From Sue Rosenberg:
Dear Friends
Last Wednesday evening about 10 of us met at the Muddy Cup/Inquiring Mind in Saugerties. We talked in part about our ongoing Saturday vigil and in part about what next as we usher in the new Obama administration.
Though some groups around the county have decided to suspend their vigils, after much talk, we all agreed that as long as the war continues to rage, as long as American and Iraqi people's lives are at risk, we will continue to be stand up for peace.
We are all more than thrilled that Barack Obama will be our new President, many worked in some way or another for his campaign. We understand that there are enormous pressures on the Obama Administration- the powers and interests which created the war, social injustice, environmental dangers, etc etc still remain strong. This is why we felt it more important than ever to be visible and vocal and to wrestle with the very complex issues which face the country. President Obama will need a strong force to support and encourage the progressive agenda which embodies that hope for change we yearn for.
So we will be meeting with anyone interested at the Muddy Cup/Inquiring Mind on Wed. Dec. 10th at 7 pm
The questions we will address are: What do we think should be the priorities for the new Administration, how can we tap the incredible energy and organizing which went into the Obama Campaign and how can we find ways to maintain the coalitions which developed during the long campaign and how can we be most effective.
(some of us are also asking, "How can we get to the Inaugural in Jan.??)
There are a lot of groups meeting to address these issues. Moveon.com is one which set up meetings around the country and has one plan to get people's voices to Washington.
We know that this is a season full of meetings, and parties and volunteer work, but we hope that you will be able to make it on Dec. 10th to help sort out what next steps we can take. Lets keep the energy going.
Thanks
Sue
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
A New Beginning, By Gary Bischoff
A New Beginning
By Gary Bischoff, Ulster County Legislator
Election day is over. This was a historic election at both the national and local level. President Elect Barack Obama inspired millions of voters, many voting for the first time. There is a feeling that change is in the air. Americans have answered the question of whether they want a black man as president of our country with a resounding Yes. The election of Barack Obama is much more than an example of breaking through a racial barrier. It is a triumph of our ever-more-inclusive democracy. Mr. Obama benefited from an energized electorate that included a broad spectrum of America. Young voters went 2-to-1 in Mr. Obama’s favor on Tuesday. They were also an important part of the Democratic campaign ground game. I would like to see our inspired young voters and new voters stay involved as citizens. There are many opportunities to work with various civic organizations including the League of Women Voters, political party committees as well as more activist organizations like Citizen Action, Democracy Now, Code Pink, Women in Black, The Saugerties Committee for Peace and Social Justice and many others.
The presidential election was also a triumph over the politics that try to divide this country. There were comments by candidates and their surrogates about “real America” supporting the McCain-Palin ticket. I prefer to think of Saugerties and Ulster County as being part of “real America” even though we voted overwhelming for Obama-Biden. Note that the Obama-Biden ticket received 61% of the vote in Ulster County and 57% of the vote in Saugerties.
This election represents a chance for renewal. There is a great deal of optimism in America. From conversations and emails with relatives and friends in Ireland, Canada and Germany the election of Senator Obama has been greeted with an outpouring of good will and great expectations in other countries. On election night there were a lot of gatherings around the world of people celebrating, both spontaneously and organized. Locally, Ulster County Democrats gathered at the Holiday Inn in Kingston. There are photos of the event on my web site www.gary4ulster.com.
The challenges facing our new president are immense. The economy in this country, and worldwide is in dire need of repair. Millions of Americans don’t have health care coverage. Internationally, we need to bring the adventure in Iraq to an end, and extricate ourselves from a quagmire in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
I am hopeful that people will rally behind our new president in a bipartisan spirit of cooperation and help him succeed so that we all benefit. While many are optimistic, we need to realize that these problems will not be solved overnight.
We also made history here in Ulster County. By a large margin, voters elected Mike Hein as the first ever Ulster County Executive. Mr. Hein will take over on January 1 as Ulster County enters a new era with a new charter form of government, which was approved by voters in 2006. There will be two new elected positions, County Executive and Comptroller. At this time the race for Comptroller is still undecided. Mike Hein’s old position of County Administrator is eliminated in the new structure. The executive will appoint and remove department heads, supervise, direct and control the administration, structure and organization of all departments. The executive can reorganize, combine, separate or eliminate county departments and functions. The executive is responsible for the day-to-day operation of all county departments. In addition to being responsible for the entire county government, the executive will be the face and voice of Ulster County. The executive is the chief elected official and has a much larger role that we previously had with a Legislature Chairman, or state officials. Mike Hein will make an excellent County Executive. I have full confidence in Mike and I am looking forward to working with him.
* * *
Gary Bischoff
Ulster County Legislator
District 4
Representing Saugerties, Ulster and Town of Kingston
By Gary Bischoff, Ulster County Legislator
Election day is over. This was a historic election at both the national and local level. President Elect Barack Obama inspired millions of voters, many voting for the first time. There is a feeling that change is in the air. Americans have answered the question of whether they want a black man as president of our country with a resounding Yes. The election of Barack Obama is much more than an example of breaking through a racial barrier. It is a triumph of our ever-more-inclusive democracy. Mr. Obama benefited from an energized electorate that included a broad spectrum of America. Young voters went 2-to-1 in Mr. Obama’s favor on Tuesday. They were also an important part of the Democratic campaign ground game. I would like to see our inspired young voters and new voters stay involved as citizens. There are many opportunities to work with various civic organizations including the League of Women Voters, political party committees as well as more activist organizations like Citizen Action, Democracy Now, Code Pink, Women in Black, The Saugerties Committee for Peace and Social Justice and many others.
The presidential election was also a triumph over the politics that try to divide this country. There were comments by candidates and their surrogates about “real America” supporting the McCain-Palin ticket. I prefer to think of Saugerties and Ulster County as being part of “real America” even though we voted overwhelming for Obama-Biden. Note that the Obama-Biden ticket received 61% of the vote in Ulster County and 57% of the vote in Saugerties.
This election represents a chance for renewal. There is a great deal of optimism in America. From conversations and emails with relatives and friends in Ireland, Canada and Germany the election of Senator Obama has been greeted with an outpouring of good will and great expectations in other countries. On election night there were a lot of gatherings around the world of people celebrating, both spontaneously and organized. Locally, Ulster County Democrats gathered at the Holiday Inn in Kingston. There are photos of the event on my web site www.gary4ulster.com.
The challenges facing our new president are immense. The economy in this country, and worldwide is in dire need of repair. Millions of Americans don’t have health care coverage. Internationally, we need to bring the adventure in Iraq to an end, and extricate ourselves from a quagmire in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
I am hopeful that people will rally behind our new president in a bipartisan spirit of cooperation and help him succeed so that we all benefit. While many are optimistic, we need to realize that these problems will not be solved overnight.
We also made history here in Ulster County. By a large margin, voters elected Mike Hein as the first ever Ulster County Executive. Mr. Hein will take over on January 1 as Ulster County enters a new era with a new charter form of government, which was approved by voters in 2006. There will be two new elected positions, County Executive and Comptroller. At this time the race for Comptroller is still undecided. Mike Hein’s old position of County Administrator is eliminated in the new structure. The executive will appoint and remove department heads, supervise, direct and control the administration, structure and organization of all departments. The executive can reorganize, combine, separate or eliminate county departments and functions. The executive is responsible for the day-to-day operation of all county departments. In addition to being responsible for the entire county government, the executive will be the face and voice of Ulster County. The executive is the chief elected official and has a much larger role that we previously had with a Legislature Chairman, or state officials. Mike Hein will make an excellent County Executive. I have full confidence in Mike and I am looking forward to working with him.
* * *
Gary Bischoff
Ulster County Legislator
District 4
Representing Saugerties, Ulster and Town of Kingston
Letter from Michael Moore and Mike Harkavy's Response
Friends,
Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.
In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.
There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.
It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.
But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.
We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.
An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.
We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.
I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.
But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.
Yours,
Michael Moore
MichaelMoore.com
MMFlint@aol.com
------------------------------------
Michael,
I'm a big fan of yours, and like you, I'm overjoyed with the election of Barack Obama. However, I see disappointment in the future of liberal/progressive Democrats et al. whose projections and expectations of Barack are not based on reality. Barack is not, as you claim. an anti-war candidate. He has said he is not against war, he is against "dumb" wars. He has clearly indicated that he will redirect forces to Afghanistan to chase down Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda.
I think it is important to recognize that Obama is a centrist with "liberal tendencies". That is where he will govern from, and in my opinion, that is where the majority of American voters reside. If left leaning supporters push against him, combined with attacks from the radical right, he will be doomed to one term in the White House. The sooner we recognize that, the better for all of us.
With best regards,
Michael Harkavy
Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.
In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.
There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.
It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.
But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.
We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.
An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.
We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.
I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.
But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.
Yours,
Michael Moore
MichaelMoore.com
MMFlint@aol.com
------------------------------------
Michael,
I'm a big fan of yours, and like you, I'm overjoyed with the election of Barack Obama. However, I see disappointment in the future of liberal/progressive Democrats et al. whose projections and expectations of Barack are not based on reality. Barack is not, as you claim. an anti-war candidate. He has said he is not against war, he is against "dumb" wars. He has clearly indicated that he will redirect forces to Afghanistan to chase down Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda.
I think it is important to recognize that Obama is a centrist with "liberal tendencies". That is where he will govern from, and in my opinion, that is where the majority of American voters reside. If left leaning supporters push against him, combined with attacks from the radical right, he will be doomed to one term in the White House. The sooner we recognize that, the better for all of us.
With best regards,
Michael Harkavy
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