Obama's Record

Signed an executive order that restored a 30-day timeframe for former presidents to review records before they are released. It also eliminated the right for the vice president or family members of former presidents to do the reviews.
The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act
Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible
Limits on lobbyist's access to the White House
Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration

Civil Rights

Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, Dec 22, 2010

Reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) which includes the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), Dec 20, 2010

One of the biggest bills for the deaf community was signed into law by President Obama today. It's called the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010. A BFD!
8/13/2010 Defended right to build a Muslim community center near ground zero. Video

Fair Sentencing Act, August 3, 2010 reduces the punishment for possession of crack cocaine, making it closer to powder cocaine.

Push for enactment of Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors

Oct 28, 2009: Passed inclusive hate crimes legislation to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray, or who they are.

4/15/2010 Hospital rights extended to all partners

Equal pay for equal work, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act January 29, 2009

Economy

http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/obama_100_days/index.html

TARP money being returned, 11/23/2010

$10 billion deal with India in exports to India, 11/07/2010

Small Business Jobs Act, September 23, 2010. This bill continues the SBA loan program, more than doubles the maximum borrowing amount, establishes a new $30 billion Small Business Lending Fund which – by providing capital to small banks with incentives to increase small business lending – could support several multiples of that amount in new credit; helps states loan money to small businesses; eliminates capital gains tax on investments held over 5 years, coupled with immediately expensing capital investments. And more. Intended to inspire companies to spend capital and bump up productivity.

Recovery Act information at recovery.gov

Manufacturing Enhancement Act, August 11, 2010 To make their products, manufacturers often have to import certain materials from other countries and pay tariffs on those materials. This legislation will reduce or eliminate some of those tariffs, which will significantly lower costs for American companies across the manufacturing landscape -– from cars to chemicals; medical devices to sporting goods. And that will boost output, support good jobs here at home, and lower prices for American consumers.

Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act August 10, 2010 26.1 Billion state aid package: preventing roughly 161,000 teachers and 158,000 public works employees from being laid off with $10 billion to fund education and $16 billion to fund Medicaid. The jobs bill is paid for by closing a loophole that allows U.S. companies to get a tax break for moving jobs offshore. The bill reduces the deficit by $1.4 billion.

Enacts landmark stimulus package

Deepens government involvement in banks

Deepens government involvement in other companies

Commits to more action on housing

Puts forth first budget

Pursues promises on taxes

Aims to reform health care, education, energy

Created a foreclosure prevention fund

Expand loan programs for small businesses

Extend and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch

Extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits

Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect

US Auto industry rescue plan, Ford opens plants in China

Housing rescue plan

The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying

US financial and banking rescue plan

American Recovery Act: invested $100 million in infrastructure, the largest investment since Eisenhower Feb 17, 2009

3/23/10 Obama signs Healthcare Insurance Reform into law :

Outlawing pre-existing condition exclusions,
Banning annual and lifetime benefit limits,
Setting minimum Medical Loss Ratios,
Expanding Medicaid,
Significantly investing in and expanding Community Health Centers, and
Setting up exchanges by 2014 that will subsidize those who need help to purchase insurance

Education

Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools

New funds for school construction

March 30: Education Affordability: "This Democratic Congress and this President passed student loan reform - correcting a very stupid system of student loans in which banks were subsidized for loans that were guaranteed by the Federal government anyway. Instead, now the federal government will make the loans directly, and use the savings to help more students." deaniac

Energy Initiatives

Weatherize 1 million homes per year

Invest in all types of alternative energy

Enact tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars

Support high-speed rail

Provide grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes

4/22/09 - Developed the renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents.

American Recovery Act: $60 billion was invested in clean energy in the form of spending and tax credits. Transforming to a Clean Energy Economy. Building a Smarter, More Reliable Energy Grid,

Federal Deficit

October 28, 2009: Signing of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. This bill expands family leave rights for the family members of our troops and veterans, eliminates some of the waste and inefficiency in our defense process, terminates troubled and massively over budget programs such as the Future Combat Systems, the Airborne Lasers, the Combat Search and Rescue helicopter, and a new presidential helicopter that costs nearly as much as Air Force One.
Ended no-bid contracts
Signed bipartisan legislation to reform defense procurement so weapons systems don't spin out of control.
Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren't even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan
Save Program to inspire people to find ways to save money December 29, 2009

Finance Reform

Fed bans bank charges

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act " This is the toughest financial regulatory reform since the Great Depression. By deaniac. July 21, 2010

Creates a powerful consumer protection bureau,
Directs the SEC to grant access to the corporate ballot for board election to shareholders,
Creates a warning system for troubled financial institutions,
Institutes the Volcker Rule,
Bans banks from trading for their benefit with federally insured dollars,
Forces derivatives to be traded on an open exchange,
Forces banks to spin off their derivative trading activity, and
Grants the government resolution authority over troubled banks."

Credit Card Holder's Bill of Rights

Creditors cannot increase the annual percentage rate (APR) during the first 12 months of opening up an account.
Creditors are required to provide consumers with a 45-day advance notice of changes in rates and significant contract changes. Rates that change due to a change in the index that the rate is based on are excluded from this 45-day notice requirement.
Promotional rates need to be in effect for at least six months from the beginning date of that promotion.
Creditors need to provide a 30-day advance notice of an account closure.
With certain exceptions, credit card issuers are prohibited from charging a finance charge based on the double billing cycle method.
Creditors are prohibited from charging a fee on an outstanding credit card balance at the end of the billing period if the fee is attributed to the interest accrued on an outstanding balance that was fully repaid during that preceding billing period.
Consumers have the right to reject a new credit card after the creditor notifies a consumer reporting agency of its corresponding account.
Creditors are required to remove information provided to a consumer reporting agency about newly established credit card accounts if the consumer has not used or activated the account and and if the consumer contacts the creditor within 45 days of its establishment to close it.
If two or more different APRs apply to different portions of an outstanding balance, the amount of any payment above the required minimum payment needs to be applied to the balance with the highest APR first and then to lower APR balances.
Creditors are required to provide a grace period for payments even if the cardholder takes advantage of a promotional rate balance or deferred interest rate balance.
Creditors are required to send credit card statements at least 21 days before the due date of the outstanding balance.
Creditors are prohibited from providing credit to consumers under age 18 (unless they are emancipated under state law, or the consumer's parent or legal guardian is designated as the primary account holder).
For college students who do not have a co-signer, the maximum amount of credit extended will be limited to the greater of 20 percent of the student's annual gross income or $500 dollars. The aggregate amount of credit extended from all of their credit cards will be limited to 30 percent of the student's annual gross income (for the recently completed calendar year).
Creditors are prohibited from opening a credit card account for any college student who does not have any verifiable annual gross income or already maintains a credit card account with that creditor, or any of its affiliates.
Creditors are prohibited from charging a fee to make telephone and web-based payments. However, a fee may be charged for expedited telephone payments made on the due date or the day before the due date.
Creditors are required to post their written credit card agreements on the internet.

Foreign Policy

3/18/8 – Obama caught world-wide attention for his moving speech on race relations
7/24/8 - Obama lays the foundation for a new era of international relations and began inspiring renewed hope in American leadership during his campaign speech in Berlin
11/6/8 – Obama’s victory was hailed as a promise of hope for the world.
12/1/8 – Obama began plans to restore U.N. ambassador to cabinet rank.
1/22/9 - Appointed a Special Envoy for Middle East peace
1/22/9 – Ordered the closing of Guantanamo Bay
1/22/9 – Ordered comprehensive review of detention policies
1/22/9 – Prohibited use of torture
1/22/9 - Signed an executive order to close CIA secret prisons
1/23/9 – Lifted “Global Gag Rule” on international health groups
US presses Israel to end expansion 2009 May 24

Grants Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba

Directs military leaders to end war in Iraq

Sent two additional brigades to Afghanistan

Gives a speech at a major Islamic forum in the first 100 days of his administration

Set a deadline to close Guantanamo

Signed a detailed executive order to ban torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners.

Granted his first TV interview as president to Al-Arabiya, a channel described as a "voice of moderation" to the Middle East.

Lifted a ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information.
2/27/9 – Committed to responsibly ending the war in Iraq
4/1/9 – Agreed to negotiation of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia.
4/1/9 – Enhanced U.S. – China relations
4/2/9 - Led global response to the economic crisis through the G20, obtaining commitments of $1.1 trillion to safeguard the world’s most vulnerable economies
4/4/9 - Renewed dialog with NATO and other key allies
4/5/9 – Announced new strategy to responsibly address international nuclear proliferation
4/13/9 – Began easing tension with Cuba through new policy stance
4/17/9 - Secured $5 billion in aid commitments "to bolster [Pakistan's] economy and help it fight terror and Islamic radicalism"

5/8/9 – Proposed International Affairs budget that included funds to create a civilian response corps -- teams of civilian experts in rule of law, policing, transitional governance, economics, engineering, and other areas critical to helping rebuild war-torn societies; Provide $40 million for a "stabilization bridge fund," which would provide rapid response funds for the State Department to help stabilize a crisis situation.
6/4/9 - Gave historic address to the Muslim World in Cairo - "American is not at war with Islam" Foreign affairs experts insist that Obama's engagement with the Muslim world has been remarkable. "He has been able to dramatically change America's image in that region"
8/4/9 - Used DIPLOMACY to free 2 American journalists from a North Korea prison
9/18/9 - De-escalation of nuclear tension through repurposing of missile defense prompting Russia to withdraw its missile plan.
1/27/2010 - Because of US policy, Afghan's Pashtun's fight Taliban

4/8/2010 - START treaty with Russia for nuclear disarmament

8/30/2010: Expanded sanctions against North Korea to pressure them to give up nuclear weapons.

Global Warming & Environment

Fast-tracked the process to apply new fuel standards to 2011 car models AND initiated steps to allow California to set its own standards for auto emissions that are stricter than that of the Federal government.
1/26/09 – Began to address climate change by increasing fuel standards for automobiles
1/26/09 – Appointed Special Envoy for Climate Change
2/5/09 - Again addressed energy conservation by increasing standards for appliances.

2/25/09 - Initiated international efforts to reduce mercury emissions worldwide

6/16/10 $20 billion dollar fund from BP for clean up

11/24/2010 Designates area for polar bears

11/24/2010 Feds Accelerate Offshore Windfarm Permits

--$11 billion funding for an electric smart grid
--$6.3 billion for state and local government
s to make investments in energy efficiency
--$6 billion for renewable energy and electric transmission technologies loan guarantees
--$6 billion for the cleanup of radioactive waste (mostly nuclear power plant sites)
--$5 billion for weatherizing modest-income homes
--$4.5 billion for the Office of Electricity and Energy Reliability to modernize the nation's electrical grid and smart grid.
--$4.5 billion for state and local governments to increase energy efficiency in federal buildings
--$3.4 billion for carbon capture experiments
--$3.25 billion for the Western Area Power Administration for power transmission system upgrades.
--$2.5 billion for energy efficiency research
--$2 billion for manufacturing of advanced car battery systems and components.
--$3.2 billion toward Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants.
--$500 million for training of green-collar workers
--$400 million for electric vehicle technologies
--$300 million for federal vehicle fleets, to cover the cost of acquiring electric vehicles, including plug-in hybrid vehicles.
--$300 million for reducing diesel fuel emissions

Health Care Reform & Medical

FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, Jan 4, 2011

Early Retirement Reinsurance Program is up and running, 30 August 2010

1 million seniors receive checks for doughnut hole in Medicaid, 21 August 2010

Obama signs Healthcare Insurance Reform into law, 3 March 2010

Outlawing pre-existing condition exclusions,
Banning annual and lifetime benefit limits,
Setting minimum Medical Loss Ratios,
Expanding Medicaid,
Significantly investing in and expanding Community Health Centers, and
Setting up exchanges by 2014 that will subsidize those who need help to purchase insurance

USDA imposes new standards for milk to qualify as organic, 13 February 2010

Ban Lifted On Federal Funding For Needle Exchange, 18 December 2009

Gov won't prosecute in states that allow medical marijuana. 19 October 2009

Lifts ban on stem cell research, 3 March 2009

Directed almost $1 billion for prevention and wellness to improve America’s health, 24 February 2009

Expand eligibility for SCHIP to 11 million children, Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, 4 February 2009

Advancing Use of Health IT, Training Workers for Health Jobs of the Future, America Recover Act, 17 Feb 2009

Expand funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners

Judicial

Appointed Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, the fist Latino
Appointed Kagan to the Supreme Court, the first person to have appointed two women

Military

18 August 2010: Last brigade leaves Iraq
27 Feb 2009: Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB
Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information
Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier's family
Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out
First to walk among soldiers at Arlington.
The largest percentage increases to the VA budget in the past 30 years.
Help for 200,000 Vietnam vets who may have been exposed to Agent Orange, as well as help for Gulf War vets with specific infectious diseases.
Eliminating co-pays for catastrophically disabled veterans
Increased funding for veterans' health care across the board.
Eliminating delays both in the funding for medical care and the claims process.
Pooling the wisdom of VA employees to help cut through red tape.
An ongoing fight to end homelessness amongst veterans, which has already seen significant progress.
8 Aug 2010: More support for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange

Science and Research

Reverse restrictions on stem cell research

Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research

New federal funding for science and research labs

Women's issues

Obama expanding funds to help women

Miscellaneous

Restore funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program

Support increased funding for the NEA

Fund a major expansion of AmeriCorps

USDA imposes stricter rules for organic dairy farmers

Jump-starting High-Speed Rail , American Recovery Act, Feb 17, 2009

Expanding Broadband Access, American Recover Act , American Recover Act, Feb 17, 2009

Credits

Some of these collected here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/9/791412/-30+-Reasons-Obama-deserves-the-Nobel-Peace-Prize

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/11/19/805925/-90-Accomplishments-of-Pres.-Obama-Which-The-Media-Fails-to-Report....

http://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=150661048281656&id=1606365393

http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2010/06/18-months-in-transformational-historic.html

Hospital rights extended to all

2010-04-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

Read the memorandum

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release April 15, 2010
April 15, 2010

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
SUBJECT: Respecting the Rights of Hospital Patients to
Receive Visitors and to Designate Surrogate
Decision Makers for Medical Emergencies
There are few moments in our lives that call for greater
compassion and companionship than when a loved one is admitted
to the hospital. In these hours of need and moments of pain and
anxiety, all of us would hope to have a hand to hold, a shoulder
on which to lean -- a loved one to be there for us, as we would
be there for them.
Yet every day, all across America, patients are denied the
kindnesses and caring of a loved one at their sides -- whether
in a sudden medical emergency or a prolonged hospital stay.
Often, a widow or widower with no children is denied the support
and comfort of a good friend. Members of religious orders are
sometimes unable to choose someone other than an immediate
family member to visit them and make medical decisions on their
behalf. Also uniquely affected are gay and lesbian Americans
who are often barred from the bedsides of the partners with whom
they may have spent decades of their lives -- unable to be there
for the person they love, and unable to act as a legal surrogate
if their partner is incapacitated.
For all of these Americans, the failure to have their wishes
respected concerning who may visit them or make medical
decisions on their behalf has real consequences. It means that
doctors and nurses do not always have the best information about
patients' medications and medical histories and that friends and
certain family members are unable to serve as intermediaries
to help communicate patients' needs. It means that a stressful
and at times terrifying experience for patients is senselessly
compounded by indignity and unfairness. And it means that all
too often, people are made to suffer or even to pass away alone,
denied the comfort of companionship in their final moments while
a loved one is left worrying and pacing down the hall.
Many States have taken steps to try to put an end to these
problems. North Carolina recently amended its Patients' Bill of
Rights to give each patient "the right to designate visitors who
shall receive the same visitation privileges as the patient's
immediate family members, regardless of whether the visitors are
legally related to the patient" -- a right that applies in every
hospital in the State. Delaware, Nebraska, and Minnesota have
adopted similar laws.
more
(OVER)
2
My Administration can expand on these important steps to ensure
that patients can receive compassionate care and equal treatment
during their hospital stays. By this memorandum, I request that
you take the following steps:
1. Initiate appropriate rulemaking, pursuant to your
authority under 42 U.S.C. 1395x and other relevant provisions
of law, to ensure that hospitals that participate in Medicare
or Medicaid respect the rights of patients to designate
visitors. It should be made clear that designated visitors,
including individuals designated by legally valid advance
directives (such as durable powers of attorney and health care
proxies), should enjoy visitation privileges that are no more
restrictive than those that immediate family members enjoy.
You should also provide that participating hospitals may not
deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national
origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or
disability. The rulemaking should take into account the need
for hospitals to restrict visitation in medically appropriate
circumstances as well as the clinical decisions that medical
professionals make about a patient's care or treatment.
2. Ensure that all hospitals participating in Medicare or
Medicaid are in full compliance with regulations, codified at
42 CFR 482.13 and 42 CFR 489.102(a), promulgated to guarantee
that all patients' advance directives, such as durable powers
of attorney and health care proxies, are respected, and that
patients' representatives otherwise have the right to make
informed decisions regarding patients' care. Additionally,
I request that you issue new guidelines, pursuant to your
authority under 42 U.S.C. 1395cc and other relevant provisions
of law, and provide technical assistance on how hospitals
participating in Medicare or Medicaid can best comply with the
regulations and take any additional appropriate measures to
fully enforce the regulations.
3. Provide additional recommendations to me, within
180 days of the date of this memorandum, on actions the
Department of Health and Human Services can take to address
hospital visitation, medical decisionmaking, or other health
care issues that affect LGBT patients and their families.
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any
right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at
law or in equity by any party against the United States, its
departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees,
or agents, or any other person.
You are hereby authorized and directed to publish this
memorandum in the Federal Register.
BARACK OBAMA
# # #

Presidents signs HIR

2010-03-26T11:36:00.001-07:00

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

March 23, 2010

Remarks by the President and Vice President at Signing of the Health Insurance Reform Bill

East Room

11:29 A.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Fired up! Ready to go! Fired up! Ready to go!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

Mr. President, I think we got a happy room here. (Laughter.) It seems ridiculous to say thank you all for being here. (Laughter.) Ladies and gentlemen, to state the obvious, this is a historic day. (Applause.)

In our business you use that phrase a lot, but I can't think of a day in the 37 years that I've been a United States senator and the short time I've been Vice President that it is more appropriately stated. This is a historic day.

And history -- history is not merely what is printed in textbooks. It doesn’t begin or end with the stroke of a pen. History is made. History is made when men and women decide that there is a greater risk in accepting a situation that we cannot bear than in steeling our spine and embracing the promise of change. That's when history is made. (Applause.)

History is made when you all assembled here today, members of Congress, take charge to change the lives of tens of millions of Americans. Through the efforts of those of us lucky enough to serve here in this town, that's exactly what you’ve done. You’ve made history.

History is made when a leader steps up, stays true to his values, and charts a fundamentally different course for the country. History is made when a leader’s passion -- passion -- is matched with principle to set a new course. Well, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. President, you are that leader. (Applause.)

Mr. President, your fierce advocacy, the clarity of purpose that you showed, your perseverance -- these are in fact -- it is not hyperbole to say -- these are the reasons why we're assembled in this room together, today. But for those attributes we would not be here. Many, many men and women are going to feel the pride that I feel in watching you shortly, watching you sign this bill, knowing that their work -- their work has helped make this day possible. But, Mr. President, you’re the guy that made it happen. (Applause.)

And so, Mr. President, all of us, press and elected officials, assembled in this town over the years, we’ve seen some incredible things happen. But you know, Mr. President, you’ve done what generations of not just ordinary, but great men and women, have attempted to do. Republicans as well as Democrats, they’ve tried before. Everybody knows the story, starting with Teddy Roosevelt. They’ve tried. They were real bold leaders.
But, Mr. President, they fell short. You have turned, Mr. President, the right of every American to have access to decent health care into reality for the first time in American history. (Applause.)

Mr. President, I’ve gotten to know you well enough. You want me to stop because I’m embarrassing you. (Laughter.) But I’m not going to stop for another minute, Mr. President, because you delivered on a promise -- a promise you made to all Americans when we moved into this building.

Mr. President, you are -- to repeat myself -- literally about to make history. Our children and our grandchildren, they’re going to grow up knowing that a man named Barack Obama put the final girder in the framework for a social network in this country to provide the single most important element of what people need -- and that is access to good health -- (applause) -- and that every American from this day forward will be treated with simple fairness and basic justice.

Look, the classic poet, Virgil, once said that “The greatest wealth is health.” The greatest wealth is health. Well, today, America becomes a whole lot wealthier because tens of millions of Americans will be a whole lot healthier from this moment on.

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you everybody. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, everybody. Please, have a seat.

Thank you, Joe. (Laughter.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good to be with you, Mr. President. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Today, after almost a century of trying; today, after over a year of debate; today, after all the votes have been tallied –- health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America. (Applause.) Today.

It is fitting that Congress passed this historic legislation this week. For as we mark the turning of spring, we also mark a new season in America. In a few moments, when I sign this bill, all of the overheated rhetoric over reform will finally confront the reality of reform. (Applause.)

And while the Senate still has a last round of improvements to make on this historic legislation -- and these are improvements I’m confident they will make swiftly -- (applause) -- the bill I’m signing will set in motion reforms that generations of Americans have fought for, and marched for, and hungered to see.

It will take four years to implement fully many of these reforms, because we need to implement them responsibly. We need to get this right. But a host of desperately needed reforms will take effect right away. (Applause.)

This year, we’ll start offering tax credits to about 4 million small businessmen and women to help them cover the cost of insurance for their employees. (Applause.) That happens this year.

This year, tens of thousands of uninsured Americans with preexisting conditions, the parents of children who have a preexisting condition, will finally be able to purchase the coverage they need. That happens this year. (Applause.)

This year, insurance companies will no longer be able to drop people’s coverage when they get sick. (Applause.) They won’t be able to place lifetime limits or restrictive annual limits on the amount of care they can receive. (Applause.)

This year, all new insurance plans will be required to offer free preventive care. And this year, young adults will be able to stay on their parents’ policies until they’re 26 years old. That happens this year. (Applause.)

And this year, seniors who fall in the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole will start getting some help. They’ll receive $250 to help pay for prescriptions, and that will, over time, fill in the doughnut hole. And I want seniors to know, despite what some have said, these reforms will not cut your guaranteed benefits. (Applause.) In fact, under this law, Americans on Medicare will receive free preventive care without co-payments or deductibles. That begins this year. (Applause.)

Once this reform is implemented, health insurance exchanges will be created, a competitive marketplace where uninsured people and small businesses will finally be able to purchase affordable, quality insurance. They will be able to be part of a big pool and get the same good deal that members of Congress get. That’s what’s going to happen under this reform. (Applause.) And when this exchange is up and running, millions of people will get tax breaks to help them afford coverage, which represents the largest middle-class tax cut for health care in history. That's what this reform is about. (Applause.)

This legislation will also lower costs for families and for businesses and for the federal government, reducing our deficit by over $1 trillion in the next two decades. It is paid for. It is fiscally responsible. And it will help lift a decades-long drag on our economy. That's part of what all of you together worked on and made happen. (Applause.)

That our generation is able to succeed in passing this reform is a testament to the persistence –- and the character -– of the American people, who championed this cause; who mobilized; who organized; who believed that people who love this country can change it.

It’s also a testament to the historic leadership -– and uncommon courage –- of the men and women of the United States Congress, who’ve taken their lumps during this difficult debate. (Laughter.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yes, we did. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: You know, there are few tougher jobs in politics or government than leading one of our legislative chambers. In each chamber, there are men and women who come from different places and face different pressures, who reach different conclusions about the same things and feel deeply concerned about different things.

By necessity, leaders have to speak to those different concerns. It isn’t always tidy; it is almost never easy. But perhaps the greatest –- and most difficult –- challenge is to cobble together out of those differences the sense of common interest and common purpose that’s required to advance the dreams of all people -- especially in a country as large and diverse as ours.

And we are blessed by leaders in each chamber who not only do their jobs very well but who never lost sight of that larger mission. They didn’t play for the short term; they didn’t play to the polls or to politics: One of the best speakers the House of Representatives has ever had, Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Nancy! Nancy! Nancy! Nancy!

THE PRESIDENT: One of the best majority leaders the Senate has ever had, Mr. Harry Reid. (Applause.)

To all of the terrific committee chairs, all the members of Congress who did what was difficult, but did what was right, and passed health care reform -- not just this generation of Americans will thank you, but the next generation of Americans will thank you.

And of course, this victory was also made possible by the painstaking work of members of this administration, including our outstanding Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius -- (applause) -- and one of the unsung heroes of this effort, an extraordinary woman who led the reform effort from the White House, Nancy-Ann DeParle. Where’s Nancy? (Applause.)

Today, I’m signing this reform bill into law on behalf of my mother, who argued with insurance companies even as she battled cancer in her final days.

I’m signing it for Ryan Smith, who’s here today. He runs a small business with five employees. He’s trying to do the right thing, paying half the cost of coverage for his workers. This bill will help him afford that coverage.

I’m signing it for 11-year-old Marcelas Owens, who’s also here. (Applause.) Marcelas lost his mom to an illness. And she didn’t have insurance and couldn’t afford the care that she needed. So in her memory he has told her story across America so that no other children have to go through what his family has experienced. (Applause.)

I’m signing it for Natoma Canfield. Natoma had to give up her health coverage after her rates were jacked up by more than 40 percent. She was terrified that an illness would mean she’d lose the house that her parents built, so she gave up her insurance. Now she’s lying in a hospital bed, as we speak, faced with just such an illness, praying that she can somehow afford to get well without insurance. Natoma’s family is here today because Natoma can’t be. And her sister Connie is here. Connie, stand up. (Applause.)

I’m signing this bill for all the leaders who took up this cause through the generations -- from Teddy Roosevelt to Franklin Roosevelt, from Harry Truman, to Lyndon Johnson, from Bill and Hillary Clinton, to one of the deans who’s been fighting this so long, John Dingell. (Applause.) To Senator Ted Kennedy. (Applause.) And it’s fitting that Ted’s widow, Vicki, is here -- it’s fitting that Teddy’s widow, Vicki, is here; and his niece Caroline; his son Patrick, whose vote helped make this reform a reality. (Applause.)

I remember seeing Ted walk through that door in a summit in this room a year ago -- one of his last public appearances. And it was hard for him to make it. But he was confident that we would do the right thing.

Our presence here today is remarkable and improbable. With all the punditry, all of the lobbying, all of the game-playing that passes for governing in Washington, it’s been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing, such a complicated thing; to wonder if there are limits to what we, as a people, can still achieve. It’s easy to succumb to the sense of cynicism about what’s possible in this country.

But today, we are affirming that essential truth -– a truth every generation is called to rediscover for itself –- that we are not a nation that scales back its aspirations. (Applause.) We are not a nation that falls prey to doubt or mistrust. We don't fall prey to fear. We are not a nation that does what’s easy. That’s not who we are. That’s not how we got here.

We are a nation that faces its challenges and accepts its responsibilities. We are a nation that does what is hard. What is necessary. What is right. Here, in this country, we shape our own destiny. That is what we do. That is who we are. That is what makes us the United States of America.

And we have now just enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care. (Applause.) And it is an extraordinary achievement that has happened because of all of you and all the advocates all across the country.

So, thank you. Thank you. God bless you, and may God bless the United States. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you.

All right, I would now like to call up to stage some of the members of Congress who helped make this day possible, and some of the Americans who will benefit from these reforms. And we’re going to sign this bill.

This is going to take a little while. I’ve got to use every pen, so it’s going to take a really long time. (Laughter.) I didn’t practice. (Laughter.)

(The bill is signed.)

We are done. (Applause.)

END
11:56 A.M. EDT

2010-02-24T10:41:00.000-08:00

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dairy13-2010feb13,0,7039768.story

USDA imposes new standards for milk to qualify as organic

Under the rules, which go into effect June 17, cows must get plenty of fresh grass and spend at least four months a year grazing in pastures.

By P.J. Huffstutter

February 13, 2010

Got grass?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed strict new standards for what kind of milk qualifies as organic: Cows must get plenty of fresh grass and spend at least four months a year grazing in pastures.

The rules, which will go into effect June 17, are aimed at standardizing industry practices and easing consumer concerns about how the milk they buy is created.

Current rules require milk marketed as organic to come from cows whose feed was grown without chemical fertilizers, pesticides or genetically modified seeds. Herds can't be treated with hormones or antibiotics.

The new rules seek to close loopholes that had allowed some of the country's largest feedlots to sell their milk as organic, even though their herds rarely grazed in fields. Bovines are natural grazers that have been known to contract digestive ailments from grain. Farmers will have to ensure that at least 30% of their cows' diet comes from pasture grass during the mandatory grazing season.

Farmers in more temperate regions -- such as California and the Southeast -- will be expected to let them eat au natural far longer than the minimum 120 days.

"You can meet this threshold whether you're in Vermont or Arizona," USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said Friday.

California is the nation's largest producer of organic milk, according to the USDA. Organic dairy products were a $3.6-billion industry in the U.S. in 2008 and made up about 5% of all dairy products sold, according to research compiled by the Organic Trade Assn.

Organic milk is pricey. A gallon of Safeway's Lucerne whole milk sells online for $2.99, while a gallon of Horizon Organic whole milk sells for $5.99.

The regulations also apply to cattle being raised and sold as organic beef, as well as other ruminant livestock such as goats, sheep and buffalo. The agency is still weighing one exemption for non-dairy cattlemen: Although animals being raised for slaughter must have access to pasture, ranchers can forgo the dietary requirement during the animals' last four months of life.

The standards help settle a long-running debate between organic activists and farmers and livestock ranchers over how much time the animals need to spend roaming across the plains to earn the organic certification.

Merrigan said that many organic dairies already met the grazing requirements but acknowledged that some farmers would have to change their practices to live up to the new standards.

The change worried members of Western United Dairymen, a group that represents more than half the dairy farmers in California.

"Those up in the north Bay Area -- Humboldt County, Sonoma County -- they get up to 40 inches of rain a year, which means animals covered in mud in the pastures, which can lead to illness in the animals," Chief Executive Michael Marsh said.

Organic activists, however, were cautiously hopeful.

"The success of this rule will depend on the USDA enforcing the bigger picture, of cows being on pastures," said Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director of the policy group Organic Consumers Assn.

p.j.huffstutter

@latimes.com

USDA passes new regs for dairy farming

2010-02-14T05:06:00.000-08:00

Jill Richardson describes the new USDA regs on dairy farming:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/2/13/836871/-Hooray!-Great-Victory-for-Organic-ConsumersFarmers!

In her blog, she quotes these:

http://www.lavidalocavore.org/diary/3253/pasture-rule-published-great-news-for-organic-dairy

See an LA Times story on this here.
From FOOD Farmers (Federation of Organic Dairy Farmers):
Access to Pasture Rule for Organic Livestock provides hope for organic family farms and a guarantee of integrity for the organic consumer
For Immediate Release
Deerfield, MA: The Federation of Organic Dairy Farmers (FOOD Farmers) congratulates USDA for listening to farmers and others in the organic dairy community and publishing a practical and implementable Final Rule that ensures there are enforceable standards for all organic dairy farms to have their cows on pasture.
Nearly four years after a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) Pasture Symposium, USDA has published a Final Rule to clarify the access to pasture requirement for organic livestock and FOOD Farmers gives it their full approval. FOOD Farmers has been leading the fight for quantifiable standards which can be summarized as "a minimum 30% dry matter intake (DMI) from pasture, averaged over the full grazing season, with the grazing season ranging from 121 to 365 days."
"This Final Rule provides the clear, defined, specific language needed for enforcement of one of the central tenets of organically produced livestock-that organic livestock spend a considerable part of their lives in their natural pasture habitat and receive a significant portion of their food needs from fresh, green, growing pasture," said Henry Perkins, Maine organic dairy farmer and President of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA).
California organic dairy producer and Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (WODPA) President Tony Azevedo applauded the publication of the Final Rule, "The rulemaking is long overdue, and producers and processors need the clarity in the rule to plan for the future and to continue ensuring the integrity of organic certification for the consumer. We will work with USDA on immediate implementation and enforcement."
"This is a critical time for the organic dairy industry," says Darlene Coehoorn, Wisconsin farmer and President of the Midwest Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (MODPA), "and we need the USDA to help us maintain the integrity of the organic seal as the only independent, third party certification program for dairy products. This Final rule has the specificity and detail that we need to have a level playing field across the country and, combined with the educational workshops that NOP is running, we are confident of quick and immediate implementation."
The Final Rule provides measurable and verifiable pasture grazing standards, clearly prohibiting drylots and feedlots, and strengthening the role that the organic systems plan plays in organic certification. The rule emphasizes that pasture has to be managed as a crop with a clear pasture plan and that farmers shall provide "year round access for all animals to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas..." and during the grazing season, farmers shall provide not less than 30% of cow's diet from pasture.
"Overall this rule puts the consumers first and requires a high standard for organic dairy products labeled as organic," said Kathie Arnold, New York organic dairy farmer and immediate past President of NODPA, "This proposed rule has the specificity that family farmers asked for and we welcome the opportunity to work with the USDA to implement and enforce the Rule. As President of NODPA, I worked with Ed Maltby in a truly collaborative effort that attracted many organizations to sign on to our recommendations in the knowledge that the producers across the country had authored the document. We see this as a positive example of what can be achieved in working together to ensure the integrity of the organic seal with clear regulatory language based on practical farmers needs. We will continue to work with the NOP to assist with implementation of this rule and work on the publication of a proposed rule on the origin of livestock."
##
For more information on the Access to Pasture Final Rule: http://nodpa.com/pasture_rule....
The Federation Of Organic Dairy Farmers (FOOD Farmers), is the umbrella organization of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA), the Midwest Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (MODPA), and the Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (WODPA), and represents over two thirds of organic dairy farmers across the country.
Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (WODPA) mission is to preserve, protect, and ensure the sustainability and integrity of organic dairy farming across the west reflecting the input from an extremely broad cross section of the organic community.
Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA)
NODPA represents 820 organic dairy farmers in the East of the USA. The mission of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance is to enable organic dairy family farmers, situated across an extensive area, to have informed discussion about matters critical to the well being of the organic dairy industry as a whole, with particular emphasis on:
1. Establishing a fair and sustainable price for their product at the wholesale level.
2. Promoting ethical, ecological and economically sustainable farming practices.
3. Developing networks with producers and processors of other organic commodities to strengthen the infrastructure within the industry.
4. Establishing open dialogue with organic dairy processors and retailers in order to better influence producer pay price and to contribute to marketing efforts.
Midwest Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (MODPA) mission is to promote communication and networking for the betterment of all Midwest dairy producers and enhance a sustainable farmgate price.

From The Cornucopia Institute:
New USDA Rules Establish Strong Organic Standards for Pasture and Livestock
Family Farmers Call Rule a Victory for Integrity of Organic Food and Agriculture
Swift and Judicious Enforcement of Abuses Now Expected by Obama Administration
WASHINGTON, DC - After over 10 years of lobbying, family farmers across the country, who produce organic milk, are celebrating the release of strict new USDA regulations that establish distinct benchmarks requiring the grazing and pasturing of dairy cows and other livestock. Many hope that the new rule will put an end to the abuses that have flooded the organic market with suspect milk from a handful of mega-dairies generally confining thousands of animals in feed lots and barns.
"We are delighted by the new rules," said Mark Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst at the Wisconsin-based Cornucopia Institute. "The organic community has been calling for strong regulations and its enforcement for much of the past decade. Cheap organic milk flowing from the illegitimate factory farms has created a surplus that is crushing ethical family farm producers."
The issue has been a lightning rod for controversy in the organic community. At least five times during the last decade, the National Organic Standards Board - a key USDA advisory panel made-up of industry stakeholders - passed guidance or recommended regulatory changes clarifying the requirement that dairy cows and other ruminants must be allowed to exhibit their native behavior and consume a meaningful amount of their feed from grazing on pastures.
New rulemaking had been delayed by the Bush administration, using a myriad of tactics, some of which are being scrutinized in an ongoing investigation by the USDA's office of Inspector General.
The Cornucopia Institute, on behalf of its family farmer members, also filed numerous formal legal complaints with the USDA's National Organic Program calling for investigations into alleged violations of organic livestock management practices occurring on many of the 20 largest factory farm facilities.
The biggest scandal in the history of the organic industry centered around one such USDA investigation with the regulators finding "willful" violations of 14 organic regulations on factory farms operated by Aurora Dairy, a $100+ million company based in Colorado (Aurora produces private-label, store brand milk for Wal-Mart, Costco and large grocery chains).
"The public controversies concerning Aurora, and alleged improprieties by the largest milk processor in the country, Dean Foods (Horizon Organic), put increasing pressure on the USDA to rein-in the scofflaws in this industry," Kastel added.
"I am confident that the new rule, along with a commitment to rigorous enforcement by certifiers, will put an end to these abuses and restore fairness to the organic dairy sector," said Kevin Engelbert, a dairy farmer from Nichols, NY who milks 100 cows. "Consumers will be able to purchase organic dairy products with confidence, knowing that regardless of the label, the animals who produced the milk were on pasture, as nature intended," Engelbert added.
The USDA has announced that they will begin this month hosting a series of workshops around the country with the nation's 50+ organic certification agencies and other industry stakeholders. The sessions are intended to clearly define the meaning and intent of the new rule so that certifiers, who conduct annual farm inspections and review organic system management plans, will understand what the regulations require from farmers and only approve management practices that strictly conform to it.
Specifically, the new rules require that dairy cows and other ruminants be out on pasture for the entire growing season, but for not less than 120 days. It also requires that the animals receive at least 30% of their feed, or dry matter intake (DMI), from pasturing. In addition, organic livestock will be required to have access to the outdoors year-round with the exception of temporary confinement due to mitigating and documentable environmental or health considerations.
"These minimum benchmarks will assure consumers that industrial-scale dairies don't just create the 'illusion' of grazing and continue producing illegitimate organic milk," said Kastel. He continued by emphasizing to consumers that, "Based on Cornucopia's research 90% of all namebrand dairy products are produced with high-integrity- the handful of factory farms are bad aberrations and will now be dealt with."
The 120-day/30% DMI benchmarks were negotiated reference points agreed-upon by organic community stakeholders and arrived at after a series of meetings and discussions, nationwide, over much of the last half dozen years. The rules were also a carefully crafted consensus aimed at ensuring that legitimate organic dairy operations could truly provide meaningful pasture for their herds across the wide range of climatic zones in the U.S. It is estimated that the rule will impact upwards of 2000 organic dairy farmers.
Cornucopia, a farm policy research group, along with agricultural producers and other organizations, are carefully scrutinizing other impacts on the most sweeping rewrite of the federal organic standards since their inception in 2002. In addition to dairy cattle, the standards will assure humane animal husbandry practices in eggs, poultry, beef and pork production. The USDA will also be accepting public comments for 60 days on one exclusion from the pasture minimum, that for "finish feeding" on grain for ruminants, including beef cattle - an issue that proved controversial and elicited a wealth of public comments when the original draft rule was published.
"I, along with many other family farmers, watch with intense frustration as the seemingly unprincipled mega dairies continually bend the rules and engage in unfair competition with me," said Rebecca Goodman, a certified organic dairy producer who milks 40 cows in Wonewoc, WI. "I am thankful that the USDA is now standing with us to preserve the integrity of the organic food label."
"When Secretary Vilsack met with organic dairy farmers in Wisconsin this past summer he told us that he would 'level the playing field' for small and medium producers," Goodman added. "These new regulations appear to be the first of what I hope will be many steps by the Secretary following through on this important commitment."
LINK TO RELEASE: http://www.cornucopia.org/2010...
MORE:
"I am so pleased to know that the process of rule change that will ensure that organic livestock will consume a significant amount of pasture during the grazing season is coming to a successful conclusion", said Kathie Arnold, an organic dairy producer in Truxton, NY who has a 130 cow herd in partnership with her husband and his brother. Arnold, a respected leader in the organic dairy community, has been intimately involved in the stakeholder dialogue for the past six years and was the point person for collating comments from farmers around the country that were submitted to the USDA as the consensus agreement-now largely adopted in the USDA regulations.
"For those of us whose livelihoods depend on the integrity of the organic label, we view this as excellent news," said Blake Alexandre, a large-scale, grass-based dairy producer from Humboldt County California. "We thank the leadership at the USDA for their diligent work and will be carefully monitoring how this is implemented. But every indication appears to meet our expectations."
The new organic livestock standards will go into effect 120 days after publication in the Federal Register [which is expected later today (2-12-10)], or approximately June 16, 2010.
Cornucopia Institute research indicates that 30-40% of the nation's organic milk supply is coming from a handful of giant CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) largely found in arid areas of the western U.S. When the USDA established the federal organic standards in 2002, only two such operations were in existence and neither was providing any pasture to the thousands of animals in their milk herd.
Of the two original CAFOs, both associated with Dean Foods' Horizon brand, one, in Pixley, California, a 10,000-head split operation (conventional and organic cows) lost its organic certification in 2006. The other, a corporate-owned dairy in Paul, Idaho was never investigated during the Bush administration by the USDA. The Cornucopia Institute has formally appealed to Secretary Vilsack to adjudicate the legal complaints against Dean Foods and to reopen the Aurora investigation (under the previous administration Aurora was allowed to stay in business after career civil servants recommended its decertification having found multiple and "willful" violations of federal law).
Companies like Aurora and Dean Foods/Horizon built commanding organic industry market shares, now well exceeding 60-70% of the market, by quickly getting suspect milk on the store shelves through quickly adding or developing financial ties to new factory farm facilities (it should be noted that current industry market shares are not tracked by government data and difficult to precisely pinpoint).
See the USDA regulatory language:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1....
Over 90% of all namebrand organic dairy products are produced with high integrity. A brand scorecard, intended to empower consumers and wholesale buyers, can be viewed at:
http://www.cornucopia.org/2008...
The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit farm policy research group, is dedicated to the fight for economic justice for the family-scale farming community. Their Organic Integrity Project acts as a corporate and governmental watchdog assuring that no compromises to the credibility of organic farming methods and the food it produces are made in the pursuit of profit. Their web page can be viewed at www.cornucopia.org.

2010-02-14T04:14:00.000-08:00

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/2/13/836756/-Obama-to-Expand-Funding-for-Programs-to-Help-Women

Obama to Expand Funding for Programs to Help Women

by Angry Mouse

Sat Feb 13, 2010 at 03:16:03 PM PST

This is good news...unless you're Phyllis Schlafly:

When Obama presented his multi-trillion dollar budget, he declared with great fanfare that he was calling for a freeze in discretionary spending...Now we learn that all feminist programs and organizations will also be exempted from the freeze. Instead, they will get what White House spokesman Kate Bedingfield admits are “significant funding increases.”

A White House document entitled Opportunity and Progress for Women and Girls describes 15 federal programs that will receive increased funding...Chief among them is the Violence Against Women project, which is targeted for a 22 percent increase, an extra $117 million more than current funding, which is already close to $1 billion a year. [gratuitous slams on feminists omitted]

Naturally, the Godmother of the Women All Suck Movement is just sick that Obama would continue to fund daycare, Head Start, family planning, nutrition programs for low-income families, and enforcement of equal pay laws. It's all just pandering to the feminists, according to Schlafly. Because as everyone knows, any program that affects more than half the population of America is really just a calculated political appeal to that tiny, radical fringe known as women.

Obama's Record

2008-12-31T08:30:00.000-08:00

Obama's presidential campaign page
Obama's Senate page
Obama's Wikipedia page
Obama's Record of Accomplishments
Obama's position on issues: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

This blog lists Obama's accomplishments, almost in a resume. To understand WHO he is, as compared to WHAT he has done, a beautiful diary has been posted at the dailykos. It describes how Obama's vision was formed in the heart of the south side of Chicago.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/26/122522/764

Born

August 4th, 1961, in Hawaii to Barack Obama, Sr. and Ann Dunham.

Education:

1983 Foreign Policy Degree from Columbia,
1991 Law Degree from Harvard, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard, and he served as the President of the Harvard Law Review, one of the most prestigious student positions in the world.

Community Organizer, 1985

He sought to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods plagued with crime and high unemployment

Moved the Chicago Housing Authority to remove asbestos in housing
Established a job-training center
Worked in the streets on voter registration to help elect President Clinton
Registered 150,000 people to vote

Civil Rights Lawyer

Miner, Barnhill & Galland: litigated employment discrimination, housing discrimination, and voting rights cases.

Protecting voters: seccessfully sued state of Illinois for failing to implement a federal voter-registration law.

Successfully defended a whistleblower who lost her job, for a $5 million settlement

Constitutional Law professor/lecturer at the University of Chicago

Illinois State Senate 1996 - 2004

Welfare legislation

Created the Earned Income Tax Credit program that gave over $100 million in tax cuts for families throughout Illinois over 3 years.

Expanded early childhood education

Enlisted the support of law enforcement officials to draft legislation requiring the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

He passed a law to monitor racial profiling by requiring police to record the race of drivers they stopped. The law was at first very controversial, but due to Obama's skills as a negotiator and bipartisanships, he won the support of the police. During his 2004 general election campaign for U.S. Senate, he won the endorsement of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, whose president credited Obama for his active engagement with police organizations in enacting death penalty reforms.

Pass the toughest campaign finance law in Illinois history. The legislation banned the personal use of campaign money by Illinois legislators and banned most gifts from lobbyists. Worked with U.S. Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL), 1988. Before the law was passed, one organization ranked Illinois worst among 50 states for its campaign finance regulations.

Created a working, affordable health care plan in Illinois, that covers 70,000 kids and 84,000 adults, where all kids qualify for $40 per child. Obama sponsored and passed this legislation, working with Rod R. Blagojevich(IL Gov.) See All Kids http://www.allkids.com/ . It is a model for a workable, affordable national health care.

Honors:

Outstanding Legislator Award
Campaign for Better Health Care and Illinois Primary Health Care Association, 1998
Best Freshman Legislator Award
Independent Voters of Illinois, 1997
Monarch Award for Outstanding Public Service, 1994
“40 Under 40” Award, Crain’s Chicago Business, 1993.
Grammy Award in 2006 for Best Spoken Word Recording for the audio version of his book, Dreams from My Father.

US Senate, 2005 - present

He is a member of several Senate Committees:

Committee on Foreign Relations, that plays a vital role in shaping US policy around the world.
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that addresses, among other things, issues of immigration and our borders.
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions: oversees our nation’s health care, schools, employment, and retirement programs
Committee on Veterans' Affairs: focused on providing our brave veterans with the care and services they deserve.
2005-2006: Environment and Public Works Committee, which safeguards our environment and provides funding for our highways

The Numbers

Obama sponsored 152 bills and resolutions brought before the 109th Congress in 2005 and 2006, and cosponsored another 427.

Legislation Passed in US Senate

Lugar-Obama Act to decrease nuclear and conventional weapons proliferation around the world.

Coburn-Obama Transparency Act transparency in federal spending, found at httP://www.usaspending.gov

Cosponsored the Healthy Kids Act of 2007 and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2007 to ensure that more American children have affordable health care coverage.

Obama worked to pass a number of laws in Illinois and Washington to improve the health of women. His accomplishments include creating a task force on cervical cancer, providing greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helping improve prenatal and premature birth services.

As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Obama passed legislation to improve care and slash red tape for our wounded warriors recovering at places like Walter Reed. He passed laws to help homeless veterans and offered an innovative solution to prevent at-risk veterans from falling into homelessness. Obama passed legislation to stop a VA review of closed PTSD cases that could have led to a reduction in veterans' benefits. He passed an amendment to ensure that all service members returning from Iraq are properly screened for traumatic brain injuries

Congo: Obama and Leahy successfully passed an amendment to provide $13 million in assistance to the DRC for military reform and election assistance. The bill also provided the the US policy is to oppose and fight against the rape and killings of women that is a particular horror there. Obama has recently sent a letter to Sec. Rice demanding a report of their efforts there.

Darfur: He provided funding.

Introduced Patriot Employer Act, August 2007, to reward companies for keeping jobs in the US

As a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee, Obama helped pass legislation in the recent improvements to the Higher Education Act to increase the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,10.

Obama passed legislation with Senator Jim Talent (R-MO) to give gas stations a tax credit for installing E85 ethanol refueling pumps.

Obama sponsored an amendment that became law providing $40 million for commercialization of a combined flexible fuel vehicle/hybrid car within five years.

Congressional ethics legislation, called the Gold Standard of ethics reform, passed by Obama and Feingold that ending subsidized corporate jet travel, mandating disclosure of lobbyists' bundling of contributions, and enacting strong new restrictions of lobbyist-sponsored trips. The Washington Post wrote in an editorial, “The final package is the strongest ethics legislation to emerge from Congress yet.”

Obama has introduced and helped pass bipartisan legislation to limit the abuse of no-bid federal contracts.

Civil Rights

Obama has worked to promote civil rights and fairness in the criminal justice system throughout his career. As a community organizer, Obama helped 150,000 African Americans register to vote. As a civil rights lawyer, Obama litigated employment discrimination, housing discrimination, and voting rights cases. As a State Senator, Obama passed one of the country's first racial profiling law and helped reform a broken death penalty system. And in the U.S. Senate, Obama has been a leading advocate for protecting the right to vote, helping to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act and leading the opposition against discriminatory barriers to voting.

Community Service

Obama began his career by moving to the South Side of Chicago to direct the Developing Communities Project. Together with a coalition of ministers, Obama set out to improve living conditions in poor neigh- borhoods plagued by crime and high unemployment. After graduating from law school, Obama passed up lucrative law firm jobs to head Project Vote, which helped register 150,000 new African American voters in Chicago, the highest number ever registered in a single local effort. Michelle Obama was founding executive director of Public Allies Chicago, a leadership development program that identifies and prepares talented young adults for careers serving the public good.

Economy

Housing: In the U.S. Senate, Obama introduced the STOP FRAUD Act to increase penalties for mortgage fraud and provide more protections for low-income homebuyers, well before the current subprime crisis began.
Predatory Lending: In the Illinois State Senate, Obama called attention to predatory lending issues. Obama sponsored legislation to combat predatory payday loans, and he also was credited with lobbying the state to more closely regulate some of the most egregious predatory lending practices.
American Jobs: Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 to provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military.

Education

Obama has been a leader on educational issues throughout his career. In the Illinois State Senate, Obama was a leader on early childhood education, helping create the state's Early Learning Council. In the U.S. Senate, Obama has been a leader in working to make college more affordable. His very first bill sought to increase the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,100. As a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee, Obama helped pass legislation to achieve that goal in the recent improvements to the Higher Education Act. Obama has also introduced legislation to create Teacher Residency Programs and to increase federal support for summer learning opportunities.

Energy & Environment

Renewable Fuels: Obama has worked on numerous efforts in the Senate to increase access to and use of renewable fuels. Obama passed legislation with Senator Jim Talent (R-MO) to give gas stations a tax credit for installing E85 ethanol refueling pumps. The tax credit covers 30 percent of the costs of switching one or more traditional petroleum pumps to E85, which is an 85 percent ethanol/15 percent gasoline blend. Obama also sponsored an amendment that became law providing $40 million for commercialization of a combined flexible fuel vehicle/hybrid car within five years.

CAFÉ: Obama introduced a bold new plan that brought Republicans and Democrats, CAFÉ supporters and long-time opponents together in support of legislation that will gradually increase fuel economy standards and offer what the New York Times editorial page called "real as opposed to hypothetical results."

Ethics

Federal Ethics Reform: Obama and Senator Feingold (D-WI) took on both parties and proposed ethics legislation that was described as the "gold standard" for reform. It was because of their leadership that ending subsidized corporate jet travel, mandating disclosure of lobbyists' bundling of contributions, and enacting strong new restrictions of lobbyist-sponsored trips became part of the final ethics bill that was signed into law. The Washington Post wrote in an editorial, "The final package is the strongest ethics legislation to emerge from Congress yet."

Google for Government: Americans have the right to know how their tax dollars are spent, but that information has been hidden from public view for too long. That's why Barack Obama and Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) passed a law to create a Google-like search engine to allow regular people to approximately track federal grants, contracts, earmarks, and loans online. The Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "It would enable the public to see where federal money goes and how it is spent. It's a brilliant idea."

Illinois Reform: In 1998, Obama joined forces with former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL) to pass the toughest campaign finance law in Illinois history. The legislation banned the personal use of campaign money by Illinois legislators and banned most gifts from lobbyists. Before the law was passed, one organization ranked Illinois worst among 50 states for its campaign finance regulations.

A High Standard: Unlike other candidates Obama's campaign refuses to accept contributions from Washington lobbyists and political action committees.

Fiscal

PAYGO: Obama voted in 2005, 2006, and 2007 to reinstate pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) federal budget rules.
No-Bid Contracts: Obama has introduced and helped pass bipartisan legislation to limit the abuse of no-bid federal contracts.
Against Raising the Federal Debt Limit: In 2006, Obama voted against misguided Republican efforts to raise the statutory debt limit at the same time the Republicans were pushing through massive debt-financed tax cuts for the wealthy.

Health Care

Health Insurance: In 2003, Barack Obama sponsored and passed legislation that expanded health care coverage to 70,000 kids and 84,000 adults. In the U.S. Senate, Obama cosponsored the Healthy Kids Act of 2007 and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2007 to ensure that more American children have affordable health care coverage.
Women's Health: Obama worked to pass a number of laws in Illinois and Washington to improve the health of women. His accomplishments include creating a task force on cervical cancer, providing greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helping improve prenatal and premature birth services.
He is the only candidate to offer a policy proposal on ADA, and he is the only candidate to translate his speaches into sign language.

Immigration

Crack Down on Employers: Obama championed a proposal to create a system so employers can verify that their employees are legally eligible to work in the U.S.
Fix the Bureaucracy: Obama joined Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) to introduce the Citizenship Promotion Act to ensure that immigration application fees are both reasonable and fair. Obama also introduced legislation that passed the Senate to improve the speed and accuracy of FBI background checks.
Respect Families: Obama introduced amendments to put greater emphasis on keeping immigrant families together.

Poverty

Tax Relief for Low-Income Working Families: Obama created the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income working families in 2000 and successfully sponsored a measure to make the credit permanent in 2003. The law offered about $105 million in tax relief over three years.
Housing: In the Illinois State Senate, Obama championed multiple pieces of legislation to help low-income families find adequate affordable housing.

Rural

A Record on Rural Issues: In 2006, Obama supported legislation that would have reversed $2 billion in cuts for U.S. Department of Agriculture programs including conservation, rural development, nutrition, and forestry programs that are vitally important to our rural communities. In addition, he supported legislation providing full funding for agricultural programs that were authorized by Congress in the 2002 Farm Bill. Obama has supported funding for Illinois communities through the Rural Community Empowerment Program, which includes the establishment of rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities, as well as other federal programs that maintain and build upon the assets of rural communities. Obama has worked on numerous efforts in the U.S. Senate to increase access to and use of renewable fuels, including corn-based and cellulosic ethanol. He cosponsored legislation to investigate the root causes of health disparities including for rural areas and to start addressing them. He cosponsored the Emergency Farm Relief Act of 2006 to make grants to state agriculture departments for direct economic loss payments to eligible small businesses. He cosponsored legislation that became law to combat the scourge of methamphetamines. Obama also introduced legislation to remedy years of discrimination against black farmers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Social Security

Social Security and Pensions: In the midst of the 2005 debate over Social Security privatization, Obama gave a major speech at the National Press Club forcefully arguing against privatization. He also repeatedly voted against Republican amendments that aimed to privatize Social Security or cut benefits. Obama has also voted to force companies to properly fund their pension plans so taxpayers don't end up footing the bill.
Medicare: Obama has supported a number efforts to strengthen Medicare, including voting for legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate for cheaper prescription drug prices and to extend the enrollment period for low-income beneficiaries.
Protecting Seniors: After reports that lobbyists, but not the American people, received information about the most unsafe nursing homes in the country, Barack Obama demanded the Department of Health and Human Services release that information to the public. Following Obama's letter, the names of the four Iowa care facilities cited for unsafe care were released to the public. Obama's efforts follow his successful efforts in Illinois to make nursing home information public and strengthen elder abuse laws.
Barack Obama is already using technology to transform presidential politics and to help unprecedented numbers of citizens take back the political process. Obama's Internet campaign is only the beginning of how Obama would harness the power of the Internet to transform government and politics. On barackobama.com, voters have connected not only with the campaign but with each other; the campaign has used technology to engage those who have not been able to participate in prior presidential campaigns. More than 280,000 people have created accounts on barackobama.com. These users have organically created over 6,500 grassroots volunteer groups and have organized more than 13,000 off-line events using the site.
Obama is also opening up the campaign and giving average Americans a chance to offer opinions and information on important policy issues and Americans have responded: over 15,000 policy ideas have been submitted through the web site. Through Obama's leadership, many of the presidential debates are freely available online for mashups, commentary, and other uses by ordinary citizens, bloggers, and others. On the fundraising front, supporters have made more than 370,000 donations online, more than half of which have been under $25. Users who have set up personal fundraising pages online have raised over $1.5 million. The campaign's technology activities demonstrate the important and positive role technology would play in an Obama administration, opening up the closed practices of governance to greater citizen engagement and participation and re-connecting Americans with their democracy in new ways.

Veterans

Record of Advocacy: As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Obama passed legislation to improve care and slash red tape for our wounded warriors recovering at places like Walter Reed. He passed laws to help homeless veterans and offered an innovative solution to prevent at-risk veterans from falling into homelessness. Obama led a bipartisan effort in the Senate to try to halt the military's unfair practice of discharging service members for having a service-connected psychological injury. He fought for fair treatment of Illinois veterans' claims and forced the VA to conduct an unprecedented outreach campaign to disabled veterans with lower than-average benefits. Obama passed legislation to stop a VA review of closed PTSD cases that could have led to a reduction in veterans' benefits. He passed an amendment to ensure that all service members returning from Iraq are properly screened for traumatic brain injuries. He introduced legislation to direct the VA and Pentagon to fix disjointed records systems and improve outreach to members of the National Guard and Reserves.

War in Iraq

Barack Obama opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning. In 2002, as the conventional thinking in Washington lined up for war, Obama had the judgment and courage to speak out against the war. He said the war would lead to "an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs and undetermined consequences." In January 2007, Obama introduced legislation to responsibly end the war in Iraq, with a phased withdrawal of troops engaged in combat operations.

Articles

Time magazine on pre-US Senate work

Judgement

2008-03-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

Obama shows sound judgement time and again.

Over a year ago, on 22 March 2007, Obama wrote a letter to Ben Bernanke,
Chairman Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, trying to stave off the impending housing crisis.

To integrate

2008-03-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

Experience:

Barack has more elected office experience than Hillary.

HRC - 8 years US Senate
Obama - 8 years Illinois Senate and 4 years US Senate

A comparison of Baracks experience to past presidents

FDR - 3 years NY State Senate 4 years Governor
Lincoln - 8 years in the Illinois legislature and 2 years in the House
JFK - 6 years house of rep 8 years senate
Reagan - 8 years governor
Dubya - 6 years governor

Obama has more ELECTED office experience than HRC and he holds up to some
of the past presidents

------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------

Military Endorsements for Barack as Commander and Chief

from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Barack_Obama_presidential_campaign_endorsements

Military

* Clifford Alexander, Jr., former Secretary of the Army[84]
* Susan Ahn Cuddy, first female gunner officer in the U.S. Navy and
daughter of Korean Independence fighter Ahn Chang-ho[91]
* Tom Daniels, Texas Air National Guard[84]
* Richard Danzig, former Secretary of the Navy[84]
* Donald Joseph Guter, former Judge Advocate General of the Navy,
current Dean, Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh[84]
* Richard D. Hearney, former Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps[84]
* John Hutson, former Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Navy[92]
* Jeh Johnson, former General Counsel of the U.S. Air Force[84]
* Lester Lyles, former Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air
Force[84]
* Merrill A. McPeak, former Secretary of the United States Air
Force[93][94]
* John B. Nathman, former Vice Chief of Naval Operations[84]
* F. Whitten Peters, former Secretary of the Air Force[84]
* James Smith, former Deputy Commander, Joint Warfare Center, US Joint
Forces Command[84]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Present Vote Debunked

HRC claims that BO has 130 present votes and claims that he was avoiding
taking issue with the bills that in essence he was a coward.

From:
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=274863

The “present” vote in Illinois is sometimes cast by state lawmakers with a
conflict of interest who would rather not weigh in on an issue. Other
times, members use the option to object to certain parts of a bill, even
though they may agree with its overall purpose.

The ‘present’ vote is used, especially by more thoughtful legislators, not
as a means of avoiding taking a position on an issue, but as a means of
signaling concerns about an issue.

For Hillary to say that Obama was a coward 130 times does not make sense.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obama’s Illinois state senate votes on some key issues:

BUDGET & TAXES=

# Voted to raise the minimum wage in Illinois from $5.15 an hour to $6.50
an hour over two years. (2003)
# Helped pass a 5 percent earned-income tax credit for low-income working
families in 2000; made the credit permanent in 2003.
# Voted to end $300 million worth of tax breaks for businesses. (2004)
# Voted against making permanent the repeal of the state's 5 percent sales
tax on gasoline. (2000)

HEALTH CARE=

# Voted for having Illinois endorse embryonic stem cell research. (2004)
# Successfully sponsored the Health Care Justice Act, a study of ways to
implement a universal health care system statewide. (2004)
# Voted against restrictions on public funding of abortion. (2000)
# Successfully co-sponsored a prescription drug discount buying club
program for seniors and the disabled. (2003)

CRIME & GUN CONTROL

# Voted against letting people argue self-defense in court if charged with
violating local weapons bans by using a gun in their home. (2004)
# Voted to let retired police and military police carry concealed weapons.
(2004)
# Successfully sponsored requirement that law enforcement videotape
interrogations of suspects in some serious crimes. (2003)
# Successfully sponsored law enforcement study of the race of people
pulled over for traffic tickets. (2003)
# Helped pass an overhaul of the state's troubled death penalty system.
(2003)
# Unsuccessfully sponsored measure to expunge some criminal records and
create an employment grant program for ex-criminals. (2002)
# Unsuccessfully sponsored limit of one handgun purchase per month. (2000)
# Voted against making gang members eligible for the death penalty if they
kill someone to help their gang. (2001)

MISCELLANEOUS

# Unsuccessfully co-sponsored ban on discrimination based on sexual
orientation. The measure became law after Obama was elected to the U.S.
Senate. (2003)
# Successfully sponsored move to shield Illinois workers from federal
rules that threatened overtime pay for some employees.
# Successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform called the Gift Ban Act.
(1998)
# Voted against giving tax credits to parents who send their children to
private school. (1999)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations work:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hF21X4euXTnoLZk5sNoBd9NVtcRQD8V1SV980

Some of the work done by Sen. Barack Obama since joining the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee in 2005:

MAJOR TRIPS:

In 2005, Obama traveled with Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., to former Soviet
states and visited sites where nuclear weapons were being dismantled.

In 2006, Obama visited Africa, where he and his wife publicly took HIV
tests in Kenya to encourage citizens there to do the same. He also met
AIDS researchers and activists and caused a stir by speaking out against
corruption and the corrosive role of tribal loyalties in the Kenyan
government.

Also in 2006, Obama traveled to the Middle East, where he met Israel's
foreign minister, spent two days in Iraq talking to officials and military
commanders, and stopped in the Palestinian territory, Jordan and Kuwait.

LEGISLATION:

In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's
proposal to require a new strategy to reduce global poverty.

In January 2007, the president signed Obama and Lugar's legislation aimed
at improving nonproliferation efforts, including eliminating stockpiles of
shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. Later that year, Obama proposed
creating an internationally monitored uranium reserve that would guarantee
fuel would be available for commercial nuclear reactors and dissuade
countries from building their own uranium enrichment capability.

In June 2007, the Senate passed Obama's resolution condemning violence by
the Zimbabwe government.

In January 2007, he proposed legislation that would have prevented
President Bush from sending more troops to Iraq and required troop
withdrawals to begin that spring. Last November, he introduced legislation
that would make clear Congress had not authorized military force against
Iran. Neither measure received a vote.

In July 2005, the Senate passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama to
provide $13 million for the Special Court for Sierra Leone to use in the
prosecution of former Liberian President Charles Taylor.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored
another 427.

These inculded
**the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 - became law,
**The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons
Threat Reduction Act, - became law,
**The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate
**The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, - became law,
**The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, In committee

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obama's Senate Record:

From:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/21/164117/783/290/461422

Of the 15 bills Senator Obama sponsored or co-sponsored in 2005-7 that
became law:

Two addressed foreign policy:
Promote relief, security and democracy in the Congo (2125)
Develop democratic institutions in areas under Palestinian control (2370).

Three addressed public health:
Improve mine safety (2803)
Increased breast cancer funding (597)
Reduce preterm delivery and complications, reduce infant mortality (707).

Two addressed openness and accountability in government:
Strengthening the Freedom of Information Act (2488)
Full disclosure of all entities receiving federal funds (2590)

Two addressed national security
Extend Terrorist Risk Insurance (467)
Amend the Patriot Act (2167)

One addressed the needs of the Armed Forces
Wave passport fees to visit graves, attend memorials/funerals of veterans
abroad (1184).

Foreign Policy Experience

2008-03-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Obama has the foreign policy experience we need:

1. Obama holds a degree in foreign policy from Columbia,

2. He is on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, that plays a vital role in shaping US policy around the world.

3. He is on the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that addresses, among other things, issues of immigration and our borders.

4. Committee on Veterans' Affairs: focused on providing our brave veterans with the care and services they deserve.

5. He said that he would talk to foreign leaders with preparation, but not preconditions, the advised foreign policy position

6. He is not beholdant to the military complex for funding, as is Hillary. She has received more funding than any other candidate, Republican or Democrat, so he can make decisions independent of the military complex.

7. Nuclear weapon and material disarmament is a primary concern of Obama's. After visiting Russia, the Ukraine, and Azerbaijan with Lugar (R), he returned to author, with Lugar, the Lugar-Obama nonproliferation legislation. So, he's already started making us safer. http://obama.senate.gov/press/070111-lugar-obama_non/

8. Obama has the backing of many foreign policy experts. To hear some of them speak, visit Obamas foreign policy forum, parts 1-3 at http://www.barackobama.com/tv/ (scroll down).

Here Tony Lake from Georgetown, who advised President Clinton during Clinton's first term, says:

a) Authenticy, he says what he means and means what he says
b) Obama has a vision for change
c) Obama brings a new face and message that is transformative
d) Experience: older than Bill Clinton was, lived in Indonesia, travelled extensively in Africa, so he knows what the US looks like from the outside;
e) Judgement: Iraq, first with plans to get out; how hie thinks: he listens to others, understands to different dimension of the problem, and the sees with clear judgement a way to approach it.
f) Unifier: he can win in November; this will be needed to bring change that a divisive personality cannot.
g) Obama has a vision of one American

Susan Rice speaks next more about Obama's policies: Obama was the first with a plan to get out of Iraq, but he also has detailed plans on revitalizeing the armed forces, counter terrorism, Pakistan, so he has the means to tackle the challenges. He goes beyond current problems with plans for climate change, energy independency, international collaboration, the Middle East, nuclear proliferation, supporting more democratic states. On Jan 29, 2009, the world will give us one brief look again to see if we can renew our leadership in the world. Obama represents and embodies that leadership. He represents American's ability to change, to grow, to learn, to regain our strengths.

There are many more speakers.

Here's an article on some of his supporting foreign policy experts: http://obamaendorsements.blogspot.com/2008/03/over-70-foreign-policy-experts.html

9. Here's an international human rights attorney who recently endorsed Obama: http://obamaendorsements.blogspot.com/2008/03/lisa-gans.html

10. Here are the historians for Obama: http://obamaendorsements.blogspot.com/2008/03/historians-for-obama.html

11. He embodies America. His mother is white, from Kansas, his father is black from Africa. he was born in Hawaii, went to school for 6 years in Inodnesia, sought his family roots in Africa (Dreams of My Father). He personifies the American dream to overcome difficulties: his father left the family when he was two, but, with love from his family and a good education, has continued to provide America with dedicated service to improving our government.

Women's Rights

2008-02-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the things that Obama has done for women:

1. Obama created a task force on cervical cancer, providing greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helping improve prenatal and premature birth services.

2. Obama has a 100% rating for protecting women’s choice.

3. Obama's legislation protects women from sexual assault.

4) Obama Passed Equal Pay Act In Illinois To Give 330,000 More Women Protection From Pay Discrimination.

5) Obama Passed A Law To Create The Victims Economic Security And Safety Act (VESSA), Which Would Help Victims Of Abuse Seek Treatment Without Losing Their Job.

6) Obama Passed Into Law a Requirement that Women And Minority Scientists/Engineers Be Represented And Consulted on Specific Technology and Science Efforts.

7) Obama Passed Into Law An Amendment Creating A Mentoring Program For Women And Underrepresented Groups At DOE.

8) Obama created a working, affordable health care plan in Illinois, that covers 70,000 kids and 84,000 adults, where all kids qualify for $40 per child. Obama sponsored and passed this legislation, working with Rod R. Blagojevich(IL Gov.) See All Kids. It is a model for a workable, affordable national health care.

9) Obama supported early childhood education.

10)Cosponsored the Healthy Kids Act of 2007 and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2007 to ensure that more American children have affordable health care coverage.

To see more of his work in a resume style, got to Obama's Record. This is information culled from various Obama web sites.

To learn more about about women supporting Obama, go to Women For Obama.

Go here here
to learn about his legislation, including for women. Some of the information above is taken from here.

Obama's Strong Record on Protecting Victims of Sexual Assault

Present Votes Are an Accepted Legislative Strategy in the Illinois Senate

Highlights of Obama's Strong Record of Accomplishment in the U.S. and Illinois Senate

Go here to read testimonials from feminist leaders who support Obama. Scroll down to the middle of the page.

Articles

2008-02-03T22:03:00.000-08:00

Robert Reich's Blog
Qualifications: Setting the Record Straight

AP Press
Obama's Varied Record
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS
Jan 16, 2008

Washington Post
Judge Him by His Laws
By Charles Peters
Friday, January 4, 2008;

Washington Post
Obama Forged Political Mettle In Illinois Capitol;
By Peter Slevin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 9, 2007

Summary

2008-01-25T08:32:00.000-08:00

Obama has passed significant legislation.

Keeping us secure: Lugar Obama disarms nuclear and conventional weapons around the word.

Keeping us in line: Coburn-Obama gives us government spending transparency. In both the State and US Senates, he has passed major ethics reform bills.

On the economy: he has passed several bills for alternative energy and energy independence, the best way to be free of expensive oil.

On taxes: he returned $100 million to families in Illinois.

Health insurance: He’s passed new health insurance, All Kids, aworking, affordable health care plan in Illinois, that covers 70,000 kids and 84,000 adults, where all kids qualify for $40 per child.

Civil rights: He’s passed civil rights legislation on the death penalty, racial profiling, and video taping homicide interrogations. He’s protected voter rights.

Women’s rights: His accomplishments include creating a task force on cervical cancer, providing greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helping improve prenatal and premature birth services. He has a 100% rating for protecting women’s choice.

Education: programs for preschool education, extended the ceiling for Pell grants.