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Tommy Thompson Folds 'Em
2007-08-14 07:48:00
Tommy Thom pson of Wisconsin went all in and lost.  After a dismal showing in the Iowa Straw Poll, he's decided he's probably better suited for other things.So the real question remains...who's next? 
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Sen. Barack Obama as a Vice Presidential Candidate
2007-08-14 07:45:00
Well it wouldn't be my first choice, being that I'd rather he remain the presidential candidate to beat...but yesterday John Edwards was asked if he would ever consider selecting Sen. Barack Obama as his vice presidential running mate. "I am open minded about it, to answer your question," said the former senator from North Carolina. "I have made what, at least for now, would be a short list for me of people to consider, just as I've done the same thing for each cabinet position."Even more interesting though, Edwards admits that his vice presidential running mate does not necessarily have to be aligned with the Democratic party.  He does not want a "yes man," and would prefer somebody competent and fit for the job.  If this means seeking outside the Democratic party, so be it.
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CNN Political Ticker: August 13, 2007
2007-08-13 18:53:00
CNN Poli tical Ticker : August 13, 2007Compiled by Alex MooneyCNN Washington Bureau Making news today? * "Karl Rove, President Bush's longtime political adviser, is resigning as White House deputy chief of staff effective Aug. 31, and returning to Texas." (Wall Street Journal) "There's always something that can keep you here, and as much as I'd like to be here, I've got to do this for the sake of my family," Rove told the paper. His hand "was forced when White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten announced that any senior staff that were working past Labor Day (September 3) would be expected to stay on until the end of Bush's term in January 2009." (CNN.com) "It was widely believed inside and outside the White House that Mr. Rove?would walk out the door behind Mr. Bush in January of 2009." (New York Times) He "has survived years of pointed investigation of his activities while in the White House ? first during special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's probe of White House leaks, and mo...
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Blogging to Resume
2007-08-13 08:04:00
With the start of the new academic year, I didn't expect it to become such a chore to rifle out blog posts, but I have found myself challenged to create new blog entries each and every morning.You do have my word, I will be returning to my consistent schedule of blogging in the morning very soon.  Our students return to the district today and tomorrow and all the planning phases of setting-up a classroom and school should be behind us.  This amounts to much more time freed up to blog.Happy New School Year students!
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1st Back to School AM Post of the 2007-08 School Year
2007-08-07 08:33:00
As billed, here is my first early-morning post in about 2 1/2 months.  Since today is the first official day for teachers to return to work for the 2007-08 school year in my distrct, I must now adjust to cranking out some earlier posts for my readers to enjoy.I also wish to encourage readers to provide feedback and comments at the blog site.  I haven't received as many comments the past two weeks and wish to keep the site as interactive as possible.It is a little confusing lately since there is an official Kansas City for Obama organization in Kansas City that does physical campaign events in and around the city.  They use a domain name very similar to ours and I'm afraid that it could result in some confusing for existing or newer readers.Either way, feel free to subscribe or bookmark us at:http://KansasCityforObama.com http://KCforObama.com
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New School Year Brings Earlier Blog Posts
2007-08-07 00:14:00
Well my summer has officially come to a close as I must report back to my teaching duties and begin a new school year.  While most teachers are very bitter about returning, I'm anticipating my return so I can begin my Ed.S. Educational Administration program and hopefully start to work my way up the career ladder.The good news about the new school year is that my blog posts will come significantly earlier than they had this past summer.  I'm used to waking up early in the morning and contributing about 3-5 posts before 6:30am.  So if you're also an early riser, look for more early morning posts.Of course, this does mean I will not have the opportunity to reply to most comments until later in the day.
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CNN Political Ticker: August 3, 2007
2007-08-03 10:29:00
CNN Poli tical Ticker : August 3, 2007Compiled by Stephen Bach, CNN Washington Bureau Making news today? * The I-35W disaster in Minneapolis prompted U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters on Thursday to urge all states to immediately inspect all bridges of the same design. (CNN.com) Full story House Transportation Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) ?announced that his committee had moved quickly to make available $250 million in emergency transportation funds to assist the Twin Cities.? (The Hill) * ?With pessimism growing about the ability of a troop injection to overcome Iraq?s sectarian violence,? Mitt Romney ?and other Republicans who embraced the plan are gingerly laying the groundwork for a possible shift away from White House appeals to stay the course.? (Bloomberg) * A new Washington Post-ABC News poll of Iowa voters finds ?the Democratic contest in the Hawkeye State is a deadlock, with Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards in a virtual tie for first place.? (Was...
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Top Dems Neck-and-Neck in Iowa
2007-08-03 10:23:00
In a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll featuring Iowa caucus voters, it appears as though we have a dead-heat slugfest about to brew throughout Iowa.The top three Democratic candidates are all presently in a tie.  Sorry Bill Richardson, still don't have a chance here. If the Democratic caucus were being held today, and the candidates were: (Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Dennis Kucinich, and Mike Gravel), who would you support? 7/31/07 Barack Obama 27 Hillary Clinton 26 John Edwards 26 Bill Richardson 11 Joe Biden 2 Dennis Kucinich 2 Chris Dodd 1 None of these (vol.) 2 No opinion 4 Hillary Clinton does have a rather sizeable lead over Sen. Barack Obama and John Edwards regarding which candidate(s) has the appropriate experience and ability to lead.&n...
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Should Sen. Barack Obama Participate in the YearlyKos Convention?
2007-08-03 10:07:00
This weekend all the Democratic presidential candidates will find themselves participating in the YearlyKos convention, unlike the last presidential election when only one candidate bothered attending.The YearlyKos convention has become an annual convention of left-wing liberals that invite candidates to speak to the masses and then participate in smaller break-out sessions, limited to only 200 conventioneers per session.Sen. Hillary Clinton has announced she will participate only by speaking on the grand stage, but will forego actually engaging in a dialogue during a breakout session?Is she doing the right thing?  Is Sen. Barack Obama doing the right thing by attending this convention and participating at all?The event has been billed "top-priority" by Bill O'Reilly and his goons at Fox News, introducing evidence to the Fox News sheeple that show there are idiotic bloggers that contribute offensive material on a regular basis.  While O'Reilly should finally pull his hea...
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Sen. Barack Obama Faces Toughest Challenges Yet
2007-08-03 01:48:00
Well, either Sen. Barack Obama has solidified himself as a worthy Presidential candidate to America or he has managed to self-destruct over the last two weeks.I've been a huge Obama fan since before anybody outside the State of Illinois had ever even heard of him, but I'm definitely growing a little fatigue as of late.  I'm stressing myself out because my biggest fear is that he will come across to the country appearing far too naive, ignorant and inexperienced.I can tell already some Obama supporters are gonna fire back with blinded vision and prove there is no way Obama can appear inexperienced and off course, especially compared to Hillary Clinton.  But let's get beyond the passionate and personal views.  The fact is the media is reporting how Obama is taking a beating from other obscure Democratic candidates, which does make Obama look either defensive or as a target.I actually enjoyed his national security speech, although while the majority of America is ple...
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CNN Political Ticker: August 2, 2007
2007-08-02 11:20:00
CNN Poli tical Ticker : August 2, 2007Compiled by Stephen Bach, CNN Washington Bureau Making news today? * MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said the Interstate 35W bridge collapse ?is a catastrophe of historic proportions for Minnesota.? (Minneapolis Star Tribune) Star Tribune front page Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) spoke about the bridge collapse on the House floor Wednesday evening. Video here * ?In even tones, mixed with occasional flashes of his trademark assertiveness,? a ?subdued? Donald Rumsfeld ?strenuously insisted to a House committee Wednesday that he was not part of any cover-up or campaign to hide the truth in the friendly fire death of Pat Tillman.? (Chicago Tribune) * ?The first Democratic-controlled Congress in more than a decade has kept its promise to spend more time in the Capitol, but many of those hours have been consumed by partisan bickering.? (USA Today) * ?Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama issued a pointed warning yesterday to Pakistani President Pervez Mush...
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Chicago Cubs Tied for 1st!
2007-08-02 00:48:00
Hey, I'm a bigger Chica go Cubs fan than Barack Obama fan!Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go!Hey Chicago, whad'ya say?The Cubs are gonna win today!
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Sen. Barack Obama Speech at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholar
2007-08-02 00:38:00
The following is a transcript of Sen. Barack Obama 's address regarding national security at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.  Thank you Lee, for hosting me here at the Wilson Center, and for your leadership of both the 9/11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group. You have been a steady voice of reason in an unsteady time. Let me also say that my thoughts and prayers are with your colleague, Haleh Esfandiari, and her family. I have made my position known to the Iranian government. It is time for Haleh to be released. It is time for Haleh to come home. Thanks to the 9/11 Commission, we know that six years ago this week President Bush received a briefing with the headline: ?Bin Ladin determined to strike in U.S.? It came during what the Commission called the ?summer of threat,? when the ?system was blinking red? about an impending attack. But despite the briefing, many felt the danger was overseas, a threat to embassies and military installations. T...

First Fridays with the Kansas City for Obama Executive Committee
2007-08-02 00:28:00
**A message from the Kansas City for Obama Executive Committee**First Fridays (Organizing) Good Evening Everyone:Our next Kansas City for Obama event is First Friday?s this coming Friday (Aug. 3rd) in the Crossroads District. This is a tabling event, but a little different from the others. Instead of standing at the table, you are encouraged to walk around talking to people while handing out the literature. This will give you a chance to enjoy the sights and sounds of the entire event ? all the time while working the event. Please be sure to wear your Obama gear (t-shirts, buttons, hats, etc.).We will have a table set up on the Northeast corner of 20th and Baltimore. This is where you can pick up the literature to hand out. We?re all out of t-shirts to sell for the next week or 2, so there will only be 2 of us actually ?working the table?. We will set up there at 6:30 PM, so you can stop by and pick up some Obama pamphlets any time after that.You do not need to reply to this email i...

Kansas City for Obama Upcoming Events
2007-08-01 10:50:00
Kansas City for Obama Upcoming Events In and Around Kansas City (sorted by event):     The City Market (Main Entrance at 5th & Walnut) - Tabling     &nbs p;    August 4th - No Event Held Due to Corn Festival     &nb sp;    August 11th - 6:45 AM - 1:00 PM      &nb sp;   August 18th - 6:45 AM - 1:00 PM      &nb sp;   August 25th - 6:45 AM - 1:00 PM      &nb sp;    September 1st - No Event Held Due to Mellon Festival     &nb sp;    September 8th - 6:45 AM - 1:00 PM      &nb sp;   September 15th - 6:45 AM - 1:00 PM      &nb sp;   September 22nd - 6:45 AM - 1:00 PM      &nb sp;   September 29th - 6:45 AM - 1:0...
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CNN Political Ticker: August 1, 2007
2007-08-01 10:27:00
CNN Poli tical Ticker : August 1, 2007Compiled by Stephen Bach, CNN Washington Bureau Making news today? * On CNN?s ?Larry King Live,? Vice President Dick Cheney backed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, saying ?Al?s a good man, a good friend, on a difficult assignment.? He also ?dismissed congressional investigations into the firings of nine U.S. attorneys as ?a bit of a witch hunt.?? Full story * ?One day after FBI and Internal Revenue Service agents spent 10 hours searching his Alaska home, Sen. Ted Stevens (R) found little comfort Tuesday in the Capitol, where he spent much of the day being chased by reporters and received a decidedly cool reception from the bulk of his colleagues.? (Roll Call) Showing a great example of the game of cat and mouse often played by lawmakers and journalists, CNN?s Ted Barrett and Dana Bash split up to catch the seven-term senator. Did they succeed? Check out the full story on The Ticker. * The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll has Sen. Hillary...
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Returned from Table Rock, MO and Ready to Keep Up Enthusiasm for Obama
2007-07-31 21:17:00
I spent an awesome and relaxing weekend with my girlfriend's family in Table Rock , MO down in Ozark country.  Man, did I ever have a great time in the beautiful, hilly country.  Did some Smores-making, water skiing, boating and wading throughout Table Rock Lake and Indian Point resorts.  Can't wait until next year!And now my personal mission to elect Barack Obama to President of the United States continues!
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Heading to Table Rock, MO this Weekend
2007-07-27 09:06:00
This weekend I'll be taking a little break from my regular blog duties and enjoy some time at Table rock, MO.  Please feel free to leave any posts and comments and I'll certainly try to respond upon my return to Kansas City.
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Mitt Romney Confuses MySpace for YouTube
2007-07-27 08:57:00
The Chicago Tribune reported on a little confusion posed by Mitt Romney during a campaign stop, yesterday in Iowa.  He sounded rather convincing regarding his social-conservative views of banning retailers from selling video games that may be deemed violent and he even had a little opinion on social networking sites, like MySpace and apparently YouTube.The problem is, for a presidential candidate so "passionate" about his social-conservative views and quick to judge a site...perhaps he should actually check them out first.  You know, it's good to know what you're talking about.  Sound bytes are great an all, but you can sound like a real ass down the road. "YouTube is a website that allows kids to network with one another and make friends and contact each other," Romney explained. "YouTube looked to see if they had any convicted sex offenders on their web site. They had 29,000."Um, Mitt. You know that little Republican debate format in September, the one where av...
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CNN Political Ticker: July 26, 2007
2007-07-26 12:20:00
CNN Poli tical Ticker : July 26, 2007Compiled by Stephen Bach, CNN Washington Bureau Making news today? * Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia became the newest member of Congress Wednesday, after he was sworn-into replace Rep. Charlie Norwood, who died earlier this year. Full story on The Ticker ?After two unsuccessful runs for Congress and one try at the U.S. Senate, Broun pulled off one of the most surprising victories in recent Georgia politics.? (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) * ?Sen. John McCain?s media team has resigned, an indication that a campaign shake-up two weeks ago is continuing to backfire and further imperil the Arizona Republican?s presidential candidacy.? (Wall Street Journal) * Lovely imagery: ?Newt Gingrich?s long, slow striptease over whether he will seek the presidency in 2008 looks like it might come to an unexpected conclusion: a date with Fred Thompson.? (The Politic o) * Another unexpected Dave Chappelle sighting? on Wednesday he ?was doing a bit of banking? at the ?Con...

Lou Dobbs....Bill O'Reilly....Ugh, Pass the Tylenol
2007-07-25 21:09:00
WARNING: UNRELATED OBAMA POSTIn an effort to remain as updated as possible on national and international events, I watch and read a variety of media sources to gain a diverse perspective of topics.  As much as it kills me, this means even tuning in to Fox News on occasion.Tonight, I happened to catch both Lou Dobbs on CNN and Bill O 'Reilly on Fox News.  Good lord!  I honestly have a headache after watching both episodes.  Dobbs is about as critical of the Bush Administration as anybody can possibly be and will argue with any guests on the show to the highest level posisble.Then there's O'Reilly.  For an intelligent man, he takes perspectives and entirely remains ignorant of the opposing viewpoint, almost purposely.  Can O'Reilly actually be so smart, he's that dumb?Either way, I legitimately feel as though I have a headache and I'm only 9 minutes into O'Reilly's show.Time to tune to the Cubs game now, I need a break.
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Kansas City for Obama Organizing Meeting Update Request
2007-07-25 20:52:00
Last night, the local Kansas City for Obama campaign group gathered at the Uptown Theater to meet with organizers of the Midwest field office of Sen. Barack Obama's campaign team, America for Obama.If anybody attended the meeting, please feel free to reply with a post that may provide further details for others that could not attend last night's meeting.  Such information would be highly beneficial to maintain the high grassroots activity of Obama supporters in and around the Kansas City area.Initially I planned to attend the meeting, but decided after some consideration, that I would take a pass.  I did feel as though it may be my duty to attend the meeting and begin working with the Midwestern field office as they plan a field plan for Kansas City.  At this time, it's just not optimal for myself.I have decided due to my personal schedule of teaching, coaching and beginning my doctorate program in educational adminstration that I should only focus on select activi...
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Power of Media on the Decline in 21st Century
2007-07-25 11:23:00
Like most kids, I grew up with very high career aspirations.  I remember through the course of my imaginary play years, I would assume the role of: a Catholic priest, the Governor of Illinois, an astronaut, a firefighter, a police officer, a teacher and a broadcaster.  But out of all these play-time careers, it was my love of journalism that had my heart set on becoming a broadcaster.  I religiously watched Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, Walter Cronkite (when it was possible) and listened to many Chicago talk-radio programs on WLS-AM.I was honestly in love with the idea of providing the news to other people.  I had always been told, "man, you should you go into broadcasting, you totally have the voice."  (Note, they never said anything about the face!)  And so this was my inspiration to launch a career in journalism.I attended the University of Kansas, which has a modest journalism program, but changed majors into education after fearing that my journalism...
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CNN Political Ticker: July 25, 2007
2007-07-25 10:56:00
CNN Poli tical Ticker : July 25, 2007Compiled by Stephen Bach, CNN Washington Bureau Making news today? * Responding to critics who say that al Qaeda in Iraq is not the same group that attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush on Tuesday shared intelligence information he said links the two. Full story The comments ?were met with skepticism by some terrorism experts and former U.S. intelligence officials, who said the president exaggerated or even misrepresented the facts in Iraq.? (Los Angeles Times) * Attorney General Alberto Gonzales yesterday ?weathered one of the most contentious and hostile congressional hearings seen during the Bush administration.? (Washington Post) Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee ?pounded Bush?s longtime friend during the tense proceedings? on a ?large selection of issues.? (AP) Gonzales ?may have put himself in legal jeopardy? as lawmakers ?cast doubt on the truthfulness of his answers and suggested he may have improperly release...
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Sound-Off On Your CNN/YouTube Democratic Debate Reactions
2007-07-24 17:03:00
CNN Poll on July 23rd debate (click on picture, drag and drop to votehttp://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/deba tes/scorecard/youtube.debate/AOL CNN/YouTube July 23rd debate poll (scroll down, center ofpage)(vote, then blue bar down on right side to click on Vote):http://news.aol.com/dailypulse/_a/d emocrats-face-off-in-youtube-debate/20070 723160909990001Daily Kos CNN/YouTube July 23rd debate poll (scroll down, center of page):http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/ 7/23/213213/710Daily Kos 2008 July Straw Pollhttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/ 23/131740/666Vote here too:Daily Kos Candidate favorability ratings Poll: Barack Obamahttp://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/20 07/7/23/164016/185
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CNN/YouTube Debate Follow-Up
2007-07-24 16:41:00
Not sure where you stand on last night's CNN/YouTube Democratic debate, the first "official" debate of the year, but I loved it!  I actually not only found myself entertained, but able to get a brief and quick response from several candidates on several issues.Such a format does not allow for candidates to give in-depth, rich answers to some tough questions...but when there is  field of 7 Democratic candidates sharing the same stage all wanting to address the same questions, this format works perfect.  Frankly, I felt Anderson Cooper would have the toughest job since he'd have to cut many candidates off to move to the next question.  He did a great job as well!I have a very strong feeling such a format is not going away.  Communications amongst each other have only been refined thanks to the Internet and social networking sites.  It is now so easy to just whip out a little camera and broadcast a live feed or upload a photograph elsewhere.  Buildi...
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America Should Move to Single-Day Primary Election
2007-07-24 16:35:00
I have long had the notion that our presidential primary election schedule is quite confusing.  In years past, many states had scheduled their primary election dates on separate dates, which made it more possible for presidential candidates to visit their respective state and meet one-on-one with voters.But now that so many states have made their moves to hold their primary on "Super Tuesday" it opens up the debate to why not just schedule all primaries on a single day? As many states continue to jockey for early dates in the presidential nomination process, most America n voters would like to establish a single national primary day, according to a recent New York Times/CBS News Poll. Nearly three-quarters of the registered voters polled said they would prefer one nationwide day of contests to select each party?s presidential nominee, although Republicans are slightly less inclined than Democrats and independents to support such a change in the long-established system of se...
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CNN Political Ticker: July 24, 2007
2007-07-24 16:28:00
CNN Poli tical Ticker : July 24, 2007Compiled by Stephen Bach, CNN Washington Bureau Making news today? * The reviews are in: Last night?s CNN/YouTube debate marked ?an unprecedented use of the Internet on the presidential debate stage.? However, ?[n]o single candidate appeared to turn in a slam-dunk performance.? (Charleston Post and Courier) ?The citizen-interrogators generated the most diverse set of questions in any of the presidential debates to date and challenged the candidates to break out of the rhetoric of their campaign speeches.? (Washington Post) ?It might have been the first debate in which the questions ? 39 chosen from 2,989 submitted ? were more important than the answers.? (San Francisco Chronicle) The questions ?struck a different-than-usual tone immediately.? (Washington Times) They ?ranged from serious to silly and, at times, put the eight Democrats seeking their party?s 2008 nomination back on their heels.? (The State) ?Candidates gave a few answers previously un...
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Countdown to CNN/YouTube Debate
2007-07-23 17:15:00
I love politics, but I have a tough time watching presidential debates during the early-primary election season.  The field is generally filled with too many candidates, many of which don't honestly have a shot in hell to become the party's nomination.  I don't believe they should not be allowed to participate, but it's obvious which candidates are clearly wasting money, and inevitably, my time by watching them debate. A Washington Post-ABC News poll released today shows that only 31 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have tuned in to any of the televised candidate forums thus far. (There have been three, how many have you seen?)Tonight is the highly-billed CNN/YouTube debate for the Democratic candidates, which should be filled with many personal and meaningful questions fielded by the entire Democratic field.  For the past couple of weeks, a committee of five people have been sorting through all the YouTube submitted questions to determi...
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John Edwards to Participate in Iowa's RAGBRAI Bike Race/Tour
2007-07-23 16:59:00
Most people have never heard of RAGBRAI, the Iowa bike race/tour from river-to-river across Iowa, stopping in its many small towns that will host over 10,000 bike riders for a single night.  The event has become bigger with each passing year, but always small enough to remain intimate and simple to its goal--ride bikes across Iowa and drink beer.The RAGBRAI participants enjoy the fact that their event has grown in popularity, but have long feared that it would one day become a corporate event that is no longer like the simple early days. RAGBRAI is about celebrating a long bike tour through Iowa's smallest of towns, which can be featured on the tour about once or twice a decade.  It's definitely not about celebrity appearances, corporate sponsorships and high dollars to throw around.  Last year marked the first time a big-billed celebrity dropped by to participate.  Lance Armstrong made his first appearance and dubbed it "the coolest race" he had ever experien...
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