NARAL Endorses Barack Obama

From Naralprochoiceamerica.com

NARAL PRO-CHOICE AMERICA ENDORSES SEN. BARACK OBAMA




Washington, DC - Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, released the following statement today, announcing that her organization's political action committee proudly endorses Sen. Barack Obama for president.

"Today, NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC is proud to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president. Sen. Obama has been a strong advocate for a woman's right to choose throughout his career in public office. He steadfastly supports and defends a woman's right to make the most personal, private decisions regarding her reproductive health without interference from government or politicians.

"Sen. Obama has been a leader on this issue in the United States Senate. Since joining the Senate in 2005, he has worked to unite Americans on both side of this debate behind commonsense, common-ground ways to prevent unintended pregnancy. Sen. Obama supports legislation to provide our teens with comprehensive sex education, prevent pharmacies from denying women access to their legal birth-control prescriptions, and increase access to family-planning services.

"We are confident that Barack Obama is the candidate of the future. Americans are tired of the divisive politics of the last eight years, and will unite behind Obama in the fall. We look forward to working with a pro-choice Obama White House in January."

Keenan also praised Senator Clinton as a pro-choice leader. "Americans have been fortunate to have two fully pro-choice candidates in the race for the Democratic nomination. But only one can go forward to the general election. It is truly historic for us to have these two outstanding candidates in the race."

Ah, to be a fly on the wall when Camp Hillpatine found out.

Johnny "Come Lately" Edwards To Endorse Democratic Nominee

cross-posted to goodCRIMETHINK

While Politico, TIME and others. are running headlines that say "Edwards Endorses Obama," I think mine is better.

My initial reaction was:

about friggin time dude. where you waiting for hillary to come out in blackface and campaign for mccain?

There's nothing particularly impressive about his decision. After all, he's coming out even after the mainstream media has concluded that the race is over. So it's not so much an endorsement as it is the only possible thing to do.

I'm a bit harsh on people who lead after the fact. Your decision means more to me when I feel like you made it in a difficult environment. It's one of the reasons I'm so critical of Hillary's Iraq War vote. She made the easy decision to go along with a popular president and look "strong." The truly strong decision would have been to stand up when few others did.

For all John Edwards's talk of being a fighter and standing up for the little guy, I've gone from impatient to furious to bored over his non-endorsement after so many months. When Hillary's campaign, months ago, started acting the fool, where was this Mr. Edwards? Hiding in North Carolina.

The calculating political side of me understands that he probably wanted to keep as many doors and options open as possible and might have been afraid of the wrath of the Clintons had he miscalculated or endorsed "too soon." But I have the luxury of not being in that position, and I don't really care.

That's my take. I may update it after his speech tonight. And no matter how unimpressed I am with the timing of Johnny Come Lately, it will be good to have him on the campaign trail if only to silence this stupid narrative about Obama and the white vote. Given the thoughtfulness behind many of his policy positions, I also think he has a lot to offer the country.

Update at 6pm ET
Craig Hickman in the comments below points out that this timing is kind of good, coming on the heels of West Virginia. As far as its ability to change the headline from Hillary's "rural white" win, that is a good thing. I still maintain I'd have been more impressed with an earlier endorsement (remember Richardson??), but this is OK. Anyhow, let's get about the business of McSame.

HHH Donald Payne Switches to Obama

Hat tip: DailyKos

Congressman Payne, NJ superdelegate, switches from Clinton to Obama

Congressman Payne, NJ superdelegate, switches from Clinton to Obama
by Robert Schwaneberg/The Star-Ledger
Friday May 09, 2008, 12:05 AM

Rep. Donald Payne (D-10th Dist.), a New Jersey superdelegate who had been supporting Hillary Clinton for president, has switched his allegiance to Barack Obama.

"After careful consideration, I have reached the conclusion that Barack Obama can best bring about the change that our country so desperately wants and needs," Payne told The Star-Ledger for today's editions. It was "one of the most difficult decisions I have made," Payne said. "I've really been mulling it over for quite a while."

With Payne's switch Obama has the backing of five of New Jersey's 20 superdelegates. Clinton has 11, including Gov. Jon Corzine; three are uncommitted and one who has backed Clinton is wavering.

By announcing his support for Obama now, Payne said he hopes to help unite the party so it can focus on defeating Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, in November.


"At this particular time we need to really unite behind one candidate," Payne said. "It's time now for us to pull our party together. The quicker it's over, the better we'll be able to bring all of our forces together."

Payne said he endorsed Clinton "early on," at a time when he did not know whether Obama's candidacy "was just a trial balloon." As Obama secured one victory after another, "I did certainly have a great deal of pride in the fact that an African-American would do so well," said Payne, who is African-American.

Payne called Clinton "a good friend" whom he holds "in high regard." He said he had "worked closely" with both Hillary Clinton and President Clinton, "especially with international activities in Africa and Haiti." He said Hillary Clinton "ran a very aggressive campaign" but he did not blame her -- as some have -- for injecting race into the campaign.

Don't fool me in the least. Black folk been giving him hell. Any of the rest of them deserve whatever fate Black folk have in store for them HHH Negroes.

Anyone want to venture which HHH is next?

SuperDelegate Joe Andrew Switches from Clinton to Obama

From DailyKos:



Joe Andrew, the former DNC Chair, who switched to Barack Obama last night, penned this letter below to the uncommitted superdelegates.

May 1, 2008

Dear Friends:

I have been inspired.

Today I am announcing my support for Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States of America. I am changing my support from Senator Clinton to Senator Obama, and calling for my fellow Democrats across my home State of Indiana, and my fellow super delegates across the nation, to heal the rift in our Party and unite behind Barack Obama.

The hardest decisions in life are not between good and bad or right and wrong, but between two goods or two rights. That is the decision Democrats face today. We have an embarrassment of riches, but as much as we may love our candidates and revel in the political process that has brought Presidential politics to places that have not seen it in a generation, we cannot let our family affair hurt America by helping John McCain.

Here is my message, explained in this lengthy letter that I hope is perceived as a thoughtful analysis of how to save America from four more years of the misguided polices of the past: you can be for someone without being against someone else. You can unite behind a candidate and a vision for America without rejecting another candidate and their vision, because in real life, opposed to party politics, we Democrats are on the same side. The battle should not be amongst ourselves. Rather, we should focus our efforts on those who are truly on the opposite side: those who want to continue the failed policies of the last eight years, rather than bring real change to Washington. Let us come together right now behind an inspiring leader who not only has the audacity to challenge the old divisive politics, but the audacity to make us all hope for a better America.

Unite the Party Now

I believe that Bill Clinton will be remembered as one of our nation's great Presidents, and Senator Clinton as one of our nation's great public servants. But as much as I respect and admire them both, it is clear that a vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote to continue this process, and a vote to continue this process is a vote that assists John McCain.

I ask Hoosiers to come together and vote for Barack Obama to be our next President. In an accident of timing, Indiana has been given the opportunity to truly make a difference. Hoosiers should grab that power and do what in their heart they know is right. They should reject the old negative politics and vote for true change. Don't settle for the tried and true and the simplistic slogans, but listen to your heart and dare to be inspired. Only a cynic would be critical of Barack Obama inspiring millions. Only the uninformed could forget that the candidate that wins in November is always the candidate that inspires millions.

I ask the leaders of our Party to come together after this Tuesday's primary to heal wounds and unite us around a single nominee. While I was hopeful that a long, contested primary season would invigorate our Party, the polls show that the tone and temperature of the race is now hurting us. John McCain, without doing much of anything, is now competitive against both of our remaining candidates. We are doing his work for him and distracting Americans from the issues that really affect all of our lives.

We need to be talking about fixing the economy, not whose acquaintances once said what to whom. We need to be talking about stopping the attacks in Iraq, not stopping the attacks in Indiana. We need to be talking about policy, not politics.

Barack Obama is the Right Candidate for Right Now

While I am a longtime critic of our Party's rules that created so-called super delegates, we have the rules we have and we must live with them. I am humbled and honored to be a super delegate, and I understand the seriousness of the duty it entails. I recognize that this is a difficult decision for super delegates like me, who owe so much to President Bill Clinton. It is right to be loyal, to be grateful and to be consistent. But it is also right to acknowledge the inevitability of change, right to dare to dream for a better world, and right to know what in your heart is the right thing for the future even if your friends and family disagree. Good things, just like good people, can disagree. But as Democrats, we must disagree with dignity, debate with admiration of each other, and in the end, go forward with mutual respect.

President Clinton and Vice President Gore gave me the opportunity to serve as the Chair of the Democratic Party. I pledged my loyalty to them, and I will never forget Al Gore putting ego aside, gently demurring, and simply asking me to put our country ahead of politics. It is a lesson I will remember forever, and it is what guides me now in this decision. What is best for our Party and our country is not blind loyalty, but passionate support for the candidate who can best correct the misguided policies of the last eight years.

We need a candidate who will re-invigorate the economy and keep good jobs here in America. We need a candidate who will end the war in Iraq. We need a candidate who will provide health coverage for our 45 million uninsured neighbors. We need a candidate who will end our addiction to high-priced foreign oil by investing in renewable energy here at home.

That candidate is Barack Obama.

What was best for America sixteen years ago was electing Bill Clinton. What would have been best for America eight years ago was not only electing Al Gore, which we did, but allowing him to serve as President of the United States. Imagine how the world would be different if Al Gore and not George Bush, would have been President of the United States. Let's seize the opportunity and vote for someone who like Al Gore, was against the war from the beginning, and who brings a new energy, a new excitement, and a new politics to our country.

Let’s put things right.

Time to Act

Many will ask, why now? Why, with several primaries still remaining, with Senator Clinton just winning Pennsylvania,