Obama by Numbers

* Obama beat Clinton among women 35% to 30%* Obama beat Edwards among voters in union households 30%-24%* Obama beat Clinton and Edwards among voters of almost every income level (Obama and Clinton tied among voters who make $15-30,000)* As many voters age 17-29 as voters 65 and older participated last night -- in previous years senior participation has been 5-times greater than younger voters.* Obama beat Edwards and Clinton among voters who want change (51%-20%-19%)* Despite countless attacks and hundreds of thousands of dollars in negative mail, TV, and radio, Obama beat Clinton and Edwards (34%-30%-27%) among voters who say health care is the most important issue* Obama won among those who said the economy was the most important issue (36%-26%-26%)* Obama won over Clinton and Edwards (35%-26%-17%) among those who said Iraq was the most important issue* Won across the ideological spectrum – winning among liberals, moderates and conservatives* Won among high income and lower income voters among voters with household income below $50,000 (34%-32%-19%) and among those over $50,000 (41%-19%-28%)* Also won among the 82% of voters who said Pakistan was “very or somewhat important”

Blacks should be thankful for legacy of slavery

“But, on a current note, if slavery was the price that a modern American’s ancestors had to pay in order to make one an American, one should get down on one’s knees every single day and thank the Lord that such price was paid. To the extent that America — or New Jersey — ever owed any kind of debt to anyone, that debt was more than repaid through the blood and suffering of 650,000 federal soldiers who died or were wounded during the war provoked by slavery. No one today need feel the slightest guilt, as no one today participated in the wrong.”

- Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll (NJ-R)

Work-Watch-Spend Treadmill

I guess I'll stop spending right after I use all of those cute plastic gift cards from yesterday...

Checkout this little "teaser" on how American consumerism works.




Intrigued? See more.

Former U.S. Rep. McKinney enters presidential race as Green

Former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney is running for president as a member of the Green Party, which she says shares her views on ending the Iraq war, protecting the environment and other issues.


McKinney, who served five terms in Congress before losing her seat to a fellow Democrat last year, declared her candidacy in a video posted late Sunday on the Web site of a group that had been drafting her to run.


"The Democrats are no different than their Republican counterparts, eat out of the hands of corrupt lobbyists and feed at the same corporate trough. I am proud to say that the Green Party is my new political home," McKinney said in the taped announcement.


McKinney's names will appear on ballots in California, Illinois, Arkansas and several other states holding presidential primaries on Feb. 5, according to www.runcynthiarun.org.


The site does not contain further information about her campaign schedule, and an e-mail sent to the site's operators did not receive a response.


McKinney, who moved to Northern California this year and registered to vote as a Green, is one of seven presidential candidates running under the Green Party banner, according to the party.


Among them are Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate who was the party's nominee in 1996 and 2000, hip-hop scholar Jared Ball, Kent Mesplay, former president of the environmental organization Turtle Island Institute and Elaine Brown, a former leader of the Black Panther Party.


The Green Party of the United States is scheduled to hold its nominating convention in July in Chicago.


"The Republicans have deceived us, the Democrats have failed us. But we cannot deceive ourselves and we must not fail in our struggle for peace because the world still looks to America for leadership," McKinney said in her taped message. "Now, we must be those leaders." [sfg]

Barack Obama’s right hands

Attitude is everything. I truly believe you can get through almost any challenge in life with a positive attitude and a good laugh.” —Eureka Gilkey, 32, with Alyssa Mastromonaco, 31
What Alyssa Mastromonaco does: Where will Barack and Michelle Obama be at any given moment and how will they get there? Ask Mastromonaco, director of scheduling and advance. “I try to make sure their time is used as efficiently and effectively as possible.” She tries to schedule the candidate so that he travels from east to west, picking up an hour or two as he goes. “I am at my desk almost all the time. A map with pins is behind me,” marking where the Obamas have been.
Her biggest goof: “I [arranged for] a private plane to pick him up and I signed the contract for the wrong day. I got hysterical. My phone rang and it’s Barack and I think he’s going to yell at me. He said he’s on a United flight, and he’ll make it to the event on time. He’s like, it’s no big deal. If you’re not working for someone who you think is a great human being, it’s not worth doing.”
What Eureka Gilkey does: There are 500-plus chapters of Students for Barack Obama, just one of the grassroots groups that the national deputy political director oversees. She spends “hours and hours on the phone” lining up supporters. “If we weren’t human, we could stay in our chairs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Why Obama’s her guy: “He’s very upfront about his Christian faith. He’s very much a family man, and I think he’s a great role model…especially when it comes to being a responsible father. I think that come January 2009, if he’s elected, the future of children of color in this country will change, the thought process will change about what they can be and what opportunities they can have. That’s a powerful message that we send not only to our children but to the world.”
She’s never without:“A red leather-bound Bible; inside is my late grandfather’s handkerchief. It’s always in my purse.” [Glamour]