Bush tries to rally GOP troops

By Sam Youngman
The Hill

President Bush paid a visit to the Republican National Committee’s headquarters Tuesday morning to thank aides for their hard work and also to rally them for the last week of campaigning.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said the president would outline his view of the GOP, a party that is facing a toxic political environment largely because of the policies of the Bush administration.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel, who traveled with the president to RNC headquarters, said the president encouraged staffers there to “work hard for John McCain and keep turning out the vote until the final ballot is cast next week.”

“He also took the opportunity to thank the staff for all of their efforts during this election cycle and for their support of him over the last eight years,” Stanzel said. “He spoke to the staff about the importance of American leadership on the issues of the economy, the war on terror and freedom. He thanked Chairman Mike Duncan for his leadership of the RNC.”

Read more about the President's efforts to reinforce the Republican base at THE HILL.

I will fight the ignorance of Racism

By Marcey Wisman
Floyd County Democratic Party Chair

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” for me, as a democrat, the opening quote from Dickens book “A Tale of Two Cities” best describes the 2008 presidential election.

I have been a part of what will be remembered as one of the most historical elections in America. It is something that I will be proud to sit and tell my grandchildren about; the year we (the democrats) had a female and a black man running in the Primary. The year that we set records on voter registration and actual number of voters at the polls. However, it is also the year that I have seen the absolute worst side of people come out. It is the year the monster of racism and bigotry came out of the darkness into the light and threatened to divide not just our party but the nation. This division has been eating at me. I lie awake at night and wonder what I can do to make this right? As the chairwoman of the local Democratic Party, how can I eradicate this monster from my little part of the nation? I have worried myself to the point that I can no longer contain my anger and my frustration with the individuals, especially those in my own party, who think it, is okay to say “I’m not voting for Senator Obama because he is black.”

My friends and loved ones have told me to let it go, that I can’t change stupidity, that it is a generational thing, but I can no longer make excuses for people like David Ward, who owns an antique store here in New Albany at the corner of Bank and Main who had no problem telling a reporter from the Chicago Tribune that he is a “Democrat”, but he is “voting for McCain because he isn’t black”. Mr. Ward, Shame on You! Also, to those of you who think it is acceptable to tell me that you will not vote for Senator Obama because “he is a N****r”, what makes you think this is all right? Is it because I am white like you? If so, I may be white, but I am nothing like you. That word is disgusting, ugly and hurtful and it will no longer be tolerated in my presence.

I found a quote from Robert Kennedy that I want all of you to think about. He said “But suppose God is black? What if we go to Heaven and we, all our lives, have treated the Negro as an inferior, and God is there, and we look up and He is not white? What then is our response?” Mr. Ward and all of you like him, how do you justify your racism?

To those of you who claim you are democrats, but say you can’t vote for Senator Obama because he is a black man, are you sure you are democrats? If you look up the platform of the National Democratic Party under the issue of Civil Rights it says “We believe in the essential American ideal that we are not constrained by the circumstances of birth but can make of our lives what we will. Unfortunately, for too many, that ideal is not a reality. We have more work to do. Democrats will fight to end discrimination based on race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, and disability in every corner of our country, because that's the America we believe in.”

I want everyone to know the Floyd County Democratic Party does not condone racism. In fact, we hold firm to the Democratic Platform that we “will fight to end discrimination”. Therefore, Mr. Ward and others like him, as members of the Democratic Party you are called to fight the ignorance of discrimination, not perpetuate the hatred that has been taught to you and that you are no doubt teaching to your children.

I struggled with whether or not I should write this letter knowing that I will anger many people in my community, and again I was reminded of a quote of Robert Kennedy who said “It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.” I realized that despite what backlash I might face for expressing my feelings on this issue and calling out Mr. Ward and others like him, it is important to let the people who read the story in the Chicago Tribune know that Mr. Ward’s comments do not represent the beliefs of the people of the Floyd County Democratic Party.

I know that I may not be able to change the hearts and minds of racists, but I can hope that by openly expressing my condemnation of racism I will send out a ripple that will give others the courage to stand up and they too will say “I will not stand for this anymore”. I will continue to fight to see that the Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is fully realized because I, too, want to “live in a world where a man is not judged by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character”. In this world that I, and other like minded Democrats, dream of, Mr. Ward, you, and others like you, have been judged and you have been found to lack the character of a true Democrat.

Young Women speak to Palin

From the Floyd County Democratic Party

With less than 15 days left in the Presidential contest, the election has been trumpeted as a historic event featuring topics such as the success and importance of women in our Democratic process. This point was underscored by Senator Hillary Clinton, who's campaign marked a new high point for women in this country and proved that anyone can be President of the United States.

On the other side of the political spectrum, the Republicans also made history with the selection of Sarah Palin as their Vice Presidential candidate. While our party has welcomed the progress represented by this choice, it is nonetheless important to recognize that there are significant doubts among voters regarding her readiness to step in to the position of President.

But for many women that have made this election cycle historic, other fundamental issues remain besides Palin's readiness to serve as President. On many of the fundamental issues that have shaped the lives of women, Sarah Palin seems to offer a different direction many women feel would be a step backward.

It was under this context that the following video was produced - not by a political campaign, but by a group of young women standing firm to their believes and rights. Its message is so powerful, we felt it deserved credit and have posted it for your viewing pleasure.

Powell endorses Obama for president

msnbc.com and NBC News

updated 10:42 a.m. ET, Sun., Oct. 19, 2008

WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president on Sunday, criticizing his own Republican Party for what he called its narrow focus on irrelevant personal attacks over a serious approach to challenges he called unprecedented.

Powell, who for many years was considered the most likely candidate to become the first African-American president, said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he was not supporting Obama because of his race. He said he had watched both Obama and his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, for many months and thought “either one of them would be a good president.”

But he said McCain’s choices in the last few weeks — especially his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his vice presidential running mate — had raised questions in his mind about McCain’s judgment.

Read more on this news story at MSNBC.com.

Hill and Sodrel home counties aren’t freebies for familiar Ninth District opponents

From the New Albany News & Tribune
By DANIEL SUDDEATH
Daniel.Suddeath@newsandtribune.com

Despite hailing from New Albany, Mike Sodrel has been challenged in Floyd County during past elections and has yet to win Clark County.

The Republican candidate for the Ninth District U.S. House seat won Floyd County by just three percent during the 2006 election, when Democrat Baron Hill regained the position by defeating the then incumbent. Sodrel and Hill say they are comfortable campaigning in each other’s backyard.

But Hill only carried his home county of Jackson by 93 votes in 2004, but extended that margin to more than 1,000 in 2006.

Hill won Harrison County in 2002, but it has gone to Sodrel in the past two elections.

“I think we tend to do well in Jackson because it’s a real conservative county,” Sodrel said.

Hill carried Clark County by 520 votes in 2006 according to election counts provided by the Indiana Secretary of State’s office.

With a SurveyUSA poll showing Hill enjoying a double-digit lead in percentage points over Sodrel and Libertarian candidate Eric Schansberg, the Congressman said he’s still not laying back.

“The only poll I believe in is the poll on election day,” Hill said. “It’s interesting to me that I’m able to win this area [Floyd and Clark], even though it’s not by a whole lot.”

But when combining Clark and Floyd, Hill actually lost the area by 157 votes in 2006 to Sodrel. A small amount, but the three previous races between the two have often been tight.

Sodrel defeated Hill in 2004 by just 1,425 votes in a presidential ticket-election that saw sizable voter turnout. He won the Ninth district 49 to 48 percent over Hill.
Hill bested Sodrel in Clark that year by 615 votes, basically canceling-out Floyd’s count which went to Sodrel by 598 votes, meaning Hill carried the two counties by 17 votes.

Indiana University Southeast Associate Professor Joe Wert, who is also the faculty representative for the College Republicans at IUS, said home turf can be overrated when talking about closely-connected political territory.

“I don’t know that one person being from a particular county means a whole lot,” he said, adding that Floyd and Clark are Democratic areas making it difficult for Sodrel to gain substantial ground there.

“I don’t think he’s going to get much of a boost being from Floyd County.”
Hill’s endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama could cost him votes and maybe counties in some of the tightly-contested areas, according to Sodrel.
“Hill endorsing Obama — that didn’t sit well with a lot of people in his party,” Sodrel said. “The misstep that he made has been helpful.”

Wert said McCain is probably a more popular choice in Southern Indiana than Obama, which could make Sodrel’s assertions true.

Floyd and Clark were dominated by Hillary Clinton during the May primary, even though she won Indiana by only a narrow margin. Clinton won 65 percent of the vote in Floyd and 67 percent in Clark over Obama.

IUS Professor Linda Gugin, who also serves as the faculty representative for the College Democrats at IUS, said the presidential race will definitely drive voter turnout.

“Take Sodrel’s win in 2004. He benefited greatly from having Bush on top of the ticket and that overrode other factors and helped get him elected,” she said.
But Gugin added the political tone of the country can have a great impact even when it’s not a presidential-election year.

“It was a Democratic year in 2006. The changing of the tide benefited Hill,” she said.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

The Libertarian candidate believes he received more votes from the typical Hill voter in 2006, citing post-election data. He said his emphasis on ending the war in Iraq and his platform of helping the working poor and middle class probably led more Democrats to vote for him than Republicans.

Either way, convincing people to select an office-seeker from outside the mainstream parties is difficult.

“People give me their votes, I don’t use force on them,” Schansberg joked.
“In fact, I have to work harder since few people just give their votes to third-party candidates.”

But Schansberg said he’s not in the race just to make an appearance. His campaign has run more than 1,500 radio ads and 2,000 television ads during the current campaign, a greater number than during the 2006 election.

“People say they want change. Well here’s a highly credible candidate who would be a breath of fresh air,” he said.

Schansberg is looking forward to Tuesday’s debate in Jasper and doesn’t lack confidence in his ability for public discourse.

“They both have more experience in debating. But I believe that I often have better answers and can deliver them effectively enough,” he said.

Schansberg tallied 9,893 votes in 2006, about five percent of the total.
He said data he’s reviewed so far leads him to believe his affect will be evenly spread between Sodrel and Hill supporters.

“Perhaps because Iraq is less important and fiscal conservatism is now seen, finally, as more important,” Schansberg said.

Issues

While the candidates clash on how to solve issues facing Hoosiers, there isn’t much disagreement on what those topics are.

Gas prices and the economy are dominating national headlines and distressing local families.

Hill — who voted against the recent economic bailout — proposes that Congress should reconvene following the November election instead of furloughing for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“The economic climate in Southern Indiana is not great, but it’s not bad like it is at the national level,” he said. “Sooner or later, if we don’t fix the national problems it will probably trickle down to the rest of us as well.”

Hill said holding people from the financial sector who may have caused the recent economic failures accountable will be a priority if he’s reelected.
Sodrel suggests plainer taxing methods — such as a flat tax — that he believes would stimulate the economy and lead to more jobs.

“I think the tax structure, everything I hear makes it more complicated. I want to make it simpler,” he said.

Sodrel agreed that Congress should get back to work after the election due to pressing matters facing the country.

Schansberg touts getting rid of taxpayer funding for planned parenthood, bringing home troops from Iraq and eliminating payroll taxes on income below the poverty line as his three top priorities if he’s elected.

Read More on the 9th District Race Online at the News & Tribune.