Guam Votes: Feel the Excitement

by: tremayne

Fri May 02, 2008 at 17:55


Residents of Guam will weigh in on the Obama-Clinton battle tomorrow. Guam is far away. So far away in fact that voting there tomorrow actually begins today in just a few hours (and some parts already voted).

Being so far away you'd figure the campaigns would have overlooked it. You'd be wrong. There's this:

A Guam page on the Obama site.

And this:

A special message from Hillary.

There are 4 pledged delegates and 5 superdelegates at stake. My question: Why is Guam voting? Does New Guinea get a vote too? Japan? I jest. Polls close at 8 p.m. Guam time which translates into 6 a.m. eastern time U.S. I'm sure Chris or Matt will have detailed analysis beginning at 6:30. Or you can check here (NSFW).

Feel the Guamentum!

tremayne :: Guam Votes: Feel the Excitement

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could you please make that a little more condescending? (4.00 / 3)
The rules have allowed Guam to send delegates for years, this year is the same as any other.

As my father used to say, the problem with liberals is that they are not liberal.


what might the joke be (4.00 / 1)
My question: Why is Guam voting? Does New Guinea get a vote too? Japan? I jest.

I'm sorry -"you jest," what might the joke be?

No seriously, during and after WW2, and earlier with the seizing of the Philipines, America has occupied Pacific Island chains and nations. Count them in your head. None of them, still occupied, have any real democratic rights or votes, except those that demanded independence. Save Hawaii. The Democratic Party recognizes this by granting equal rights within the Party, to people who cant vote in the general, yet are ruled by its results.

The outcomes of our collective inability to elect centre-left governments often enough includes such ironic examples of 'democracy' gone asatray, the morgues of Iraq is another.

We have to have members of our coalition, maybe those closest to what ever edge that might be, to cross the street and bring back people who can see that our goals, our progresive goals, are worthy, if not necessarily central to what they want, they can see those goals to be comatible with thier own. Democracy is one shared issue. Mutual respect is so powerful. Lets reach out to more people and creat a near permanent voting majority. There are good ways to do that.

Here is an example that I like.  

We are willing to reduce the number of abortions with you, by putting more money in the hands of women. Equal pay for equal work, paying fror daycare expences or providing cheap daycare and helping to provide lots of cheap housing so no one ever fears that they  will thrown out on the street with kids again.  Heres a good  simple list of things that will reduce abortions by 70%. Teach boys that putting a condom on is what a man does, and put them cheaply everywhere.

Because those of you who think abortion is very very bad, dont think that sex is worse I am sure. So negotiate with 10% of the anti-abortion crowd to believe in harm reduction and you have a voting majority.

And we dont have to write any laws that arrest women using doctors. And the abortiaon rate goes down by half. Becuase not being pregannt is better than more clinic time, the law stays off womens bodies.

That my friend is reaching out to the centre, not selling out to the crazy old Republican 'leadersip'.  If that is what a coalition that wants to govern calls non-partisan then I'll help. A new real leadership that says "No, a gas tax reductiuon isnt 'smart' or 'bipartisan' or good for the economy, and it wont lower gas prices" even though it would be easy and safe and get along, and requires people to think, I support that. I support that a lot. In fact I support Obama more now than before. Taking a principled stand now, in this heat, in this storm of copntroversy, while trying to keep Hillary from hurting his chances in the general, this is exactly what I hope for in President.

Will the press notice this? Have we enough? Ticking down in the polls to distraction and cable-news slur, Obamma throws down gain, sticking to principal again, says the truth in the face of opposition.

Its encouraging to have such a leader -leading.

Change
"We must break up the banks and never again let them get so big that they distort our politics and take down the economy.


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