for blindness?

[SafetyIssuesMan]

POLL

President most concerned w/ Americas SafetyIssues

http://www.topix.com/forum/news/2008-presiden...

[Sonia]

thank you for your editorial piece.

the news (television, radio, print, online) has me despondent. they tell me i should be ashamed for being educated, that i am unpatriotic for questioning the war, and they tell me i am "liberally biased" for questioning McCain and Sarah Palin's policies and stance on the issues.

I'm scared... scared that our country just doesn't get it... or just doesn't care. I'm scared the McCain/Palin = more wars with multiple countries (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, N. Korea). I'm terrified that our economy is in the tank... did you read the GOP platform?

And I'm ultimately scared of a party that espouses an "us vs. them mentality" to a room that doesn't include any people of color.

[WOW]

He is a Muslim or not?
I want a President who can speak the "truth" not hide from his values or his beliefs.
I am all for "freedom". America is all about freedom. If you are Christian, Muslim or Jewish - you are free in this great country.
What I don't understand is why is he hiding from it?
Does he really think the American people would "vote" on his faith and not his qualifications??

[CC loves Hyde Park]

Thank you Melissa for representing our neighborhood with pride. Barack Obama's candidacy has made me proud to be an American in a country that hasn't put me first. And that was difficult!

[The Bulter Did It]

You have got to be kidding me! Hyde Park? Small town?

Nice try but this small town "theory" will never hold water.

[Billy Bob]

The only thing keeping Obama from a Senate Ethics Investigation is a democratically controlled congress

Tony Rezko was a close friend , advisor and campaign fundraiser for Obama raising 250,000.00 for him.Obama, who has worked as a lawyer and a legislator to improve living conditions for the poor, took campaign donations from Rezko even as Rezko's low-income housing empire was collapsing, leaving many African-American families in buildings riddled with problems -- including squalid living conditions, vacant apartments, lack of heat, squatters and drug dealers.

Tony Rezko was convicted of 16 counts of Influence pedding and will be sentenced in October. The propriety of the Obama mansion acquisition would certainly have been a major issue with an ethics investigation. Obama purchased his mansion for 300,000 less than the asking price as Rezko's wife bought the adjacient vacant lot for full asking price which many real estate professionals said was simply a bad deal at the time. Obama later purchased a 10 foot wide strip of land from the Rezko's for almost double the assessed value of the land.

The fact that Obama was an attorney with a small Chicago law firm , Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland, at one point that helped Rezmar (Rezkos company) get more than $43 million in government funding to rehab 15 of their 30 apartment buildings for the poor.

Obama launched his first campaign for the Illinois Senate saying he wanted to "empower disenfranchised citizens".

Obama began his Political career by challenging hundreds of signatures on the nominating petitions of state Sen. Alice Palmer, the longtime progressive activist from the city's South Side. They kept challenging petitions until every one of Obama's four Democratic primary rivals was forced off the ballot. While "technically legal" to challenge voter signature, this same process was used by White Politicians to keep Black candidates off ballots in southern states.

Not to mention Obamas endorsemnt and long association with ACORN which is under voter Fraud investigation in several states right now.

If you want to hold anyone to some ethical standard it would be the career of Senator Obama.

[Tim]

Are you serious? Hyde Parke is a small town? That is one of the most laughable things I've ever heard. You obviously don't know what a small town or a small town mentality is. I have nothing against your experiences in Hyde Park or the big city of Chicago, but anyone who talks about hearing the African drums and then going home to the smell of burning sage is quite disjointed from the small town experience.

[Tim]

And another thing, the writer claims small-town, rural America values and then hyphenates her last name. I don't begrudge her for that, but just goes to show how little she knows about small-town, rural America. Try to find a woman in small-town, rural America who hyphenates her last name. It'd be just about as impossible as finding a right-thinking conservative in the big city...

[Peter]

Actually, I'm from a small town in Texas (5,000 people), and I knew several folks who hyphenated their last names, we elected Democratic local officials every election cycle, and we (gasp!) actually even had a few gay people, who we didn't stone to death in the public square!

Tim, has your head exploded yet?

[Tim]

Peter, why in the world would you think my head would explode? Just because you're intolerant of those different than you (i.e. conservatives) doesn't mean that I'm not man enough to get along with those different than me. In fact, I even said as much in my posts that I don't begrudge the author for her differences. I just find it totally laughable that she compares Hyde Park (which can at best be described as a suburb of Chicago, not small-town America) with the experiences of rural America. Besides, even you can't claim that your experience in your small town is indicative of the average small-town, rural America in fly over states. Heck, you can't even claim that your small town experience is indicative of the average small town in Texas. Plus, I find it interesting that you're from a small town in Texas, yet your post says your in South Bend, IN.