1. Bush is a Republican.
2. We care about YOU.
3. Looks wonderful on any kind of application.
4. Everyone deserves more than one chance.
5. We help those less fortunate.
6. We believe in equality in all people reguardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.
7. We keep our noses out of others’ bedrooms.
8. Education is important.
9. We hold sacred freedom of press.
10. We believe in upholding civil liberty.
During my spring break, I was flipping through the channels when I just so happened to stumble across Barack Obama on “The View”. Whoopi Goldberg asked him what the first three things he would do if elected president.
The obvious first answer was to “…responsibly and honorably begin a withdrawal from Iraq…” That response was followed by “…give every American health care”. As important as those are, they didn’t really interest me. However, his third response made me like him even more than I already did. Obama said “The third thing is I really think we have to deal with our energy crisis. Everybody’s personal crisis is $4 a gallon gas which is maybe coming up this summer. So for us to say we’re going to deal with climate change and cap the emission of greenhouse gases and raise fuel efficiency standards and invest in solar and wind and bio-diesel, it’s a three-for. That’s the only way we can drive gas prices down over the long-term. It’s the only way that we’re going to deal with global warming.”
To me, that topic is very important. As a member of S.P.A.R.E. [students for protecting and restoring the environment] at my school, I would like our president to understand and agree with what I believe in. My peers and I feel Obama represents us, and will help increase the amount of teenage interest in politics.
Alright so a month ago I said that I would keep you guys up to date on the primaries. Well I forgot to do it so I have decided to update you on everything that has happened in the last ten weeks. I already did week 1 so this post begins with week 2.
Week 2 September 17-23
This week, Hillary Clinton announced her plan for mandatory healthcare for all American citizens. The plan would allocate $110 billion to help people afford healthcare while making it a law that all people must have some form of health insurance. She made this announcement at a hospital in Iowa in front of a large group of supporters and hospital workers. Upon hearing her announcement, both John Edwards and Barrack Obama were quick to attack her plan. Edwards claims that it is almost identical to his own healthcare plan and Obama was quoted as saying that his own plan goes farther than Clinton’s proposal.
Barack Obama announced his tax plan that would contain $80 billion in tax cuts. Obama plans to support these tax cuts by decreasing taxes on the poor and middle class and increasing taxes on the wealthy. This proposed tax plan fits into his constant statements in which he claims that the current tax code rewards the rich and punishes the poor and middle class. He also said that he will simplify the tax code, making it possible for most people to file their taxes in a matter of minutes.
Week 3 September 24- 30
John Edwards announced this week that he will accept public financing in the primary election. To accept public financing means that Edwards will limit the amount of private funds he will be allowed to accept. Critics have claimed that his acceptance of these funds is a result of a drop off in the amounts of money that he has been able to raise but Edwards claims that this is a move based on principle and he challenged his competitors, namely Obama and Clinton, to do the same. Barack Obama has stated that he will accept public financing in the general election if the Republican counterpart agrees to do the same.
Hillary Clinton is widening her lead in New Hampshire polls, now beating Obama by more than twenty points. As the primary gets closer, Clinton seems to be becoming more and more popular with the voters. Edwards is currently in third place and Richardson is currently coming in fourth.
Week 4 October 1-7
Barack Obama made a claim this week that his early opposition to the war in Iraq proves that he has the right qualities to lead this country. As a state senator in Illinois, Obama made a public statement before the invasion of Iraq in which he said that Saddam Hussein posed no imminent threat to the US. Because of his own opposition to the war, Obama has said that the Senators that voted in favor of the war should have foreseen the problems that would arise. By making this statement, Obama effectively attacked the decision making abilities of Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, both of whom voted in favor of the war.
The announcement of the third quarter fundraising totals happened this week and Hillary Clinton came out as the top fundraiser for the Democrats. She reports having raised $27 million this quarter. She beat Barrack Obama by roughly $7 million as his staff is reporting his total funds raised to $20 million. Coming in a distant third for total money raised is John Edwards who is presently reporting $7 million and Bill Richardson reported $5.2 million.
Week 5 October 8-14
Senator Obama criticized Hillary Clinton for a vote that she made in support of a measure regarding Iran, claiming that she repeated the mistakes that were made before the invasion of Iraq. The measure declared the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, part of the Iranian military, a foreign terrorist organization which could possibly allow President Bush to use military force against Iran. Obama used this vote to attack Clinton’s judgment ability while she defended herself saying that it was not a law.
Senator Clinton announced this week that, if elected president, she would meet with President Ahmadinejad of Iran without precondition. This statement called into question the comments that Clinton made following a debate in which she criticized Barack Obama calling him naive for having made a similar statement. In an effort make herself look less like a hypocrite, Clinton’s campaign issued follow up statement in which they clarified her position as if it were actually different from that of Obama.
Week 6 October 15-21
Polls have shown that Hillary Clinton holds more support from black Democrat voters than Barack Obama. Clinton holds more support from black women and the male black vote is split more evenly between the two candidates. Clinton’s popularity among black voters seems surprising but it shows that black people have trouble relating to Obama.
In an attempt to gain stronger support in South Carolina, John Edwards keeps bringing up the time that he spent living in the state. He claims that he knows well the issues important to the voters of that state because he experienced them personally. This is not entirely true because he may have been born in South Carolina but he was raised in North Carolina. Despite this fact, he is hoping that a win in South Carolina will help him to win the primaries in other key states.
Week 7 October 22- 28
The major national labor unions have yet to endorse a Democratic candidate for the primary. All of the candidates are actively working to gain the endorsement of any one of the major unions that have yet to offer endorsements. Analysts are saying that the unions are waiting until later in the primary, once the field has thinned out a bit, to name an endorsement because of the defeat of both of their endorsed candidates in the 2004 election. These unions are widely expected to endorse a candidate come the general election.
Analysts are saying that Barack Obama needs to start being tougher in his campaign strategy. He has always based his campaign on the principle of him being a unifier and reconciler. As a result, Obama commonly wins polls over who is the most likeable candidate. In polls of who will win, however, Clinton has a strong lead because people do not believe that Obama can win a national election unless he toughens up his campaign strategy.
Week 8 October 29- November 4
The endorsements of unions are powerful tools for presidential candidates in the Democratic primary. Unions offer candidates both recognition and a large supply of “ground troops” to help in the campaigning process. This week Hillary Clinton accepted the endorsement of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. With the Service Employees International Union refusing to endorse a candidate, this endorsement was highly sought by all of the Democratic hopefuls. John Edwards also received an important endorsement from the Service Employee’s International Union’s Granite State chapter in New Hampshire, the first state to hold a primary.
John Edwards and Barack Obama both attacked Hillary Clinton this week for her vagueness in describing her plan to strengthen Social Security. They also attacked her for being too close with lobbyists and the Washington elite. These attacks from Obama and Edwards show that both of these men are taking a tougher stance on their campaign policies.
Week 9 November 5- 11
Hillary Clinton was quoted as saying that her performance in last week’s debate was not her best. She said that she was not able to clearly express the points that she was trying make. Some of these points included her calls for fuel standards to increase over the next twenty years as well as a question regarding giving drivers’ licenses to illegal immigrants.
In a move that will hurt Barack Obama’s popularity with the 18-25 age group, his campaign pressured the South Carolina Democratic Party to vote against allowing Stephen Colbert to be on the Democratic ballot there. This pressure came from telephone calls made by leading Obama supporters in South Carolina. Obama has officially denied any connection to these phone calls, seeing an attack on Colbert as being detrimental to his popularity with young people, who make up the majority of Colbert’s fan base.
Week 10 November 12-18
On the issue of Social Security reform, Hillary Clinton offered a basic outline for the policies that she would push for if elected president. Compared to Obama, she claims that her policies would be more cautious, relying on bipartisan coalitions in Congress and fiscal responsibility. Barrack on the other hand stated that he would eliminate the cap on taxable income generating more funds by taxing the upper end of the socio-economic ladder. Both candidates support reducing the strain on middle-class families that currently bear the brunt of the cost of Social Security.
In the Democratic debate this week, Hillary Clinton defended herself against the constant barrage of attacks that have been aimed at her by her opponents for the Democratic nomination. She called all of these attacks mudslinging and defended herself against the claims that she has not taken a firm stance on any controversial issue since the start of her campaign. Obama and Edwards both continued to attack Clinton throughout the debate, attacking her positions on issues like the Iraq war and the corruption in Washington.
“This just in,” as they say, from Harvey Wells, General Manager of WCPT. In short, a new place on the dial, and a much stronger signal! Of course, this will also necessitate a new URL for the web page, currently at http://www.wcpt850.com/
Dear 850 Club Member,
It’s a good thing that we did not issue membership cards because if we did, they would simply be a collector’s item as of Monday, November 26th. That’s because beginning that day, WCPT is moving three steps to the left. Instead of broadcasting at 850-AM, we are moving to 820-AM. While that might be three small steps on the radio dial, it’s going to be one giant leap for Progressives all over Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin and Northwest Indiana.
Our new signal at 820-AM will literally double our coverage area. Instead of broadcasting at 2,500 watts from Crystal Lake Illinois, our new transmitter moves 40 miles right to the heart of Chicago. In fact, WCPT’s new 5,000 watt daytime signal will be the best signal of any major AM station in Chicago. Yes, I did say daytime because the 820-AM signal is also licensed by the FCC to sign-on at sunrise and sign-off at sunset. Although we would love to broadcast all day and all night, the new WCPT at 820-AM will now be heard from as far north as Milwaukee to as far south as Springfield.
The 820-AM signal has been very successful in the past. In fact, it was to fist signal of WSCR (The Score) and I can tell you from personal experience as The Score’s first General Manager that our new signal will finally put us on a level playing field with the rest of Chicago’s talk radio stations; just in time for the 2008 election season.
Speaking of playing fields and seasons, I am happy to tell you that Ed Schultz is coming back to Joey’s Brickhouse on Thursday night, December 6th. That is the night when the Bears play the Washington Redskins. We could not think of a better reason to bring Ed to Chicago than a combination of Washington politics and Bears football…until today. Now Ed’s appearance will not only be for watching the Bears beat the Redskins, but it will also be a celebration of our new home at 820-AM. Admission to the event is ten dollars, but the boys at Joey’s have promised a menu of great food that will more than pay for the admission price. For information, please call Joey’s Brickhouse at (773) 296-1300.
Finally, I have to thank each and every WCPT listener for spreading the news, like Johnny Appleseed, on the station and helping us take this very important step. I am especially thankful to the people who live in areas where our signal at 850-AM has (to say the least) not been very strong. Your ability to withstand radio noise will now be rewarded with a static-free signal beginning on Monday, November 26th. It’s our way of extending the Thanksgiving weekend an extra day!
Let me be the first person to welcome you to the 820 Club,
Harvey Wells
WCPT General Manager
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke today at Columbia University in New York City despite complaints from many influential people. On the list of opponents of this speaking engagement were several city council members for New York, several professors at Columbia, Henry Kissinger, and large crowds that gathered around in protest. The complaints stemmed from Ahmadinejad’s positions on the Holocaust, the state of Israel, and homosexuality. More or less, people did not want to let him speak because of Iran’s common association with terrorism and instability in the Middle East.
Despite all of these protests, the president of Columbia still invited Ahmadinejad to speak, an action for which I applaud him. I do not mean to say that I support the views of Ahmadinejad, who claims that there is insufficient evidence to support the existence of the Holocaust. I simply believe that it is important for Americans, especially young Americans, to learn a broad view of the world at large. It is important to hear unadulterated views about important global events, especially when it is ever more difficult to believe what our own leaders here in this country are telling us.
Most of what President Ahmadinejad said was complete garbage: fictitious ravings from an unbelievably biased source with obvious intent to sway public opinion. Nonetheless, it is important to hear what he has to say. The American public can learn from such view points. Imagine the reception that President Bush would receive if he were to go speak at an Iranian university. In order to be responsible citizens and to understand the world in which we live, we must listen to what leaders from around the world have to say, no matter how biased they may be.
Mike Kean, former Sergeant at Arms.
Everyone knows the leading contenders in the Democratic Presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama, and John Edwards. Few people, however, know much more than their names. As a result, and given that I have to do this as part of an assignment for my political science class, I am going to begin posting news about the presidential race on a weekly basis. I am also going to add the results of weekly national polls on who the leaders are.
With President Bush’s announcement that he will follow General Petraeus’s advice and begin withdrawing troops from Iraq, 30,000 by July of next year, many of the Democratic presidential hopefuls spoke out against his plan. Hillary Clinton called this plan “too little, to late,” and added that she believes the president should be doing more as the Commander in Chief to expedite the process of troop withdrawal. Barack Obama shared Clinton’s negative view of Bush’s new plan calling it a return to the original failed military policy in Iraq. He in turn proposed his own plan for a drawdown of troops that would involve the withdrawal of one to two brigades a month every month, which would mean to complete withdrawal of American forces by the end of next year. John Edwards called for the immediate withdrawal of 40-50,000 troops, while also calling Obama’s plan a copy of the president’s. Chris Dodd also criticized Bush’s plan but did not offer any ideas of his own.
In other news, Hillary Clinton rejected criticism over her acceptance of campaign contributions from lobbyists. Both Obama and Edwards used her acceptance of this money as proof that she is too firmly involved in the Washington institution. Both men, however, have accepted contributions from the employers and family members of lobbyists, a fact that greatly weakens their criticism of Clinton.
This weeks polls (excluding Al Gore):
Clinton 39%
Obama 20%
Edwards 13%
Richardson 1%
Kucinich 2%
Biden 1%
Dodd 1%
Unsure 11%
From the brilliant mind of Mike Kean, your friendly soon to be ex-Sargeant at Arms.
As the Iraq war drags on we are constantly searching for reasons as to why we have yet to pull out. Every time that I get into an argument with someone on this topic, it always comes back to the idea of killing off members of Al Qaeda. To an extent I have been able to accept this as a reason to keep on fighting. As against the war as I am, there is some appeal to taking the fight to the enemy. A recent report by the CIA has shown however that we are not even accomplishing anything in that respect.
The recently published CIA report stated that Al Qaeda has risen to its pre-9/11 strength despite waging a six year war, originally in Afghanistan and now in Iraq as well. The content of this report seems to show that even with how rapidly we are killing off potential terrorists, which, if you have been keeping track of the death tolls from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is very rapidly, we are creating more at an even faster rate. Therefore, the war in Iraq officially has no purpose. What have we accomplished then, if we have not weakened the terrorists at all but rather given them strength and a place to kill our troops?
It is scary to think that Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations can regain strength while simultaneously fighting two wars against the US and waring with other governments throughout the Middle East. The only conclusion that one can come to is that we have some how managed to make the people of the Middle East hate us even more than they did six years ago. I wonder how. This is a scary thought because six years ago they hated us enough to kill thousands of people in a matter of minutes.
From the brilliant mind of Mike Kean, your friendly Sergeant at Arms
Olbermann at his best. Watch it. Now.
A good chunk of my friends who have graduated high school within the past two years enlisted in some branch of the military. I am incredibly proud to say that I know these people. I, like so many other Americans, also live in daily fear of them getting that call to go to Iraq. These soldiers are eighteen and nineteen years old and are taking the places of the twenty-four and twenty-five year old soldiers being killed.
While I have sympathy for the soldiers who enlisted to help pay for college, and are now fighting for their country and their lives in the Middle East, I have to say, that is what the army does and it is to be expected, especially in such globally turbulent times. Most of the people I know who joined the military did so for just that, college. Some joined because they didn’t see themselves in college and wanted a way out a life working in the Ford factories.
The twenty-something brother of a friend of mine was sent to Iraq on Monday. His deployment made me so sick. He did enlist for college tuition and to do something for his country. But in post-9/11 circumstances, he knew he did not want to go to war. He enlisted in the National Guard. He led tanks into New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and now he’s being led into a war zone by a self-righteous President.
The National Guard was formed so that the American people had protection while the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force were in fighting in foreign lands. They are supposed to be here if anything happens to us back home. It disgusts me that they are being sent overseas to war. I don’t support the President’s call for more troops, but if he must send more, send only who is supposed to be sent. Who is protecting us if every member of our military is overseas? Maybe it’s just me, but the National Guard should stay within the nation it is guarding.
Cait Phipps, 1st Vice Pres
The upcoming primary for the presidential election has already sparked two debates for both parties. The Democratic debates were mostly concerned with issues including the war in Iraq, education, and health care. This is really not surprising and none of the candidates really said anything notable. For the most part all of the Democratic candidates agree.
The Republican debates, however, did not really touch on any of these topics except for the war in Iraq. As is the usual tendency with conservatives in the country in recent years, the debates both centered around the religious beliefs of the candidates. Every question seems to revolve around each officials religious beliefs or feelings about gays. The biggest topic of discussion yesterday seemed to have been Giuliani’s position on abortion.
I cannot think of any topic less relevant to the well being of this country than abortion and gay marriage. What difference does it make if a politician believes in a woman’s right to choose or if two men can get married. The only thing that I can think of is whether or not he or she believes in God. Frankly, I have had quite enough of God. Religion is a beautiful thing but in the hands of idiots it becomes something terrible. This is truly the case in the world today with everyone killing each other over what to call God or arguing constantly over whether the Bible is literal or figurative. How about for once, for the first time in this millennium, we spend our time worrying about things that are relevant rather than over religion.
From the brilliant mind of Mike Kean, your friendly Sergeant at Arms