Sarah Palin is a Post Turtle

I recently rec'd this from a friend:

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year old Texas rancher whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up aconversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Sarah Palin and her bid to be a heartbeat away from being President.

The old rancher said, "Well, ya know, Palin is a post turtle."

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a post turtle was.

The old rancher said, "When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle."

The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain. "You know she didn't get up there by herself, she doesn't belong up there, she doesn't know what to do while she is up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put her up there to begin with."

Changing Times

The times certainly are a-changing. While I am disappointed we won't have a woman presidential candidate, Hillary certainly gave it a good shot and may have even made it mainstream politics.

Who would have ever thought a black man would become a major candidate? I remember some of the old South and am happy that much of it's segregationist attitude is gone- at least, it's not institutionalized. I recall block-busting- look that up in your Funk & Wagnall's (RIP, Dan Rowan). My city high school had one black student & my college wasn't much different.

My husband was recalling MLK's death & the march down Broadway. He & his dad were busy working & noticed it going on. As they stood on the sidewalk watching the predominately black gathering, they spotted my husband's aunt & uncle marching, too. Now, Hannah & Mike Harrington were about as white as Irishmen get. They were marching because they knew what discrimination was all about. They had emigrated from Ireland as kids. Not because they wanted to, but because they wanted to eat and live in their own country without fear of prosecution or discrimination. They knew what hard work with low pay was all about. They knew about hunger and poverty. And they certainly knew about death, injustice, & prosecution.

So again I say, who would have ever thought it possible in our lifetime? And who bloody well cares if he is black, brown, pink, or green? Black, white, men, woman- who cares? When will we ever learn? Perhaps soon. Perhaps now. Exciting times.

"Harder to Elect a Woman than a Black Man"

This recent quote from former Presidential candidate George McGovern (S.D.). Gee, y'a think? Like I've said before- forget the glass ceiling, there's often a glass floor for women. “I think we’ve never had a woman so well-qualified that’s on the national scene,” he said of Clinton." Amen, brother.

And this from Ralph Nader:
Don't Listen to Sen. Leahy

Just read where Senator Patrick Leahy is calling on you to drop out of the Presidential race.
Believe me.
I know something about this.
Here’s my advice:
Don’t listen to people when they tell you not to run anymore.
That’s just political bigotry.
Listen to your own inner citizen First Amendment voice.
This is America.
Just like every other citizen, you have a right to run.
Whenever you like.
For as long as you like.
It’s up to you, Hillary.
Just tell them – It’s democracy. Get used to it.

Yours truly,
Ralph Nader


I've heard similar remarks posed when a local/state Primary race is threatened. So what? That's how the system works. Democracy is messy. I don't care if there is a floor fight at the Convention. I'm had my belly-full of pre-packaged staged conventions. They haven't worked out all that well anyway. I'm really sick of the polls and the not-so-subtle subtitles of get-out of the race, Hillary. I've been told to leave, too. Men only. Screw that. Like I've also said before, "Try and make me!" I may have lost two elections, but darn, they knew I was there!


From Ayn Rand (Thanks, Sandra): "The question isn't who is going to let me, it's who is going to stop me?"


Thanks to Projo's Sheila Lennon for some of the above links/info. I always enjoy her links & sometimes she connects me to great (and free) games!

District Poll Results

I just realized that the info I was given from Middletown Town Hall (dated Mar. 3) regarding polling places was in error. There were 4 polls, not 3. One was at Gaudet (which was not listed) while there was another at the h.s. I suppose if you mistakenly showed up at the h.s., they sent you to Gaudet and vice versa.
Thanks to Hard Deadlines for pointing me to the right link for the this info. Sorry to Republicans or other withdrawn candidates. Please check the link because I'm tired of typing.

Middletown

h.s.
Obama - 292
Clinton- 290

Gaudet
Clinton- 297
Obama- 259

Library
Clinton- 65
Obama- 55

Town Hall (which had NO available parking during the day!)
Clinton- 543
Obama- 390

Tiverton

Town Hall
Clinton- 251
Obama- 169

Fire Station
Clinton- 809
Obama- 354

Countryview Estates
Clinton- 338
Obama- 139

H.S.
Clinton- 552
Obama- 368

Little Compton (one poll)
Obama- 436
Clinton- 327

Newport

Salvation Army
Obama-329
Clinton- 309

St. Peter's
Obama- 586
Clinton- 533

Wm. Donovan Manor
Obama- 568
Clinton- 380

City Hall
Obama- 679
Clinton- 555

This One's For You!

This is why Hillary speaks to me, my husband, & a heckuva lot of us voting babyboomers:

Democratic Primary Results in District 12.

For State/town results click here. Click here for delegate results. For results of the CNN polling click here.

Clinton won in three towns. Newport went for Obama. I think that the headquarters there paid off and even had some effect in nearby Middletown. Sorry, I can't explain Little Compton (the Dems are an independent group out there). These results are phenomenal when compared with previous primary voting. Women & Catholics went for Hillary big time. Union members also stood behind her.

Tiverton:
Clinton-19,050 Obama-10,030

Middletown:
Clinton-1,195 Obama-1,096

Newport:
Obama- 2,162 Clinton- 1,777

Little Compton:
Obama- 436 Clinton- 327

Middletown Voting

Voting in Middletown is most certainly higher than four yrs. ago. Last time there was a total of less than 475 votes cast in the Dem. Presidential Primary * with 80 in the Rep. Primary. In my voting district along 350 votes had been cast (both Parties) at 1:30. There are two other polls- the Library seemed very quiet with plenty of parking. Town Hall was packed. At one point there was a waiting line down East Main Rd. Even without an election, parking is limited. Right now & since this a.m., there's been standing room only. A pity. Until the business next door clears out, there is little available parking. Poor choice for 3 districts to be voting.
CNN had an exit poll going.

Bill Clinton Just Called!

I'm with you Bill & Sheldon who called the other day!

Also calls from Barack Obama & Miss R.I. from the Young Dems.

Middletown Voting Locations

Our polling place list follows:

Districts 1901 and 1904 (same as always) - Middletown High School

Districts 1902, 1903, and 1905 - Middletown Library (combined)

Districts 1906, 1907 & 1908 -Town Hall (combined).

It was suggested by the Board of Elections to combine polling locations for this Primary. Normally, the Presidential Preference Primary has a 3% voter turnout.

Our Board of Canvassers consists of three (3) senior citizens: Mary Hannon of Green End Ave., Carmella Murphy of Spruce Ave, and Chair Adeline Rose of Willow Ave. There is one Dem on this partisan board. She was "nominated" by the current Midd. Dem. Town Chair & became a Dem less then a month before her appointment. See previous blog entry.

Thanks to Clerk Wendy Marshall for her prompt response to my queries. I am still waiting for a response to questions posed months ago to the state Board of Elections regarding voting.

Call her at (847-0009) if you are not sure where to vote or look in the previous posting for the Sec. of St. link.

Tues. Presidential Primary Election

Little Compton lost one polling place while Middletown lost half of theirs. I don't get it. In the recent Newport Rep. election which expected a LOW turnout, all the polling places were open in the Rep. District. A higher than normal Primary voter turnout is expected here & we make it harder to vote. Umm, how about no-fault absentee voting? I already know one Hillary support who can't vote because of a trip & was unable to obtain an emergency ballot .

One wonders how many will head to their normal voting place, find it closed, & forget about it? Or how many will view the line at their polling place, turn around, & head out? But the old fart demographic (and I refer here to myself) will put up with these inconvenients. And who will I vote for - Hillary. I make no bones about it- I want a woman president! I could go on but that's the bottom line. I'd cast my vote almost as happily for Obama at a later time, but I am hoping that Hillary wins it.

I can't say as Shirley Chisolm did that,"I' ve always met more discrimination being a woman than being black. " But for those who complain about their being a glass ceiling for women, I've always found that there was more of a glass floor. While I do believe that there has been some change since Shirley spoke the previous words (in the ?80's)- not enough!
I only hope that while I can honestly state that I would work just as hard if Obama wins, that his supporters can same the same about Hillary.

Go Hillary!

BTW: Locate your Primary voting place here AND Hillary has had a lousy presence on the blogs. I blame that on her campaign. I've rec'd nada despite asking.

Bill's Coming to Bryant

You're invited to join President Clinton tomorrow at a "Solutions for America Rally" on behalf of Hillary Clinton for President.
What: A "Solutions for America Rally" with President Bill Clinton
When: Thursday, February 28, 2008 Doors open at 2:15 p.m.Where: Bryant University Chace Athletic Center 1150 Douglas Pike Smithfield, RI 02917
RSVP by visiting here

District Primary Delegates

Everything you want to know about the upcoming Primary is available here. This is the Sec. of St. website.
Local delegates from our District (plus a little beyond) who will be on the ballot are:

McCain:
Steven Coaty (the new Rep.)-Newport
June Gibbs (our District Sen.)- Middletown
Suzi Nance-Middletown
J. William Middendorft II - Little Compton
Steven Waluk (Newport Mayor & member for Bridge Authority))- Newport
Christine Callahan (former Rep. now Controller for Bridge Authority)- Middletown

Obama:
Edith Lorillard Cowley- Newport

Click here for the entire list from the Sec. of St.




If I have forotten anyone, please let me know. The hometowns of the delegates are not listed, just their Congressional House Districts. We are in ONE.

Obama House Party Monday in Newport

Dear Friends,
As you know, Rhode Island’s Democratic primary is just around the corner, Tuesday, March 4th. In the interest of swaying you (if you aren’t already) towards the candidate that I support, Barack Obama, I hope that you can come this with short notice. Not to worry, this informal event is about getting out the vote - not your wallet - so please come and enjoy food and drinks. Especially, if you’re registered ‘unaffiliated,’ and your vote undecided. Among many things, I believe Obama represents a new and much needed generation of leaders who employ selfless judgment. Hope to see you there on Monday, February 25th (500-730pm) at 2 Rovensky Avenue in Newport.

Guillaume deRamel

Hosted By
Lisette Prince
Molly and Guillaume de Ramel
Join us and learn why Barack Obama is right for America and how he will unite our country.

Monday, February 25
5:00 – 7:30 pm
2 Rovensky Avenue, Newport, RI

RSVP (401)846-6592
or
lisetteprince@yahoo.com

$25 contribution encouraged.
Bring your checkbook in case you’re inspired to give more!
Bring a friend who is still uncommitted.

Rhode Island is hosting a series of House Parties for Barack Obama. If you want to learn more, and join the campaign for Obama, email jeffrey@padwalaw.com. Recruit friends, neighbors, colleagues and come to other gatherings for Obama. It’s a movement you can believe in!

Hillary Supporters

If you're interested in offering support or want info:

Kate Chang Hillary Clinton for President, RI Field Organizer: East Providence, Bristol, and Newport Counties

Chang02144@yahoo.com (preferred email), kchang@hillaryclinton.com (slower email),

617- 359- 3521 (cell phone)

High Schoolers For Obama

St. George's students have organized under the leadership of Senior Alex Merchant- SG for OBama. There are more than 50 in the group & Alex was recently made the h.s. coordinator for the Statewide campaign.

"In addition to weekly meetings, the group has traveled to New Hampshire and Massachusetts to campaign for the Illinois senator and held a phone-banking event during which they called voters in Connecticut."

The top issue on student minds is the Iraq war & the fact that Obama has always been opposed to it. "... students talked about health care, the economy and special interests as issues on which they most agree with the 46-year-old senator. They don’t, however, agree with those who believe Obama’s lack of experience — he’s been a U.S. senator since 2004 — will doom his candidacy."

The students consider it more of a pro-Obama movement than anti-Clinton. "...most members of the group said if Obama loses to Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary, they would vote for her in the general election."

His message of "hope" touches them along with the optimistic attitude. It's nice to see young people getting involved. I saw this also in the Whitehouse campaign. Motivating voters is the key to good government on all levels. It could also prove the key to a sucessful campaign. It certainly was with Whitehouse.

Thanks to special "Daily News" reporter Ian Holliday.
P.S. Howard Dean attended this h.s.

Wanted: Democratic Voters in Tiverton & Little Compton

You can sign the nomination papers for as many Dem. delegates as you like. This does not even mean that you have to vote for them, it just helps them obtain the 150 valid signatures to get their names on the ballot. Remember, choice in an election is a good thing. They evidently only have signature papers for Tiverton & Little Compton. This is for Obama delegates.

This Sat. from 2-4:

640 West Main Road, Little Compton, for Tiverton and Little Compton voters.

Anyone else who would like me to post for ANY party delegate forANY candidate living in the District, I'd be happy to. Like I said, choice is good.

District 1 Delegate Candidates

*Update. More names added.
You can check for daily updates for those receiving the necessary 150 valid signatures. You need 150 from the 1st Congressional District to qualify to appear on the March Primary ballot. Since addresses are not currently listed for the delegates, I'm just relying on name recognition for locals who are running or people of interest in our District:


Steven Coaty, Newport (McCain)
Suzi Nance, Middletown (McCain)
Sen. Gibbs, Middletown (McCain)
former Middletown District Rep. Christine Callahan (McCain)
Edith Lorillard Cowley, Newporter (Obama)
J.William Middendorf II, Little C. (uncommitted Republican)
James E. O'Neil - former Attorney Gen'l & fed'l prosecutor, N. Kingston (Obama)
Myrth York (Clinton)
Bobby Oliveira, Newport (Clinton)
Steve Waluk, Newport (Huckabee)


Click here to follow their progress.

Thanks to Chris F. at R.I. Future for the heads' up.

Final R.I. Presidential Primary Field

This from Sec. of St.'s office, Chris Barnett (Communications Office), Sec. of State's Ralph Mollis' office:

7 candidates submit more than 2,000 signatures compared to 1 in 2004. Thirteen presidential candidates will be on Rhode Island’s March 4 primary ballot, Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis announced today.Today was the deadline for the secretary of state’s office to certify that presidential hopefuls had collected the signatures of at least 1,000 eligible Rhode Island voters that they needed in order to qualify for the primary.
“One sign that Rhode Islanders are taking this primary very seriously is the number of signatures they submitted. In 2004, only President Bush collected more than 2,000. This year, seven candidates exceeded that mark,” said Mollis. “We certified more than 25,000 signatures in all.”
Among the Democrats, Hillary Clinton led the way with 2,902 certified signatures. John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, and Barack Obama will join Clinton on the Democratic ballot.
Republican Ron Paul led all candidates with 3,109 certified signatures. Hugh Cort, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Alan Keyes, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson will join Paul on the Republican ballot.
Hunter and Keyes surged past the 1,000-certified-signature threshold today, becoming the last two candidates to qualify to run in Rhode Island’s presidential primary. Twenty candidates had filed Declarations of Candidacy with the secretary of state. Democrats Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Republican Tom Tancredo officially withdrew from the race. Others, such as Democrat Bill Richardson, failed to collect enough certified signatures to make the ballot even as he announced today that his campaign was ending.
The next milestone in the state’s Presidential Primary calendar is Feb. 1, when Mollis will hold a public lottery at the State House to determine the order in which the candidates will appear on the Democratic and Republican ballots. Secretary of State Mollis is committed to making it easier for Rhode Islanders to vote, helping businesses grow and making government more open and accessible.
To see the final signature tallies of every candidate, click here . For a listing of Party Delegates click here.