Barack Obama has now clinched enough delegates to win the nomination. As usual, he gave a truly compelling mesmerizing speech. What I found the most interesting, is that he spoke about his grandmother, Hillary Clinton, and the American people. There was very little “I” language. The focus was all about everyone else, truly an amazing speech. If I can find it on youtube I will post it!
My most favorite moment in his speech was this, ” before we are democrats, before we are republicans, we are Americans first”
Please join Barack Obama for a Rally in Prince William County, where he’ll talk about his vision for bringing America together and creating the kind of change we can believe in.
Rally with Barack Obama
Nissan Pavilion
7800 Cellar Door Drive
Bristow, VAThursday, June 5th
Doors Open: 3:00 p.m.
Program Starts: 6:00 p.m.
I’m a Team Captain for a little piece of the event and trying to get some volunteers (we’re going to need about 300). The volunteers will have to arrive around 11:30 a.m. this Thursday. If you want to join a Progressive Democrat, the Gainesville chair, and big Obama supporter drop me an email at bruce.roemmelt(at)gmail.com
Quite an honor for Gainesville/Brentsville and Prince William. Estimated attendance ~ 30 to 50 thousand!!!!
b
He loves and respects this country enough to become its president, yet won’t show proper respect during the Pledge of Allegiance, or until recently wouldn’t wear a US flag lapel pin. He did finally disown his church although his family members are still ardent supporters. Hmmmmmmmm.
I sent in my RSVP. The Pavillion is almost literally right up the street from me, but hubby doesn’t make it home until about 5:00. There’s no way with that mob I’ll ever get in! But it will be fun trying. History in my own back yard! Wow! Now there’s a perk for living in this area!
Bruce, you are just EVERYWHERE, aren’t you? : )
thanks for information Bruce!
SA,
What are you talking about? If being a true American is now reduced to lapel jewelry, we are in serious trouble. As far as his church goes, you and I have never walked in Obama’s shoes, have never struggled with our core identity, Obama has been a model citizen, on many different levels.
SA,
You are the one sounding un-American. A lapel pin makes one a true American?????? Since when?
As for his church, I do not recall that he preached the sermons and as far as his family still being members, what reflection is that on him? I thought we were free to attend whatever church we wanted to in this country. So, I guess what your saying is if your family members do things differently than you do that you some how share the same ideas and beliefs. It seems to me he made a decision to break away from that church and his family chose to say. So what?
Sorry typo
So, I guess what you’re saying is……..
Guess the guys on bvbl or should I say Greg L. think it would be funny to stage a demonstration tomorrow outside Nissan. This guy is such a “wingnut”. Guess he wants to make PWC look even more ignorant than he has already made it look.
Greg L writes: “So “NoBama” is coming to Nissan Pavillion on Thursday. I’m thrilled.
Why? Because there are tremendous opportunities to stage a demonstration along the route leading from Route 66 to Nissan Pavillion where folks can berate this empty suit for offering nothing but empty rhetoric and old, failed socialist policies. Between 3:00PM and 6:00PM when his rally starts, there are tremendous opportunities to embarass him and his kool-aid drinking supporters.
Anyone interested in having some fun? Have an idea for a sign to wave at cars coming in? This could be a whole lot of fun!”
Good posts, Elena and Marie. I hope the day never comes when I start making decisions for whom to vote based on jewelry rather than a desire to unite a fractured country.
The lapel pin. Blah, blah, blah. More wingnut talking points.
“He loves and respects this country enough to become its president, yet won’t show proper respect during the Pledge of Allegiance, or until recently wouldn’t wear a US flag lapel pin.”
Since WHEN is wearing an american flag pin proof that one is showing “proper respect” for America? I know the flag pin was all the kitch fashion rage in the last election, but are you seriously claiming his not wearing a flag pin is not showing respect? Who are you, the fashion police?
“He did finally disown his church although his family members are still ardent supporters. Hmmmmmmmm.”
So what? Ever see some of the theocrats who supported Bush and are now going to back McCain? How about dog beatter Dobson? The ever-tolerant (so long as you are white, american and donating…) Pat Robertson? And if Jerry fartwell were still alive, you can bet his rotting, fat behind would be supporting McCain.
And why should it matter where his family goes to church? Is that really relevant?
(the answer is, no)
“Guess the guys on bvbl or should I say Greg L. think it would be funny to stage a demonstration tomorrow outside Nissan. ”
Let them. They’ll be outnumbered by communists, socialists, LIBERALS and “dihms (to use his wording)” I’ll wager with all of those people they loathe so much showing up, they’ll run home scared and crying like babies with their privates in their back pockets – so many people who don’t identify with the likes of Dominionists like them.
It will give him something to pray for…. *snicker*
Although, I am a Christian and have a deep spiritual faith. I never was a supporter of either Falwell or Robertson, nor would I ever be. I think they have done so much damage in this country with their far right political agenda.
Actually Dobson came out publically and said that he would not vote in this election because he could not vote for McCain. He may have changed his mind by this time. He was a Romney supporter. As for Robertson, you mean the one that has diamond mines in Africa? I have no clue who he supports but I am sure it is neither Obama or Clinton.
“Actually Dobson came out publically and said that he would not vote in this election because he could not vote for McCain. He may have changed his mind by this time. He was a Romney supporter. As for Robertson, you mean the one that has diamond mines in Africa? I have no clue who he supports but I am sure it is neither Obama or Clinton.”
Trust me, come the end of the day – they all vote Republican. It’s been that way since Reagan. Expect their support to come out publicly now that Obama is the Democratic frontrunner. There was some hoo-ha about them starting their OWN party, but with more SCOTUS judges coming up for retirment, their gravy train of funding to leave the building with Bush if Obama is elected, you can guarantee they’ll back, and tell their supporters to back McCain. And the sooner the wingnuttery does, the better.
Reading BVBL’s post this morning on Senator Obama and how Greg is
almost wetting his pants at the chance to “embarass him and his
his kool-aid drinking supporters” – I was reminded of the part
in Red October where an arrogant Russian sub commander ends
up blowing up his own vessel. Greg has gone too far with this one –
it reeks of undiluted racism.
I’ve never worn American flag jewelry. I didn’t put a flag on my van after 9/11, and I don’t have a yellow “Support Our Troops” decal on it now. I don’t like jingoism; it just bugs the heck out of me. I’ve never put my hand over my heart during the Star-Spangled Banner (didn’t even know that was a “rule”), though I do during the Pledge. (Just for the record, the notorious photo of Barack standing w/o his hand over his heart was taken during the Star-Spangled Banner, not the Pledge).
Does this make me somehow less patriotic? Don’t think so.
I’ve not seen a flag lapel pin on McCain. Just sayin’.
Richard,
Let GL and his minions stage their little protest. Trust me, they won’t even be noticed.
I won’t be able to go, but I encourage anyone who’s interested to try. We saw Hillary at Metz because we wanted our girls to witness history. When Bill Clinton and Al Gore did their Bus Tour to the White House before their first inauguration, their bus stopped at the corner of Rt. 28 and Linton Hall Rd. We were there. 🙂 My son was 4 and my daughter was 1. There were approximately 500 people standing there with us. I remember the manager at Wendy’s (which was the ONLY commercial building there in 1992) running out to bring Bill a cup of coffee. People went nuts when Al and Bill stepped off the bus to wave. It’s cool to have those photos in our family album (right next to the photos from the actual inauguration, which we also attended).
My son is 20 and has been an Obama supporter from the word go. He’ll be there, and he’ll always remember it.
Dear Poor Richard: I second your post regarding GL’s thinly veiled racism. I’m so pleased that Obama is coming to PWC. Things are gonna be a-changin…
I have never worn a lapel flag pin and I will never. Why would I want to wear something that cheesy and made in China? I also have never put my hand over my heart during the playing of the National Anthem. Do I have to give back my brithright? While I am not a member of DAR, I could be, should I chose to be.
The flag lapel is just one silly ass test of patriotism in my world.
I guess HSM wants to go out and show what rednecks live in Prince William County. In his attempt to embarrass Obama, who won’t even notice, Greg will only embarrass himself, his organization, and his county.
If Obama is going to live this close, (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue) I guess it is only fair that he learn first hand why some folks from our town are called ‘Manassholes.’
Greg will look silly and pathetic in comparison to the thousands that will attend to hear Obama rekindle our faith in America’s greatness, goodness, hope for the future, and tenacity as Americans to overcome hate and division.
“Greg will look silly and pathetic in comparison to the thousands that will attend to hear Obama rekindle our faith in America’s greatness, goodness, hope for the future, and tenacity as Americans to overcome hate and division.”
Personally I think it would be HIGHLY amusing to hold up a sign accross teh street from GL and his supporters protesting at this event…with a picture of GL and reference to the SPLC’s declaration of him as a nationalist….just to put things in proper perspective…
Can anyone say exploding GL Head? LOLOLOLOLOLOL…………………
That’s good to know – silly me had a meeting scheduled with the builder for the new house at 6 PM tomorrow evening which is out that way – and I’m sure it will be next to impossible to get there easily from Manassas with all the traffic. In fact, I’m sure it may add some fun to my commute home from work tomorrow too. Thanks for the heads up! I’m definitely going to postpone that meeting tomorrow night with the builder out in Gainesville!
Trust we will listen to the “better Angels of our being” — that was the hope of
another man from Illinois that surprised party bosses and won the nomination
of his party. Of course, some local folks didn’t care much for him either.
Have noted that Senator Obama will speak just a couple of miles
from the site of two great battles that resulted, in part, from the
election of Lincoln. And yes, the fact that Obama can freely speak
as a presumptive nominee of a major party, also is the result, in part,
of the election of Lincoln.
The wheel of history is taking another turn forward – here – tomorrow. Heads up.
“I’ve never put my hand over my heart during the Star-Spangled Banner (didn’t even know that was a “rule”)”
I didn’t know you were supposed to do that either. Or if I did know it, I forgot. The Pledge is different. I knew THAT.
I don’t think the average person grew up doing anything but standing respectfully during the Stars Spangled Banner. Everyone I know always stood with their arms at their sides.
all,
the event should be fantastic.
this is a turning point for our country.
b
ps. i don’t wear a flag lapel pin, but i suppose that was part of the fine print when i signed up to go to Nam…
Elena and Marie,
Ok, so your telling me I could have gone to every HSM meeting since their inception, and you wouldn’t think less of me for that? I think you would brutally criticize me and all who attended just as folks here have in the past. The same logic should apply to Obama. How about KKK meetings? If a person went to them for 20 years, and then ran for president you wouldn’t have a problem with that either? As far as the lapel pin goes, it was during an interview when he was asked why he didn’t wear one, and the answer he gave was practically anti-American. That’s why I brought that point up.
Poor Richard,
It was also Mr. Lincoln who said ” a house divided against itself cannot
stand”. He was quite a visionary wasn’t he?
SA,
I don’t think it is fair to compare a kkk meeting or a hsm meeting to someone’s church. Having said that, I also have a problem with the rantings of the Reverend Wright and that latest clown who got suspended for 2 weeks.
I think that the interview over the flag lapel pin has taken on a life of its own also. Hillary was also interviewed over the same subject. I just don’t think it matters. Wearing a cheap flag pin in your lapel tells me nothing about anyone.
MH,
It may not be a fair comparison, but I think it is a reflection of the person’s interests. One doesn’t join a bowling league for 20 years if they don’t like bowling.
BR,
I was also a member of the TGYC, so why Obama and not McCain?
Actually, I have to agree with SecondAlamo about the church issue – if I went to a church with a pastor like Reverend Wright – I would have quit that church after listening to about 3 months of his sermons! To think he attended the church for 20 years and went to many sermons filled with all sorts of disgusting rhetoric – is something I personally have a problem with. Otherwise I find Obama interesting – but his continued attendance at that church and for a long while seemingly supporting Wright before FINALLY distancing himself from him – is something I have personal problems getting past. For me, that’s the biggest issue I have with Obama. It’s nice that he finally did distance himself from that church, but it is too little too late – he only seems to have finally caved under very intense pressure from all sides. If he had done it a lot earlier in his campaign, I might have been more convinced. In fact, he had to know it was a very big negative for him – but for a long time seemed to refuse to really renounce Wright – and that puzzled me greatly.
I also kind of think the whole flag lapel thing is indeed a bit overblown. Again, I have more of a problem with the church issue – it kind of dwarfs the flag lapel issue as far as I’m concerned.
I remember from my school days (and I’m maybe showing my age but who cares) that we did the pledge of allegiance and put our hand over our heart. Now, we did not sing the Star Spangled Banner – we sung “My Country Tis of Thee” – at least I think that’s the name of the song. We just stood with our hands at our sides when we sang that song. Why that song? I cannot say – maybe it was just back in that time a popular song, or from the part of the country I grew up in (suburbs of Philadelphia in New Jersey). Just an interesting tidbit that this discussion made me remember. I can’t say I’ve heard that particular song in the many years since I was in school. The lyrics are kind of drilled into my head though after all these years due to having had to do sing that every day for the entire time I was in the public schools (kindgergarten through 12th grade)!
anon,
We also sang “My Country Tis of Thee” right here in PWC too. I can’t say the kids in my house we taught, yet alone sang this song. Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.
We might offend someone by singing a song showing patriotism. We can’t have that in the PC world of today. 😉
SA,
Give me a break, say what you will about reverend wright, but he is NOT the same as the KKK! Did you ever to listen to Obama’s race speech in response to the upheaval regarding the pastor?
Bruce,
You ROCK!!!!!!!! Yes, I guess you would fall under the same attack of not being patriotic since you don’t wear a lapel flag either. You and Max Clealand, who lost his seat to a republican because he was a traitor to this country for not voting for the Patriot Act. I guess losing three limbs in vietnam still doesn’t qualify one as being patriotic enough.
Poor Richard,
Thank you for such a beautiful post, it gave me goose bumps.
Ruby – yes this thread brought back memories for me so I kind of was thankful for that. It has been a long time since I thought back to my days of saying the pledge of allegiance and then singing “My Country Tis of Thee”! It makes me feel old actually, but that’s the way it is!
Elena – I listened to Obama’s “race speech” in regard to Reverend Wright – but I felt it came a bit too late for my comfort, and even then he did not quit the church. And again, it gets back to the fact that if Reverend Wright was spouting this stuff for so many years – I personally in good conscience could not have continued to be a member of his church and would have quit a long time ago. Right now I’m on the fence between Obama and McCain – but the whole church thing is something I’m having a real problem getting past in Obama’s case. He only came out and made the “race speech” after many weeks of being pressured about Reverend Wright – and I felt he should have done that as soon as the controversy came up. And again, I question why he sat there in church and allowed Reverend Wright to go on for as long as he did. You would expect Obama was a highly influential member of the church – so why didn’t he take some action within the church to censure Wright in some way, or shut him down? These are things that give me pause, when I think about Obama and whether I should vote for him or McCain. Both have things I like about them, but both have things that give me pause. As i said, I’m on the fence, but I have real problems with Obama and the whole issue of the church he now has finally disassociated himself from. I hate inflamatory rhetoric, just as I hate it on both sides of this immigration debate – as I think I’ve made clear in my posts here – when I’ve objected to the very inflmatory rhetoric both on BVBL, and as I’ve said, in quite a few posts on this board, although I will concede the fact that inflamatory rhetoric on this board seems to be by a rather vocal subset of your posters.
And, I will say Reverend Wright is definitely a racist. Several of the posters on this blog have made plenty of posts linking racists to KKK, Nazis and other things. So if you side with some of the more inflamatory posters here – which I’ve seen you defending their posts – then I can see why SA says Reverend Wright’s views are not unlike views of members of the KKK. I know of several posters here (again a minority of the posters but a vocal subset that it seems have been defended by some of the other people on this board) that would be quick to link someone who had Wright’s views, but was not Black or Hispanic – to being either a Nazi, a member of the KKK, wanting to bring about another Holocaust or “ethnic cleansing” or any of the other roughly dozen terms that have been casually tossed around here.
“It may not be a fair comparison, but I think it is a reflection of the person’s interests.”
Oh what utter cowflop. I don’t wear one of those tacky pins and nobody I know does – does that mean we’re “anti-american”? I think not.
It’s fine if you don’t like Obama, but scrutinizing irrelevant minutae to “prove your point” is a bit desperate.
Reverend Wright and the KKK? Ying and Yang? To me, one is just as bad as the other.
I found Father Suspended even more revolting. How many years must 50% of the population have to listen to that kind of crap? Too many people still feel that kind of talk is perfectly acceptable.
Moon-howler – that’s exactly the point I was trying to make. I won’t even try to debate which one is more revolting (KKK’s rhetoric or Wright’s) but they are both extremely disturbing. And, you are right – too many people in that church seemed to feel it is acceptable rhetoric. And Obama, not getting out of that church a long time ago – to me that is the part I have a VERY hard time accepting. It gives tacit approval to what is being said in the sermon’s. If he didn’t approve of it, why did he sit there and listen to it for all that time? THAT’s the big question in my mind. Other’s may disagree with me on that point. Again, if it had been me personally, and I had been a member of a church/synagogue where the pastor/priest/reverend/rabbi held any kind of views like that and regularly gave sermons like that, you wouldn’t have believed how fast I would have quit that church/synagogue assuming the sermons weren’t changed and all that hateful stuff was eradicated from them. My point is, I would have either tried to effect change in that church, or I would have left it if I felt change wasn’t forthcoming. Obama did neither, up until very recently, when he realized it was a political necessity to distance himself from, and then finally quit, that church and those two pastor’s.
Well as everyone is so uppity about Obama’s church of (former) choice, I could just envision the screams of horror and utter disgust if he didn’t attend church at all….(although not from me, I assure you)
This church gambit is a red herring being used to distract voters from the real issues at hand.
Not from me, I don’t profess to be a regular chuch goer (well, synagogue goer in my case). I only speak for myself, but I have real issues about that church and why he stuck with it for all those years. Again, it is just my own personal point of view, and I’m not trying to speak for anyone else. However, obviously to me if he didn’t attend church it wouldn’t bother me a bit, since I don’t either! Although I have no problems with people who do – I just feel compelled to say that for some reason (not to you Not Me, Bubba) but to anticipate what some other poster’s here might try to accuse me of saying.
Is there something set here that keeps turning my plurals into posessives? I keep seeing many words I type having an apostrophe tacked onto them, and that is not how I’m typing them, as far as plural cases. Just a question, not a big thing, but I’ve noticed it a lot and it is beginning to bug me ever so slightly!
I’ll take a different tact here in the “Obama church” debate. Suppose one of his advisors or cabinet members had these kinds of views – would he distance himself from them or would he just let it go on unchecked? There is such a thing as loyalty, and I can understand him wanting to be loyal to his pastor – but to me he either appeared to have blinders on, or just seemed to think it wasn’t a big deal for many years. That troubles me, and that is why I think it is a relevant issue.
The flag lapel thing – to me personally it doesn’t even factor into my thought process, I could care less about that issue. But the whole “church” issue troubles me – it’s just my own personal point of view, and I’m trying to find a way to get past it, but so far I haven’t. I listened to his speech on that topic, but it felt to me a bit of “too little too late” in some respects. Maybe eventually he’ll address it more to my satisfaction, and explain the reasons why he stuck with that church all those years and sat there listening to all that hateful rhetoric. So far, to my own personal satisfaction, he hasn’t. I’m not saying he hasn’t convinced others, he just hasn’t convinced me, and in the end for my own vote, that’s what matters!
“Maybe eventually he’ll address it more to my satisfaction, and explain the reasons why he stuck with that church all those years and sat there listening to all that hateful rhetoric. So far, to my own personal satisfaction, he hasn’t. I’m not saying he hasn’t convinced others, he just hasn’t convinced me, and in the end for my own vote, that’s what matters!”
You know, I know several Catholics who attend church religiously – every Sunday, without fail. Now to know these people they don’t seem like church goers. They don’t live a Catholic lifestyle, they are NOT highly religious and they do not push their faith on others.
When one started attending church regularily a few years ago, after having been a non-going guy, my husband asked him HOW he could attend when he had expressed an anti-church viewpoint for his entire young life – disagreeing with nearly EVERY stance the church took. HIs answer? Well, you could say that he still disagreed with a lot/most of what the church promoted/taught/believed. He started to attend for his kids, not for any belief he had. He felt that church would be important for them. He would still hold his views, but really didn’t agree with what the church wanted him to.
Maybe Obama is the same. Who knows.
OK Not Me, Bubba – you make a good point, we don’t know what Obama’s real reasons are for sticking with that church. I’ll definitely concede that. Maybe if he explained them (and if he has explained them then I’ll confess I missed it) and after that it may make more sense to me. However, taking your analogy a bit further – I wouldn’t want my kids (if I had any) to go to a place with such hateful rhetoric, as young minds subjected to that sort of stuff can easily be convinced that it is the norm – and might adopt those very negative beliefs from those sermons. But in the more general sense, it could be that Obama had other worthy reasons for sticking with the church. I just don’t know, and really my whole point has been that I’m trying to figure out how to get past this issue I have with him. Others may have been able to already, but so far I haven’t. It’s not to say I won’t – it’s just to say as of right now/today it is still something that troubles me about him.
I really hate the holes those lapels pins make in my clothes.
My D called about an hour ago. She and six friends are at the Obama rally. One friend got in line at noon, and he was #100. He told everyone around him that he was part of a larger group that would be coming after school got out, and they were all fine with it. When D arrived, the doors to the Pavilion opened and they made it into the 11th row. I’ve never heard her this excited about anything. 🙂 The security guard for her section is also a teacher at her high school, and he’s going to see if he can get them signs.
She said everyone is excited, happy and friendly. Nissan, in a wise move, has the concessions open. They’ll make a ton of money on a hot day like this with a three-hour wait before the rally even starts!
I asked D if she saw any protesters as they were driving. She said no. She also said nobody would care even if they did show up.
I’ll ask for a full report when she gets home.
It was awesome! I volunteered and everyone was so excited that Prince William County was playing such a special role. No matter what your political affiliation, this was a day in history that will never be forgotten.