Fuente: © Barack Obama
http://www.barackobama.com/

US ELECTIONS 08: BARACK OBAMA: Blog: Morning News

/noticias.info/ From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

As Barnes-Jewish Hospital nurse Kate Marzluf attended to her patients Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama tagged along to take the pulse of the nation's health care system.

The presumptive Democratic nominee praised Marzluf's skill and the hospital's services while offering his prescription of changes he said would make health care coverage more affordable and accessible to more Americans.

…Tuesday's hospital stop capped a two-day St. Louis visit in which Obama sought to display a more personal side — even though none of his events were open to the public. The aim was to present a more detailed look at the candidate and his proposals, in hopes of improving Obama's political health in Missouri and other battleground states.

In an interview after finishing his rounds with the nurse, Obama promised that Missourians will see a lot of their Illinois neighbor — in rural as well as urban and suburban areas.

…At Barnes-Jewish, Obama literally rolled up his shirt sleeves as he pushed a medical cart alongside Marzluf. He visited with four heart patients as she cared for them.

Retired police Officer Raymond Bisher of St. John is 52 and suffers from congestive heart failure that requires 30 medications. Bisher told Obama that he has insurance, but his disability income is less than $600 a month. Bisher's wife works two jobs, suffers from arthritis and takes shots that cost $1,500 a week.

Obama told reporters that millions of Americans in similar straits could be helped by his proposals for a voluntary national health insurance plan for the uninsured, self-employed and small businesses.

No one would be rejected because of illness or pre-existing conditions, he said, and premiums would be kept affordable. Companies that don't provide health coverage to employees would kick in money to help pay for the national plan.

…during his tour with the nurse, Obama focused less on the political and more on the practical.

He also played up his human side, joking about his queasiness when it came to medical needles and playfully warning Marzluf's patients about his shortcomings.

While lauding Marzluf's skills, Obama added with a chuckle: "I just pretend to know what I am doing."

From TIME:

Utah is hardly the place that jumps into most Democrats' minds when brainstorming about red states where they have a chance to make headway this November. The Beehive State was one of just three states in which President George W. Bush swept every county in 2004 — all of them except for two with more than 55% of the vote. In the state's 2008 primaries on Super Tuesday, Republican voters outnumbered Democrats by a margin of 2.5 to 1.

None of that, however, has discouraged Nikki Norton and her band of 40 volunteers from organizing for Obama ahead of the General Election. And surprisingly, it hasn't deterred the Obama campaign from formally helping Norton by investing in the state; Norton, co-chair of Utah for Obama's grassroots campaign, got a call a couple of days ago telling her to expect paid staffers to arrive within the next month. "Even if we don't win Utah we definitely want to create a downstream effect for local candidates," Norton said. "…And our volunteers had a big effect on border swing states, particularly in rural areas in Nevada, and that was a big benefit for Obama…."

From the earliest days of his upstart campaign, Obama pledged to run a 50-state effort, vowing to move past the traditional partisan divide and expand the electoral map by appealing to independents and even Republicans. But few people, even in his own staff, thought he'd actually invest in every single state. As it turns out, Obama's phenomenal fundraising has allowed him to deliver on his bold promise and place campaign staff in every one of the 50 states, as his campaign announced it would Monday. The strategy…may help those lonely Democratic candidates in so-called Red States and could further expand Obama's already massive volunteer and donor bases….

…The long primary season forced the campaign to build bases of support for the Illinois senator in every single state. The dividends of the high-profile Democratic presence are already being felt. Earlier this year, Democrats picked up three long-held GOP congressional seats in special elections in Mississippi, Louisiana and Illinois. The party is also mounting House challengers in 14 states that Bush won in 2004, including Wyoming, Alabama and Arizona. And Democratic candidates are contesting at least five GOP stronghold seats in the Senate: Alaska, Kentucky (Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's seat), Nebraska, Kansas and New Mexico. "Senator Barack Obama's plan to compete in all 50 states is a reflection of the overwhelming desire for change that is transcending state boundaries and has energized voters in every corner of the country," said Maryland Representative Chris Van Hollen, who runs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democratic candidates.

No one contends that the 50-state strategy is Obama's brainchild; it actually comes from Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who not so long ago took a lot of heat from Democrats angry that he was squandering their limited resources on perceived long shots in the south and west. But after his gamble paid off in 2006, when Dems won both chambers of Congress, his expansive notion suddenly seemed a lot more viable. "The 50-state strategy has been historic — just the enthusiasm that our volunteers have, that our candidates have, that our party is visible and active even before the campaign, it pays off on so many levels for a state like Kansas," said Mike Gaughan, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party. In a state where only two out of 105 counties voted for John Kerry in 2004, Democrats took a House seat, six seats in the Kansas Legislature and the attorney general's office from the GOP in 2006. "We saw Obama's staff at work here during the primary season. They had organized on the ground back from October for the February 5 caucuses," Gaughan said. "The way that they activated their supporters is going to pay dividends" for all Kansas Democratic candidates as the party seeks to expand its presence there.

From the Wall Street Journal:



..."You can get to a point where taxes are so burdensome on businesses that it inhibits their investment and plants and equipment, research and development. But nobody's talking about huge shifts in our tax system," Sen. Obama said.

The Illinois senator said he would cut income taxes for 95% of American workers; only high-income Americans would pay more because Sen. Obama would let the Bush tax cuts expire for top-earners. His plan to shore up Social Security by raising the level of taxable wages wouldn't affect 97% of taxpayers, he added.

…Raising taxes on the richest Americans but cutting them for others, Sen. Obama said, would also help arrest the nation's trend toward greater income inequality. "What we're trying to do is restore some balance," he said.

…The Democratic candidate…has begun a two-week campaign spotlighting his proposals for addressing middle-class angst about jobs, health care, college cots, gas and food prices. Tuesday in St. Louis he was speaking about his plans on health-care coverage and costs.

From the Los Angeles Times:



Barack Obama has shown he can pack 20,000 people into an arena and draw 75,000 to an Oregon river bank. Now he's trying to win voters' hearts a few at a time.

…The change in pace and tone was obvious Tuesday when Obama visited Missouri, a classic toss-up state, and left by lunchtime without doing any events open to the public. He will campaign every day this week, but for the first time will hold none of the rallies that often draw 10,000 or 20,000 or more.

…During this month's economic tour of battleground states, she said, "he will continue to visit people in their workplaces and spend time with working Americans one on one, and in smaller groups."

From the Miami Herald:


Susana Espinoza of San Diego is a poster child for what's wrong with American healthcare.

The 45-year-old mother of two earns about $39,000 a year, but can't afford employer-based health coverage for herself and her sons. And she earns too much for her children to get coverage under Medicaid or California's state children's health-insurance program.

So in an unfortunate compromise that leaves her feeling guilty, Espinoza covers only herself through her job-based plan; her children go uninsured.

When her older son broke his arm playing flag football several years ago, Espinoza borrowed money from friends and took out costly payday loans to cover the $1,800 medical bill. More than three years later, ''I'm still paying off the loans,'' she said.

… Obama, a Democrat, would expand eligibility in government insurance programs for children and the poor and provide income-based subsidies to help her afford coverage.

… Obama's proposed universal healthcare plan embodies the long-held Democratic Party goal of covering the 47 million Americans who lack health insurance. Employers, insurers, individuals and the government all would have greater roles in assuring coverage through a number of proposals designed to close gaps in the system.

…Under Obama's plan, children -- but not adults -- would be required to have health insurance. His plan to expand state children's health insurance programs and Medicaid probably would help Espinoza's children get coverage. Covering them through her employer's plan would cost another $300 a month, Espinoza said.

From USA Today:

Barack Obama discussed Darfur, the Iraq war, gay rights, abortion and other issues Tuesday with Christian leaders, including a conservative who has been criticized for praising the Democratic presidential candidate.

…Rich Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella organization for evangelical churches and ministries, said Obama asked participants to share "anything that's on your mind that is of concern to you."

"I think it's important to point out this isn't a group of people who are endorsing Obama," Cizik said in an interview. "People were asked for their insider wisdom and understanding of the religious community."

Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the gathering included evangelicals, Protestants and Catholics from across the country.

"Reaching out to the faith community is a priority for Barack Obama," she said. "This is one of several meetings he will have over the coming months with religious leaders." notas_de_prensa_archivo