Progressive Women Take On Palin

A leading progressive women’s group is challenging former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s “Mama Grizzlies” campaign to put conservative females in office.

Entitled “Sarah Doesn’t Speak For Me,” the new campaign from the PAC Emily’s List is attempting to energize Democrats and moderate Republicans fed up with Palin. The campaign’s website allows visitors to share their opinions on the Republican Vice Presidential candidate and offers a guide to the position’s Palin’s candidates have taken.

“We understand the power of the rising tide of women voters,” EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock said Tuesday during a press conference to kick-off the campaign. “We know that the rising tide of women voters this year want more opportunity … in direct contrast to the candidates Sarah Palin has endorsed.”

Schriock would not give a dollar figure for the campaign.

Timeline Of Obama's Mosque Statements And Reaction To Them

Friday August 13 - President Obama makes the following remarks to White House guests during a dinner to celebrate the beginning of Ramadan:

“As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are. 

Saturday August 14 - President Obama responds to a question about his original remarks during a media availablity in Panama City, Florida:

“My intention was simply to let people know what I thought, which was that In this country we treat everybody equally and in accordance with the law, regardless of race, regardless of religion. I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. That’s what our country is about. And I think it’s very important as difficult as some of these issues are that we stay focused on who we are as a people and what our values are all about.” 

Saturday August 14 - White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton clarifies the President’s response:

“Just to be clear, the President is not backing off in any way from the comments he made last night. It is not his role as President to pass judgment on every local project. But it is his responsibility to stand up for the Constitutional principle of religious freedom and equal treatment for all Americans. What he said last night, and reaffirmed today, is that If a church, a synagogue or a Hindu temple can be built on a site, you simply cannot deny that right to those who want to build a Mosque. The World Trade Center site is hallowed ground, where 3000 Americans-Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims were the victims of a cold-blooded massacre. We are still at war with the small band of terrorists who planned and executed that attack. But that does not give government the right to deny law-abiding Americans of one faith the same rights you would accord anyone else.” 

Saturday August 14 - House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) posts the following reaction to the President’s comments on his congressional website:

“The decision to build this mosque so close to Ground Zero is deeply troubling, as is the president’s decision to endorse it. The American people certainly don’t support it. The fact that someone has the right to do something doesn’t necessarily make it the right thing to do. That is the essence of tolerance, peace and understanding. This is not an issue of law, whether religious freedom or local zoning. This is a basic issue of respect for a tragic moment in our history. 

Saturday August 14 - 2008 Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin posts the following reaction to the President’s comments on her Facebook page:

“Mr. President, should they or should they not build a mosque steps away from where radical Islamists killed 3000 people? Please tell us your position. We all know that they have the right to do it, but should they? And, no, this is not above your pay grade. If those who wish to build this Ground Zero mosque are sincerely interested in encouraging positive “cross-cultural engagement” and dialogue to show a moderate and tolerant face of Islam, then why haven’t they recognized that the decision to build a mosque at this particular location is doing just the opposite? Mr. President, why aren’t you encouraging the mosque developers to accept Governor Paterson’s generous offer of assistance in finding a new location for the mosque on state land if they move it away from Ground Zero? Why haven’t they jumped at this offer? Why are they apparently so set on building a mosque steps from what you have described, in agreement with me, as “hallowed ground”? I believe these are legitimate questions to ask.” 

Monday August 16 - Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) National Executive Director Nihad Awad releases the following reaction to the President’s comments on his organization’s website:

“We welcome President Obama’s strong statement of support for American Muslim religious rights and hope his remarks will serve as encouragement to those who are challenging the rising level of Islamophobia in our society. We urge other national political and religious leaders to speak out in defense of the freedom of religion and equality of all Americans enshrined in our Constitution.”

Daschle: Conservative Pundits Not Serving The Public

By Brandon Kosters - Talk Radio News Service

Former Democratic Senator Tom Daschle (S.D) hit back at Republican criticism over the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) today, which according to Daschle has large support from U.S. military.

Daschle called on the Senate to quickly ratify the treaty, and added that will improve the nation’s level of national security by allowing the U.S. to continue monitoring weapon development in Russia.

He blasted conservative political commentators who are opposed to the treaty, such as Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and Rush Limbaugh. Daschle said that if they are motivated by “a concerted to effort to cause the President of the United States to fail…[then] they are not public servants.”

Palin Rallies Pro-Lifers, Slams Media For Being Anti-Tea Party

Speaking at a fundraiser in Downtown Washington, D.C. this morning, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R) praised the conservative Tea Party movement, and fired jabs at members of the “mainstream” news media.

Palin, who waived her speaking fee to address a sold-out audience at the ticket-only breakfast, held by the Susan B. Anthony List, a 280,000-member organization devoted to helping elect pro-life candidates to office, said she is inspired by the fact that, according to polls, women represent the majority of Tea Partiers nationwide.

The 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate was met with applause when she said, “these policies coming out of DC right now, this fundamental transformation of America that we were warned about in the [2008 presidential] campaign? Well, a lotta women...are saying, ‘we don’t like this.’”

“It seems like it’s kind of a ‘mom awakening’ in the last year and a half,” she added. “Women are rising up and saying, ‘no, we’ve had enough already, we’re gonna...get our country back on the right track.’”

Moments later, Palin expressed sympathy for Tea Partiers, who, she said, have been negatively mischaracterized by the news media as being supportive of violence and bigotry.

“People there in the media [are] trying to portray Tea Party Americans as racist and violent and all those things that they are not,” said Palin. “[The media has] tried, but I think they’ve failed because Americans are smart enough to start holding the media accountable.”

"They just kinda crack me up," she jested.

Gov. Palin: Reallocate funding from "fruit fly research in France" to helping children with special needs

Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) gave her first policy speech of the campaign today in Pittsburgh, focusing on policy adjustment for special needs children. Palin said the money politicians are extracting through earmarks for "pet projects" such as "fruit fly research in France" should be reallocated to "take care of the most vulnerable children." Mentioning motivation from "God's vision of perfection versus the world's vision of perfection," Palin said she would triple the funding for special needs children by 2011 if elected Vice President.

Palin stated that the public school systems are failing to render enough help for special needs children like her son, who has down’s syndrome. She spoke about federal funding to follow every special needs child without "bureaucratic complications or barriers". She pledged to "finally fully fund" the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as well as Individualized Education Programs. Palin said parents of children with disabilities have "enough complications already" and should have more options in schools for their children, whether they be private or public schools.

While Palin and Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) intend to "reduce taxes to promote growth" if elected, Palin scrutinized Senator Obama's (D-Ill.) plan to raise taxes because it would have "serious and harmful consequences" for parents of special needs children, who might lose funding for things like Special Needs Trusts.