Hillary Clinton Christmas Ornament Contest

We though it would be fun to take a break from the stress of the grassroots Hillary Campaign. Sometimes the best way to regain your energy and good spirits is to do something fun! Starting today, we're having a contest for you to create Hillary Clinton Christmas ornaments. Now, we don't expect you all to be expert craftsmen, this is something you all can participate in. We'll be judging the ornaments on several factors, so it won't just be about skill. There will be a first, second and third place prize, and we will announce the winners on December 23rd. We do not actually need you to send in your ornaments to us (although we don't mind if you do), all we ask is that you take a picture of it and e-mail us at voteforhillaryonline@yahoo.com with the subject line "Hillary Ornament Contest". We will need about a week to review all of the entries, so please please please have your pictures sent in by December 10th.

Criteria we will be judging the ornaments and their corresponding point values:

• Creativeness (up to 10 points)
• Skill involved (up to 5 points)
• Uniqueness (up to 3 points)
• Beauty (up to 7 points)

As you can see, some characteristics will have more value than others, but the more points you can get from each category, the higher chance you have of winning.

Prizes:

First place winner: $150 cash and a chance to be featured on our site
Second place winner: $80 cash
Third place winner: $25 gift certificate to Best Buy

All winners will receive a pack of 100 Hillary bumper stickers on behalf of Vote for Hillary Online.

We can't wait to see what kind of creative ideas you all come up with.

Note: to be qualified, the ornament must at least A) display a picture of Hillary Clinton, or B) display her name somewhere on the ornament.

Hillary is the only candidate with a real plan for health care reform

The other day we wrote about the growing battle between John Edwards and Barack Obama over what to do about health care. Earlier we had thought that this was good for Hillary because these two would argue each other away into obscurity while Hillary would remain the clear leader. But now it is becoming evident that this spat is all a big setup in order to get more press. Unlike Hillary, Obama and Edwards simply can't get the time they want on television because they aren't interesting enough to be interviewed. They have found a way around this though: create a fake controversy, get the media to cover it, and they now have a legitimate excuse to be doing interviews - to respond to their "competitor". Well it seems that Hillary, and now Vote for Hillary Online, is on to this game.

From Foxnews.com (sorry guys):

Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle has written a letter to her counterpart at the Obama campaign, asking the Illinois senator to stop running what she calls a "false ad" in New Hampshire that claims his health care plan would cover everyone.

"Your advertisement not only contradicts the judgment of health care experts but public statements by your campaign and your candidate," Solis Doyle wrote, adding, "Senator Obama has pledged to put 'honesty first' in this campaign. In that spirit I respectfully request that you stop running this ad which is misleading voters in New Hampshire."

The letter is the latest dig in an argument that has been percolating for weeks. Clinton's plan includes an individual mandate that would require every American to obtain health insurance, while Obama's plan only mandates coverage for children.

Clinton’s camp often cites experts who say Obama’s plan would leave out 15 million people of the 47 million who are uninsured and notes that even Obama has called the plan "virtually universal." Obama has said he would offer subsidies to the working poor, and that over time the savings through his plan would allow everyone to be covered.

This is excellent political strategy here folks. Not only is this getting Hillary involved in the media-covered health care debate, but she offers the most conclusive and all-encompassing plans of all the candidates. I'm sorry folks, but the whole logic of "if just one person was helped, then it was all worth it" just doesn't cut it in this day and age. There are better solutions. We should not settle for simply having more Americans getting high quality health care. Our job isn't done until every American has high quality health care.

Health Care needs to be mandated just like seat belt laws are mandated. We realize not everyone wants to participate, but the government needs to enact policy that is for the benefit of all people, not just the ones that opt in. Having so many Americans uninsured is simply an embarrassment for us and to our image as a nation to the rest of the world. It could be argued that many of those without health care coverage realize this, and they're purposely not getting coverage because it will contribute to the perception that America isn't doing enough to ensure the health of its citizens. Yes, we have been infiltrated. Not every American "citizen" wants to see us do well. If there's a policy set fourth to make us all better off, they'll be against it. And leaving the window open for people to not get coverage is leaving an opportunity for the rest of the world to mock our great nation as incompassionate. Hillary Clinton is the only candidate who recognizes this, which is yet another reason that we need to ensure her election (as if it wasn't clear already).

Man Takes Several Hostage at Hillary Campaign Office In N.H.

The ordeal is fortunately all over now and has ended peacefully, but earlier today a crazed lunatic walked into Hillary Clinton's New Hampshire campaign office and claimed to have a bomb.

From Nationaljournal.com:

New Hampshire TV station WMUR is reporting that an armed man has taken people hostage at Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign office in Rochester, N.H. FOX News is reporting that the man claimed to have a bomb and walked into the office demanding to speak with the New York senator.

...

[UPDATE 6:30] The crisis appears to have ended peacefully, with the suspect surrendering to police.

Folks, this just goes to show just how desperate the opposition has been getting as of late. It used to be that they just smeared Hillary in the media. Now you have guys with bombs storming the campaign office. If it wasn't evident before that we need some serious change in America, it should be downright obvious by now. The fact that lunatics are trying to stop our efforts is proof enough that we are the lone voice of sanity engulfed in a sea of confusion and hysteria. It's time for the American people to see through the clutter and realize that Hillary Clinton is our only hope for taking back America and getting it under control.

The Opposition Is Requesting More Hillary Plants

Think I'm joking? As you'll recall, last night during the republican debates, Brig. Gen. Keith H. Kerr, a retired general who happens to be gay raised a question about the shunning of gays in the service. He wanted to know why gays were forced to keep their sexuality a secret at the risk of being kicked out of the military. Plant or not, this was an excellent question and it was fun to watch the Republicans squirm on the topic. All over the media today, there has been contrived outrage that the general didn't identify himself as a Hillary supporter. Well it turns out, some republicans actually like being questioned by the Hillary plants, and candidate Duncan Hunter actually sent Hillary a thank you letter!

From nytimes.com:

Regarding the “plant”, retired Brig. Gen. Keith H. Kerr, that you sent to ask me the question at the CNN-YouTube debate last night in Florida …

Send more!!!

Merry Christmas,
Duncan Hunter

It's not quite clear if this is just a sneaky way of the opposition trying to encourage Hillary to keep using the plants so they can then later demonstrate fake outrage and try to make a fool out of her, or if they sincerely welcome the challenging and more intellectually stimulating questions that her supporters put forth. At any rate, this is all just getting more publicity for Hillary, and that's exactly what we need.

John Edwards And Barack Obama Duke It Out Over Healh Care

It appears that John Edwards and Barack Obama have decided to take a break from smearing Hillary Clinton and have turned on each other. This is great news for us, as these two will attack each other into oblivion where the last person standing without a blemish is none other than our own Hillary Clinton.

From siouxcityjournal.com:

Democrat John Edwards took aim at rival Barack Obama's health care plan Thursday, saying it would leave too many Americans uninsured.

Obama's plan would not require Americans to get health insurance as Edwards' plan would.

Imagine if these two loads of incompetence were the only front runners in the debate and there was no Hillary. I have to say, I feel a bit sick to my stomach just imagining that - then again, maybe that's what they want so we're lured into their flawed health care plans. On the one hand you have Obama, who obviously doesn't think that all Americans should have equal access to healthcare, and then you have John Edwards who apparently wants to force people to get health insurance at gunpoint. Fortunately we all have an alternative with Hillary.

I thought this little quote from Edwards was very telling:

"There are very substantive policy differences between us on this issue. I just want to make sure caucus-goers are aware of that," Edwards said.

Edwards said he has not seen details of how Clinton would enforce her mandate.

Hmm I wonder why John Edwards is so interested in Hillary's health care plan. Could it be that he's not confident in his own that he's trying to get ideas from the lead candidate?


By the way, we're noticing a large amount of new visitors to our site lately. If you're a Hillary supporter, on the fence about a candidate, or even supporting someone else, you're all welcome here. Hillary Clinton wouldn't turn anyone away, nor should we. If you've made it here, you're probably on the right track to discovering why we here at Vote for Hillary Online have dedicated our lives to ensuring her election. For a comprehensive list of her positions on various issue, please refer to this page.

Hillary Clinton is on board with our bumper sticker campaign

Folks if you'll remember, a few weeks ago we started what we had hoped to be a massive bumper sticker campaign. We unfortunately had to call it off though due to legal concerns about interfering with private property. Well, imagine our delight when we got an e-mail from Hillary Clinton herself, backing the grassroots bumper sticker campaign. I think it's pretty safe to say that Mission: Bumper Sticker is back in progress. You know, grassroots efforts don't always correlate well with what the official campaign thinks the focus should be. We're all working towards the same goal, but obviously there is going to be some friction from time to time. But it's times like this where I feel really confident about what we're doing because we're both working together in this effort. It's a great time to be an American, and it's a great time to be a grassroots Hillary supporter.

Below is Hillary Clinton's e-mail to Vote for Hillary Online. We hope you all get as fired up about it as we did. It's time to take this great nation back and make it our own - something we can be proud of. It's time to get the good word out about the only candidate with the experience and courage to do what needs to be done. It's time..for Mission: Bumper Sticker.



Dear Vote for Hillary Online,

I want to personally thank you for getting involved in my campaign. It is critical that we stay in touch as fast-moving events shape this important election.

The stakes couldn't be higher, as you well know.

If we want to end the war in Iraq, restore America's reputation in the world, rebuild the middle class, reform our government, and provide affordable health care for all, we need to work together. Not a single Republican candidate can provide America with the clean break and fresh start we so urgently need.

But we can - and that's what this campaign is all about. So let's show everyone what we can accomplish together. Here's one thing you can do: display my special gift to you today - a "Hillary for President" bumper sticker!

Click here to get a bumper sticker you can display with pride.

And I hope you will also take a few minutes to visit HillaryClinton.com. We work hard to make sure it delivers all the information you need -- from speeches on major issues to videos from the campaign trail to a full range of opportunities for you to get even more involved. On our site now, you can learn about the 10 best reasons to support Hillary -- and help spread the word.

Once again, thanks so much for standing with me -- and make sure you sign up for your "Hillary for President" bumper sticker today.

Show your family, friends, and neighbors that you support my campaign for change by displaying a "Hillary for President" bumper sticker.

All the best,

Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Please Donate to Hillary's Campaign

Folks, this is the one thing we have failed to mention enough. Campaign financing is probably the most important aspect of being able to successfully run a presidential campaign and ultimately win. If a candidate doesn't have the money, they don't get respect from the media, and they don't have the means to run important ads on television. It's a sad state of affairs these days, but the fact is - the candidate with the most money is the one that wins the election. We didn't choose this, but this is the game we have to play in order to win.

Hillary Clinton needs our help. More importantly, her campaign needs our dollars. Without financial help, no matter how great she is as a candidate, the people simply will not be able to hear her message. We have got to start coming together in this effort, and realize that this cause is much more important than our individual lives. If you need a refresher on the topic of making sacrifices, please refer to this post. If you've been holding out, waiting for someone better to come along - it's not going to happen. The time is now, folks. And the candidate is Hillary Clinton. We need to start being more conservative in our spending so we can save up for Hillary's campaign.

I just got an e-mail from Todd Brenker in St. Louis, and he's been spending the whole week looking under couch cushions for extra change. I won't post his e-mail here, but he has a very moving story to tell about sacrifice, courage, and honor. This is about regular folk coming together with what little means they have, and collectively turning it into a big movement. A movement we can all be proud of. Something we can look back on later on and realize that we were apart of it all.

The time is ticking and the primaries are just around the corner. If we don't all come together in support Hillary, not just by our grassroots campaign efforts but also our generous donations, then this could very well slip through our fingers. We're doing all we can, I hope to God you all are too.

Republicans accuse Hillary of planting questions at their debate

It's one thing to accuse Hillary of planting questions during the democratic debate. Even though that accusation is preposterous, at least it makes a little sense because a candidate would obviously want to receive soft ball questions to make themselves look good. But now they're actually trying to say she planted questions at the republican debate. I kid you not.

From Washingtimes.com:

Retired Brig. Gen. Keith H. Kerr was named a co-chairman of Mrs. Clinton's National Military Veterans group this month, according to a campaign press release. He asked a question last night at the CNN-YouTube debate here, and after answers from candidates, debate host Anderson Cooper asked the general if he was satisfied with the answers.

The general then stood up and delivered what amounted to a two-minute speech, stopping only when the audience of 1,500 booed.

"American men and women in the military are professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians. For 42 years, I wore the army uniform on active duty, in the Reserve, and also for the state of California. I revealed I was a gay man after I retired," the general said.

If you were out working on the grassroots Hillary campaign like we were, you probably missed the republican debate last night. Fortunately we have Tivo. This was the CNN/Youtube debate where most of the questions to the candidates came from questions posted on Youtube from ordinary citizens all across the country. There were a wide array of questions - some silly, some serious, some downright ridiculous. One of the Youtube questions came from a retired general who happens to be gay. He raised a really important question about the failed "don't ask don't tell" policy. Essentially, his question was "why can't gays in the military be openly gay? Aren't we mature enough to accept different sexuality preferences?"

This was a very good question on an issue that has been kept under the radar for a few years, and it is refreshing to bring it back to the forefront. What was great about it though is that this is the one issue republicans are afraid of. They try to shy away from it any chance they get. They want to appeal to the conservative right by showing that they're against gay rights, but they don't want to appear to be homophobic and alienate those who sympathize with the gay movement. What was great about it though is that not only did the gay general submit his Youtube video, he was right there in the audience. It's pretty hard to tell a guy right to his face that he doesn't have the right to be open about his sexuality.

Now, as far as the allegation that he's a Hillary plant? He's the chairman of the National Military Veterans, which happens to be supported by Hillary Clinton. A retired general a member of an organization called "National Military Veterans"? I'm shocked I tell you, shocked.

Apparently we live in an age where we're not even allowed to be members of groups that support our cause. If we're to join any group, apparently we're to check every single member's background to make sure there could never be an argument for conflict of interest. This is an absolute disgrace, and it's pretty obvious that the Republicans are really stretching on this one.

At least somebody in the media actually gets it though, as evident by this headline: Gay YouTube General a Hillary Plant - So What?

I couldn't have said it better myself. Hillary's support is so wide and omnipresent, that it would be almost impossible to find someone that isn't tied to her campaign somehow. I could pick 5 random guys off the street and have them ask questions during a debate, and it's pretty likely that at least one of them would be a Hillary supporter. Face it folks: she's that popular. If you had her massive support, you wouldn't have to spend your time worry about her supporters. It's that simple.

For any of you out there that might be getting discouraged by all these bottom of the barrel tactics, I'd like to refer you back to the Grassroots Hillary Oath. We are going to win this folks, and there's nothing they can do to stop us.

Flipper TV: Exposing the Republican Front Runners

Folks, with the competition getting fierce these days where Hillary is getting smeared from all angles, we're always trying to get dirt on the other candidates and catch them in uncompromising situations. Well it looks like the Democratic Party had the same idea, and they actually followed around Republicans on the campaign trail in disguise as supporters, in order to catch them in their most embarrassing moments. This is the most genius idea yet, and we're a bit jealous that we didn't think of it first.

This morning we received an e-mail from Mike Gehrke, Research Director for the Democratic National Committee:

Dear VFHO,

I've got something for you.

For a few months, we've had Democratic Party "trackers" recording hundreds of hours of Republican candidates in the field. From event to event, we've got footage of some pretty revealing moments. Some are regular Americans putting a candidate on the spot with a tough question. Others are blatant contradictions. A lot of it is just the standard candidate stump speech.

The footage isn't high quality, but it's straight from the field -- and there is a lot of it. Since there's more than my team can realistically process, we've decided to throw it up on the web and put the Party's most powerful asset -- you -- to work.

As soon as a tracker leaves an event in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, or wherever they're taping a Republican candidate, they'll head to a computer and upload it directly to a special section of Democrats.org called FlipperTV. That means you'll have a chance to go through the latest video the same time we do.

Nobody has ever done anything quite like this before, but with the Internet giving ordinary Americans like you access to the tools you need to change an election with the click of a mouse, we need to make sure you have everything you need to do just that. The video is yours -- you can just let us know what you find, or you can take it, re-mix it, add music, and make your very own ad out of it. It's up to you.

Take a look:

http://www.democrats.org/FlipperTV

Back in March, I told you about our program to hold the GOP accountable for everything they say on the 2008 campaign trail. We launched a website dedicated to the Republican presidential hopefuls, and created a rapid response group in PartyBuilder that people like you could join to get the latest campaign news.

This video is part of that program -- and part of the work that the Democratic Party is able to do because of your help.

Take a look at the video, forward your favorite clips to your friends, and make a contribution of $20 to keep this and other programs going strong through the 2008 election:

http://www.democrats.org/FlipperTV

What are Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Fred Thompson telling voters in Iowa and New Hampshire?

I'll give you a hint -- it's not what they're going to say in tonight's Republican debate.

As the Democratic Party's Research Director, I spend a lot of time watching what the candidates say when they aren't on CNN or Fox News. Believe me, they're like entirely different people when they're speaking to just a few dozen people in Des Moines or Manchester and don't think the cameras are rolling.

But don't just take my word for it -- watch the video yourself, and let us know right away if you find something noteworthy:

http://www.democrats.org/FlipperTV

People like to say that Democrats have a tactical advantage because we're better at using the Internet. Let's show them just how far ahead we actually are.

Let's get started,

Mike Gehrke
Research Director, DNC

P.S. -- Be sure you join the PartyBuilder group on that page so we can get you the latest clips everyone finds.

This is just the ammo we need in order to expose these con artists for what they are. We haven't had a chance to view all of the videos yet, but if they meet up to Mike Gehrke's description of them, they're sure to be a laugh riot. This is precisely what we needed, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

December 10th Democratic debate has been cancelled

From Reuters:

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A televised debate set for next month among the Democratic presidential candidates will be canceled to avoid a potential conflict with striking Hollywood screenwriters, a source close to organizers said on Wednesday.

The decision by the Democratic National Committee came after several candidates said they would refuse to cross picket lines of the Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike against major film and television studios since November 5.

A debate among eight Democrats running for the White House had been scheduled for December 10 at the CBS Television City studio in Los Angeles, where striking writers have been routinely picketing.

I know this news may be a big disappointment to a lot of you that wanted to see Hillary stand her ground and take on the boys, but this is actually great news. Let's face it, everyone in America knows about Hillary Clinton and her positions. She has absolutely no problem with name recognition, as some of the other candidates do. These debates actually have more potential to harm her campaign than they do to help, simply because it gives exposure to the lesser known candidates. Right now if an election was held, I guarantee you Hillary would win hands down. But if John Edwards and Barack Obama were able to get enough air time to somehow convince the masses that they would be a more effective president, then they might have a real chance of taking away the election from us. Every debate I have seen so far has been nothing more than an obsessive smear campaign against Hillary. I'm really starting to question the importance of these debates in the different times we live in today.

Zogby Smogby: VFHO calls for massive boycott

Folks, there has been a lot of discussion about what the polls are saying lately. It only makes sense of course - we're at a very critical time in our nation's history with the 2008 presidential election approaching, and everyone's trying to get a feel for what the people really want. Sometimes polls attempt to gauge what issues are most important to Americans, and these are then used by the candidates in order to target their message. Other polls simply try to find out what candidate the average Joe plans on voting for. There are many polling companies out there that do the important job of getting an objective and accurate assessment for what the American people want: Research 2000, Survey USA, Mason Dixon, Rasmussen, Strategic Vision, and the one that's been getting the most attention lately - Zogby.

Now it's hard to imagine that a company named Zogby would be able to get very far in terms of getting people to take their polls seriously. You'd think they would have to spend most of their time proving that they're a legitimate organization. But, somehow they have managed to earn the respect of those who track the polls, and lately have managed to stir things up with some of their "findings".

Their latest poll attempted to pit each democratic front runner against each republican front runner in order to find out which candidate has the strongest chance of beating the republican nominee in the general election. They asked folks who they would vote for if given the choice of either Hillary or Giuliani, Hillary or Romney, Hillary or McCain...and so on. The "findings" of this poll were just released and Zogby claims that Hillary Clinton would lose to every one of the top five Republican presidential contenders while Barack Obama and John Edwards would defeat or tie every one of the Republicans. In other words, they're saying: "note to democrats: support either Obama or Edwards because Hillary doesn't have a chance in the general election."

Well, when we here at Vote for Hillary Online first heard about this, we were pretty disappointed with the American people's ability to make sound judgment calls and realize that a lot is at stake here in these bleak times. Then we realized that this was an online poll. You know, the same online polls that would lead you to believe that Dennis Kucinich or Ron Paul actually have a chance? Hillary Clinton strategist Mark Penn was on MSNBC this morning and got straight to the point: "this is a meaningless poll." He's exactly right. As admitted by Zogby International, this was an interactive online poll (by the way, what's interactive mean, you can rig the results in real time?) and this is the first time they have attempted to use this medium for polling. You would think that they would do a few test runs first to ensure that this is in fact an accurate polling method. You can't exactly do a "random" poll online. The only people who respond to polls online are those who seek them out, and obviously the opponent's supporters are so afraid of Hillary's winning potential that they're trying to say she lost before the first vote is even counted.

Now, any respectful polling agency would have just brushed off this criticism, maybe issue an apology, and learn from their mistake. After all, who was watching MSNBC this morning? Nobody would have noticed, and they could fix their mistakes in private. Well it turns out that they got quite defensive over the constructive criticism offered by Mark Penn. Remember folks, always be suspicious of someone who gets defensive before you even have time to point the finger at them. Fritz Wenzel, Director of Communications over at Zogby International, issued this response:

Mark Penn: Buckling Under the Pressure of an Unfavorable Poll

All is fair in love and war, the centuries–old proverb states. Politics is not included, but given the way the game is played in modern–day America, maybe it should be. That’s the sense I had again this morning watching Mark Penn, the chief political strategist for Democrat Hillary Clinton, denigrate our latest Zogby Interactive survey simply because it showed his client in a bad light (Link to Latest Poll Number). Penn made the contention on the MSNBC morning news program hosted by Joe Scarborough (Link to Video)

Penn mischaracterized this latest online Zogby poll as our first interactive survey ever – a bizarre contention, since we have been developing and perfecting our Internet polling methodology for nearly a decade (Zogby Intreractive Methodology), and since Penn’s company has been quietly requesting the results of such polls from Zogby for years. We always comply as part of our pledge to give public Zogby polling results to any and every candidate and campaign that asks for them. What is interesting is that no other campaign has made as many requests for Zogby polling data over the years than Penn has made on behalf of Clinton.

Because Mark Penn is a quality pollster himself, we chalk up his contention that our poll is "meaningless" as a knee–jerk reaction by a campaign under pressure coming down the stretch. Several other polls – Zogby surveys and others – have shown her national lead and her leads in early–voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire have shrunk. This is not unusual. These presidential contests usually tighten as the primaries and caucuses approach.

Fritz Wenzel
Director of Communications
Zogby International

Does this sound like someone who is impartial and objective? Does this seem like someone who actually cares about the truth? Or does it seem more like someone who got in the position that he did at Zogby in order to promote his anti-Hillary agenda. I think it's pretty clear what's going on here, and his comments speak for itself.

Vote for Hillary Online is now calling for a massive boycott on Zogby, and we hope that you realize the importance of exposing these smear merchants for what they are. We hate to be negative here, but this is the state of politics we live in and pointing out the corrupt ways of the system is one step towards getting America back on the road to prosperity.

Barbara Streisand Endorses Hillary Clinton

Excellent Excellent Excellent. We have been waiting on this news, and I was hesitant to report it earlier because it was still in the works, but it's official now folks: Barbara Streisand has endorsed Hillary Clinton. It may seem that these days Barbara Streisand doesn't have much relevance as far as swaying voters one way of the other, but this is simply due to the fact that she doesn't get much media coverage. The people remember her, believe me. She's like the white Oprah - when she speaks, people listen. If there were any women who were on the fence about Hillary before, I can guarantee you that this is exactly what we needed to push them over the edge.

Streisand gave a speech of praise on why she has chosen to endorse Hillary as opposed to the others:

"Hillary is a powerful voice for change as we find our country at an important crossroads. Under her leadership, our country will regain its respect within the global community. She will prioritize issues of global climate change, universal health care and rebuilding a strong economy. After eight long years, the public will once again have faith in their government."

I couldn't have said it better myself. She realizes that America is going through tough times, and we are desperately seeking someone who can give us all hope once again and carry us into 8 years of prosperity. You can either be oblivious to the problems America faces, or you can get involved and make history. Barbara Streisand is the true definition of a patriot.

When you get criticized by Republicans, you must be doing something right

The unrelenting smear campaign against Hillary Clinton has been going on for as long as she has been running, but now the Republican candidates are starting to get in on it too. But for different reasons. You see, the media has had somewhat of a personal vendetta against Hillary right from the start, and they've done everything they possibly can to run her good name through the mud. They do this for ratings, and they love to bring someone up only to tear them down. More importantly, they thrive on chaos, and it doesn't matter to them if our nation suffers because of it - that's just more money for them to make on the backs of the working class. But the Republican candidates do it out of fear. They do it because it plays to their quickly diminishing base, in hopes that they can somehow rally the few loyal Republicans who haven't seemed to wake up to the fact that we need some change in America.

usatoday.com has an interesting article about this phenomenon, and it really speaks to just how low Republicans will steep when they're desperate and out of ideas. Instead of focusing on the issues as Hillary has done all along, it seems that Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani's secret recipe for success is to accuse the other of mimicking Hillary Clinton. First of all, I have to take issue with someone comparing a candidate to Hillary as an insult. She has put forth numerous proposals that she will enact as President, many of which address the growing problems we will soon be facing as a nation, and she has more experience in the White House than all of the candidates combined. Second of all, this really gets down to the core of what the Republicans are all about: empty rhetoric, an over reliance on smear tactics as a result, and a growing trend of separation politics that attempts to marginalize those with opposing viewpoints. I say bring it on Republicans. Bush's approval rating is at a historic low, and if the Republican strategy is more-of-the-same with an dismissal of new ideas, then this will most certainly set the stage for an inevitable victory for Hillary Clinton.

We're doing our part, are you?

Remember folks, nothing happens without a grassroots effort. There's a million bloggers out there just waiting to be converted, if only they're pointed in the right direction. We've got to get this great nation of ours back on the right track.

Joke of the day

Today's joke of the day comes from Allison Wickter in Colorado. Keep 'em coming folks.

Hillary gets endorsement from a pediatrician in New Hampshire

From MSNBC:

Arriving nearly an hour late due to weather conditions, Hillary Clinton accepted the endorsement of New Hampshire's first lady, Susan Lynch.

Lynch said with the exception of her husband, she rarely publicly gets into politics. But, she added, "Hillary and I share a lifelong commitment for fighting for a very important goal, and that is health care for children and families. And I believe Hillary is the candidate who can finally succeed in this area."

Clinton cited Lynch's experience as a pediatrician and praised her for her work to promote health care and prevent childhood obesity. "It's really time to promote prevention and that's what Susan has talked about."

Folks, this isn't just any pediatrician, this is Governor of New Hampshire John Lynch's wife. New Hampshire is probably the most crucial state right now for the primary. As of September of 2006, John Lynch has an approval rating of 72%, the 4th highest in the nation. If we can somehow transfer that approval rating to the approval rating of Hillary Clinton - this endorsement most certainly being a catalyst - we'll be able to completely obliterate the opponents on election day (Jan 8). This is definitely great news, although we have no doubt the smear merchants will try to spin this somehow.


By the way, I couldn't help but notice the mention that Hillary arrived almost an hour late to this important address. This isn't the first time I've heard of this happening; the official campaign needs to get their act together. We can't let these minor problems stand in the way of a victory for America.

Push Polling: An Underutilized Technique

We're in the process of kicking off a new Grassroots Hillary campaign for all of you to participate in. We'll get more into the details in the coming days ahead, but I thought it would be best to start with an introduction into the topic, because it's fairly unknown to many supporters. This is a tactic called push polling, where a campaign attempts to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll. Normal political polling is usually done by third party firms in order to gauge the popularity of candidates and issues. A call center employs a number of workers to make thousands of phone calls to homes all across America. The polling agents in this situation strive to be as objective as possible, so as not to skew the results. What makes push polling different is its objective: instead of trying to gauge the popularity of different candidates, it attempts to get the word out about a specific candidate or issue.

As unethical as this tactic may appear at first glance, it has actually been used for years in various campaigns. George W. Bush used the push polling tactic against Senator McCain while competing in the 2000 republican primary. Obviously it worked, because George Bush ended up winning by a landslide. Push polling also is already being used in the republican primaries this election in order to cast public doubt on Mitt Romney's ability to lead as a Mormon. This is obviously not for the light hearted, but if you took a light hearted approach to presidential campaigning, I'm not sure you'd make it very far.

What we plan to do in this grassroots push polling campaign is 2 fold: increase the public's awareness about Hillary Clinton's strong points, and to raise questions about the opponents' flaws. This is just like marketing, except we're selling ideas, not products. And what we're offering is a chance to take back America and be proud once again to live in this great nation of ours. This would not be such an important time for Hillary if the opposition wasn't so deeply corrupt, but we here at Vote for Hillary Online believe this is our only chance at restoring prosperity.

Now, we're just a grassroots effort. We don't have a major call center, and we don't have enough money to be making long distance phone calls all around the country for hours at a time. This is where you come in. We believe we have enough supporters here in every major city to cover most of the important areas. Obviously some areas are more crucial than others, but don't fret if you're in say Kansas - there's plenty of people to be called there too. We're going to divide these calling areas up according to where you live so most of the calls you will be making are local. You don't need any special license to do this or anything, this is just one neighbor calling another.

We will get into more details in the coming days as I mentioned before. We'll even make scripts for you to follow (don't worry, we don't expect you all to be expert telemarketers). We also want to make sure that we don't double up and accidentally have some homes getting called several times - that could cause a backlash. If you are interested in participating, please send us an e-mail at voteforhillaryonline@yahoo.com with the subject like "push polling" and include your area code in the body of the message. Also, if you have any expertise in this area, feel free to volunteer any tips.

Note: if you have any ethical qualms about this at all, please just focus on another grassroots campaign tactic. You can put out signs, work on the e-mail campaign, or put bumper stickers on cars. We don't want to have you doing something you'll feel bad about later (which seems pretty preposterous, but we realize we have a mixed audience here).

We almost have this completely set up, we just need to know who will be able to volunteer. As soon as we get that information and our lawyers give us the greenlight, we're ready to roll. Expect it to start Dec 5 at the very latest.

We'll keep you updated.

Obama can't take on Hillary, decides to go after...Madeleine Albright?

A wise man once said that desperate times call for desperate measures. And if the latter is any indication of the former, it must be getting pretty rough over there at the Obama camp. It's getting to be pretty evident that Hillary Clinton is the clear front runner in this presidential race, despite all media smears working against her. For a while there, it appeared that Obama was actually making some headway in his attempt to pull the veil over the American people with his ambiguous "new brand of politics" rhetoric. However, the truth always prevails, and over time Obama has realized that the strategy of wishy washy politics just ain't gonna cut it. He's decided to step it up a notch by beginning to attack Hillary. But I think he might have just realized that that's the worst possible thing he could have done. After all, this doesn't sound like the new brand of politics of which you speak Mr. Obama, and it certainly doesn't put you in a positive light to be bullying around the first female president of the United States.

So what does he do now? Does he retract his statements and apologize as McCain has respectfully done? Does he take the high road and get back to the issues that matter? Nope. Instead, he's starting to go after Hillary's top-tier supporters in an indirect smear effort to call in to question Hillary's credibility. He's now going after Madeleine Albright.

From the Baltimoresun.com:

"If [Hillary] wants to tout her experience of having visited countries, that's fine," Obama said. But, he added, "I don't think that Madeleine Albright would think Hillary Clinton was the face of foreign policy during the Clinton Administration.

You might want to know exactly what you're talking about Mr. Obama before you start running your mouth about what other people should think. Shortly after, Madeleine Albright released a statement:

The former first lady "had represented American interests and values during her visits to more than 80 countries" and would "be ready from the very first day to lead our nation in a dangerous and complicated world, which is why I am supporting her candidacy."

Now, many of you reading this may not see this as Obama attacking Madeleine Albright, because it's done in a concealed manner. But what he has tried to do is force words into her mouth before she even has a chance to speak, in an effort to make her appear to be the antagonist if she happens to disagree. Also, it has been well known that Madeleine Albright is a fierce supporter of Hillary Clinton, so why Obama thought Albright wouldn't value Hillary's honorable service and experience as the first lady for 8 years is beyond us here at Vote for Hillary Online. Either this is out of ignorance, or there is a greater scheme behind all of this that will most definitely become more apparent in the days to come.

Hillary Clinton is by the far the most electable candidate

...and some folks in the media are starting to catch on.

The fact she is getting attacked from all angles demonstrates this perfectly. Just how often do you hear people attacking Governor and presidential candidate Bill Richardson? The American people are starting to realize that Hillary is the only candidate that has the guts to do what needs to be done to get us back on track. Leadership, compassion, integrity, values - all attributes Hillary possesses. All attributes that the American people are craving for right now. We can't afford to wait around while someone without experience gets on-the-job training (I'm looking at you, Obama). We need real on-the-job leadership right now.

Joke of the day

These two jokes are from Ashley W. in Alabama. Keep 'em coming folks!


Q: What do you call a pony with a sore throat?


A: A little horse.


-

Q: What time is it when you have to go to the dentist?


A: Tooth hurty.

Hillary is the only candidate with a plan to protect us from China

Economists told us all that whichever country can make certain products most efficiently, then that's who should produce and sell them. They told us how great it will be when rich America can buy all of their goods cheaply, made by workers at 50 cents/hour. We were supposed to ignore the human rights issue and understand the bigger economic implications. We were supposed to put aside the fact China is just one step away from being our enemy. Well for a while America was just coasting right along, not really paying attention, and happily buying all of the cheap products from China. We believed the economists, we believed Wal-Mart, and we believed George W. Bush. Folks, we have all been betrayed.

It seems like every other day now we're hearing about a huge recall on toys from China because they contain deadly amounts of lead. The reason China is able to make these products so cheaply is that there are barely any regulations these manufacturers have to follow. They are fly by night operations. They set up shop, make a few million lead contaminated toys, cash their check, and they're gone before the first child keels over and dies from lead poisoning.

What happens is, a well respected brand like Fisher Price actually outsources their production to private Chinese companies. We may trust Fisher Price, but can we trust these third party manufacturers? We don't even know who these people are. We do know one thing: they put lead in the toys of American children. That's the one thing we know about them and quite frankly, that's enough for me. And that's enough for Hillary Clinton too. She is the only candidate who actually understands this mess and the potential for massive poisonings.

Taken from Nationalreview.com, here are Hillary's recommendations to remedy this fiasco:

• Immediately require independent third-party testing for at-risk imported toys to ensure they are safe before they can be put on our shelves and sold.
• Dramatically increase the number of product inspectors and deploy them as part of a strategy to meet the threat posed by imported toys.
• Establish a complete ban on lead in children's products.
• Increase and enforce both civil and criminal penalties for violators.
• Require selected companies to pay a bond pending completion of third party testing to protect consumers and taxpayers from fly-by-night foreign importers.
• Improve our system of toy recalls so that parents get swift notification and companies face swift sanctions if they don't remove recalled products from their shelves.

Not one candidate has offered a proposal to deal with this growing problem. If you can honestly read through that list of proposals that Hillary has put forth and say you don't agree with them, then I really think you don't belong in America. If you are actually insane enough to say that we should allow toys containing harmful amounts of lead in the marketplace, then you'd probably be better off in a psychiatric facility - heavily sedated. This is about our children, and our future. You can't separate those two. But we can separate ourselves from China. It would be simply un-American not to.

We have got to start making more sacrifices

Folks, we just got a letter from one of our grassroots Hillary supporters that we need to address. Basically this person says they would like to help with the grassroots campaign, but they just don't have enough time. I'm going to post his message here so you can all see what I'm talking about. We won't mention specifically who it was so as not to embarrass him.

Dear VFHO,

I am a huge Hillary Clinton supporter and have following what you guys have been doing for a while. I think this is great that supporters have a resource they can go to and start making some real changes on their own. I really wish I could join in and help with the cause, the bumper sticker campaign sounded like a lot of fun. But I recently went through a divorce with my wife, I'm raising 3 kids by myself, and I'm trying to hold down 2 jobs to make ends meet. It's getting pretty tough...I've just been too busy to help out. Is there anyway someone like me can join in the grassroots campaign? I know a little html, maybe I could help with the website. Just let me know.

Thanks

We've gotten a few e-mails like this from various Hillary Clinton supporters. Let me tell you something: if you don't do everything you can to ensure Hillary Clinton is elected in 2008 and she ends up losing, your measly 2 jobs will be the least of your worries. These things that seem important now and justify our time away from supporting Hillary will seem like nothing when you see what the other candidates have in store for ruining America. It's time we quit with the excuses. If you're not out there every day busting your ass for Hillary, then you're working against the campaign. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. We have got to make some sacrifices and stop whining around. That's how you lose a campaign. People start worrying about all these meaningless distractions in their lives. Next thing you know, the opposition will win and in a few years we'll all be speaking Arabic. Yes, it's possible.

And no, we don't need any of your "help" with the website, thanks. I know that most of our supporters think we're doing just fine in that regard. It's time to get off your ass and do something. Nobody ever won an election sitting around on the internet all day long. I'm simply tired of all the excuses, and I know a lot of you out there are too.

I apologize if I came off as a little harsh, but this simply had to be addressed. We appreciate all of the support and effort, but if we could all just sacrifice a little more, victory would be that much more possible.

Do not be deceived by those who claim less government is better

More and more these days we hear people clamoring that we need to return to our 18th century roots of bare-bones government. These people truly believe that somehow taking away the government's responsibility to its people will lead to this great utopia. Before I completely obliterate this flawed notion, I will concede that they do have good points about government inefficiencies. However, the conclusion they end up making is in the opposite direction of the real solution. I suppose it's easy to understand this growing trend of anti-government ideology if you look at how poorly the Bush Administration has done to drive America into the ground these past 7 years. When people see inadequacies of the government, or cite all these examples of how it makes things worse, these all stem from the corrupt and incompetent actions by the Bush administration. They are confusing the two. They see how bad the Bush administration is, so they blame it on the concept of government in general.

If you actually look at the problems that they cite as examples to why we need less government, you'll realize that the problem was in fact a lack of government intervention. Look at what happened after Hurricane Katrina. This was clearly a problem of not enough government resources able to handle a crisis situation. You have to have good leaders and resources in times of crisis, and when you don't it can lead to disaster. If you have a decision between making sure we can handle hard times or an option of saving a few dollars by less taxes, I think it's pretty clear which one is more worth it to the American people. Look at the 911 tragedy. We were unable to prevent it given the current power and resources the government had at the time. Which type of government do you think is more apt to preventing a terrorist strike: one of the 18th century? Or one where we can use the Patriot Act to stop crime before it happens.

These delusional people also believe that we would be better off if the government wasn't involved in health care. They apparently ignore the fact that if it was a true free market with no government assistance, doctors would be price gouging like mad and only the rich would be able to get decent health care. You think doctors will just start offering their services for free out of the goodness of their heart? Maybe a few of them perhaps, but it wouldn't be nearly enough to handle the nation's poor, and good hearted doctors shouldn't have to be burden with what should be the government's responsibility.

Without government programs, we would not have well maintained roads, public education for any child, welfare programs for the poor, police, firefighters, an army to protect our nation, or the FDA to ensure that the medication we give our kids is safe and effective. If you want to do away with all that, then by all means go off to some deserted island and start your own country. But some of us realize the value in these things. The problems arise though when they're mismanaged by administrations that have no clue what they're doing.

It's important though that in order to be more reliant upon the government, we must be more educated so we can elect politicians who will get the job done right. Obviously, more government in Bush's hands is a bad thing, but I guarantee you under Hillary it will be a hell of a lot better. And that's why the whole smear campaign against Hillary by the media is so important to address. It takes away the American people's ability to make a sound decision based on facts.

Seriously folks, is this what you want America to look like?

Message to Greedy Student Loan Predators: Your Days Are Numbered

The New York Times today had an excellent piece on Hillary's proposals for the student loan industry on their blog. This should be required reading for any serious grassroots Hillary Clinton supporter. Just as there is a massive health crisis in the United States as a result of greedy Health Insurance companies and doctors that do nothing to lower their costs, we have a similar problem with College Education, where tuition costs are rising at astronomical levels, as well as the ever-increasing interest on student loans. The average American is absolutely getting crushed from all angles. We thought we were doing the right thing by going through the system and getting a higher education. We also thought we were doing the right thing by getting health care coverage for our families. But the circumstances that greedy corporations have put us in today are making it harder and harder for any decent American to increase his or her quality of life.

What may seem like a minor point, but we feel like is really at the heart of the problem, is the loads of paperwork and reading of fine print that is required of us to take advantage of programs that should be entitled to everyone. Each additional form someone has to fill out is an additional layer of confusion that attempts to discombobulate people so much into throwing up their hands and giving up. Making something easier encourages a behavior, while making something more difficult takes away incentive. It is the opinion of Vote for Hillary Online that the United States government is actually trying to curtail higher education in order to keep us all in the dark. They do this by creating hard to understand forms and by increasing the financial burden.

Let it be known that this isn't the first time a Clinton has tried to help American citizens with the growing burdens associated with education. If you'll remember, in 1990 Bill Clinton was a strong proponent of the Federal Direct Loan Program. This program would essentially take out the middleman which exists solely to profit on what should be a consumer-to-provider transaction.

A wonderful excerpt illustrates exactly why Hillary Clinton is the only candidate who understands this mess:

“It would give student borrowers the right to fair monthly payments that do not exceed a percentage of their incomes, as well as access to fair interest rates and fees. The bill would also give students the right to shop in a free marketplace for their lender and to borrow without exploitation. Finally, the bill will give students access to better information about their loans to provide students with better options during repayment.”

• Fair monthly payments based upon income.
• Fair rates that keep Americans' hard earned money in their wallet where it belongs.
• The right to comparison shop in order to get the best value for your dollar.
• Increased options to pay off student loans.

I would be hard pressed to find just one decent America who could honestly argue against these initiatives. This is another one of those times where I feel that the Hillary Clinton detractors have simply failed to take an honest look at her positions and proposals. If you're against better education, interest rates that don't burden students, and less paper work in order to make the process easy to understand, then by all means - vote for someone else. Just don't come crying to us when you end up going bankrupt 5 years after graduating from college.

Joke of the day

Gary Williams from Seattle sent this one in yesterday, keep them coming folks!


A visitor from Holland was chatting with his American friend and was jokingly explaining about the red, white and blue in the Netherlands flag. "Our flag symbolizes our taxes," he said. "We get red when we talk about them, white when we get our tax bill, and blue after we pay them."

"That's the same with us," the American said, "only we see stars, too."

Media's Illusionary Roller Coaster Ride of the Hillary Campaign Continues

Last week, when the media was claiming that Hillary Clinton reclaimed her standings during the last debate, we were suspicious. We knew that just a few days earlier, those same members of the media were hinting that Hillary's campaign was in the midst of a disaster. As we stated before, the media likes a drama; they want a rollercoaster ride that takes Hillary on a course which ultimately lands at the bottom. Well folks, apparently the media has decided it has reached the top of this particular hill and is ready to portray the image of a downturn.

I was almost sick to my stomach to read this article from Suntimes.com entitled "Hillary bracing for possible letdown in Iowa". The media is back in full hit-piece mode. They're trying to jerk around the American people so much that they give up on the democratic process and decide not to vote.

Here are some excerpts:

"Is Hillary running scared in Iowa?

"Hillary Clinton must be worried.

"Clinton, whose husband, former President Bill Clinton, did not run in Iowa in 1992, may not have immediately understood the peculiarities of the Iowa caucuses.

"Still, the fact that Hillary Clinton has felt the need to slap her opponents after her previous silence suggests a discomfort about her security as front-runner.

To all of the people that have been e-mailing us (most likely members of the opposition in disguise) and complaining that we're overreacting - some have actually stated that the media is in cahoots with Hillary Clinton - do you really need any further evidence that what we have been saying here at Vote for Hillary Online has been right all along? You just watch, they're going to bring her down just like they did before the last debate. And then, just like clockwork they will appear to build her up again. I don't know about you all, but I'm tired of the American people getting jerked around like a dog on a leash. Remember, at the end of this sadistic rollercoaster ride, we will all be at the bottom - regardless of who you support (better damn well be Hillary though if you're on this site).

The Glass Ceiling About to be Shattered

It's coming folks. Every day it becomes evident that Hillary Clinton will be the next president of the United States. This will be a historic moment, and a giant leap for all women. Let us be done away with the myths that women aren't as competent as men. Let us rejoice in our equality. Let us do all that we can to protect our civil rights and the civil rights of others. Let us break through the invisible but all too powerful glass ceiling. It's time for change. It's time, for Hillary Clinton.

Even if you don't agree with her on her positions. Even if you agree with the those misguided souls who classify her as a "bitch". You must realize the greater importance of what's at stake here. This isn't just about Hillary Clinton the person. This is about Hillary Clinton the movement. We've come along way in the United States. Let it be known that a vote for anyone except Hillary Clinton is a vote for the continuance of economic segregation in the work place based on gender.

We've been getting a lot of new visitors here at Vote for Hillary Online: we welcome you all. If you've made it to this site, you're probably right on track to discovering why we all love and support her. Please take a moment to view our comprehensive list of Hillary's positions on the issues. You will not be disappointed.

Hillary Clinton's Favorite Color is Yellow

We here at Vote for Hillary Online are constantly trying to get a feel for what others are saying about her, and how she's perceived in the media. It's part of our job, so we're often visiting all types of resources on the internet. The John Hopkins University website has a profile of Hillary Clinton that outlines her upbringing and political career. One thing that caught my eye though was this little revelation: "Senator Clinton’s private office in the Russell Senate Office building is covered in her favorite color, yellow, and she always keeps fresh granny smith apples in her office refrigerator." Maybe an odd thing to be curious about, but I have always had a fascination with why certain types of people tend to prefer one color over another.

Well I did some investigating, and it turns out there is a whole science behind this phenomenon, and you can actually tell a lot about someone by their favorite color.

From care2.com:

Yellow: The color of happiness, wisdom, and imagination, Yellow is chosen by the mentally adventurous, searching for novelty and self-fulfillment. Yellow usually goes with a sunny and shrewd personality, with a good business head and a strong sense of humor. It is the color of intellectuality and all things to do with the mind. Yellow folks are usually clear and precise thinkers who have a good opinion of their own mental capacities and who have lofty ideals. They may at times tend to shun responsibility, preferring freedom of thought and action.

Now you may not buy into the whole color theory but...good business head, strong sense of humor, intellectuality, freedom of thought and action... I gotta be honest, but if someone had just shown me a list of these attributes, my first guess would have probably been Hillary Clinton.

This is definitely a science worth looking into.

Can a Dictatorship Actually be a Good Form of Government?

I realize there is an extreme amount of stigma attached the the word "dictator" or "dictatorship".

First, let us define these terms. Wikipedia says a dictatorship is "an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by a dictator." A dictator is defined as "an authoritarian, often totalitarian ruler (e.g. absolutist or autocratic) who assumes sole power over his state". Essentially, a dictatorship is a form of government by which one person rules over all government policy in the country. We usually think of a dictator as a power hungry leader overcome by greed and self interest at the expense of his people. However, there is another type of dictator: the benevolent dictator. A benevolent dictator is defined as an absolute ruler who exercises his or her political power for the benefit of the people rather than exclusively for his or her own benefit.

The negative images we have of a dictator are actually based upon the fears that we have of one person being able to control every aspect of our life. But the fact that a country may be run by a dictator only speaks to the core of decision making, and not the extent of government intrusion. Simply put, the potential for the government ruling every aspect of our lives is just as likely in a republic than it is in a dictatorship. In fact, you could argue that a governing body of many would have a tendency to be more intrusive, because you are faced with multiple people with the power to gain at the peoples' expense. There is a limit to just how much one greedy dictator can take from his people. But in a massive government body, the likelihood of members exploiting their citizens for their own gain has the potential to run rampant, with no end in sight.

A point I would like to address is the common misconception that inevitably every dictator will become intoxicated with his own power, and run his country straight into the ground by ignoring the people's needs in favor of his own self interest. This line of thinking implies that it's not necessary the fault of the dictator if he indulges in power at the expense of his people, but that it is the status of being a dictator that has the power to corrupt even a man of the strongest will. Basically, we are assuming that all people, if given the position of dictator, would eventually find themselves unable to resist the urge to be corrupt. Folks, I don't know about you, but I have better faith in my fellow human beings to assume something so astonishingly ignorant.

If we had a way to scrutinize potential leaders before handing over the job to them, I truly believe we could find a benevolent dictator. A person who realizes his great duty to his people, and fears what the history books may write about him 100 years from now if he's lured into temptation.

I was speaking to my good friend Joseph Birmingham on the way to a conference on Wednesday, and he offered some very valid points as to why a Dictatorship might actually the most effective form of government. I'll try to list as many as I can recall here.

• A dictatorship is good at effective disaster relief. Being able to tell people where to live, and to move when you want them to, can be quite an advantage. Sometimes problems arise where a geographical area simply needs to be cleared out. Whether it's a hazardous situation, or an uprise by anarchists, this is something that a republic can't always do effectively because there will always be a voice against it.
• Swift legislative reform. Whether it's enacting new environmental laws, amending a budget, or responding to some other pressing need, the decision gets made and things can happen quickly.
• Unpopular decisions are sometimes the right decisions. Of course, it's better to educate people and get support for those decisions, but particularly when some kind of sacrifice is called for, people may be unwilling to do the right thing.
• The money spent on democratic mechanisms. You would be shocked if you found out how much congress costs us every year. The cost of voting, the millions of dollars spent on election campaigns, and the premium health care packages for legislators just to name a few.

Now, I'm not necessarily calling for a dictatorship. But I do think it is wise to at least take an honest look at other forms of government. We here at Vote for Hillary Online feel that open debate on even the most uncomfortable topics is crucial for our stability as a nation.

Joke of the day

It can get downright stressful sometimes while doing grassroots campaigning for Hillary Clinton. We've decided to start posting a joke every day to keep you all in good spirits. If you have any good jokes you'd like us to post here, send us an e-mail at voteforhillaryonline@yahoo.com

Note: please keep them clean, guys. We will not tolerate profanity.

Here is today's joke of the day:


Why did the banana go out with the prune?


Because he couldn't find a date.

$100 for Dirt on Obama

Folks, it has been rumored that the Hillary campaign has gotten wind of some serious dirt on Barack Obama. We discussed this last week quite thoroughly. We noted that the Hillary Clinton campaign has too much integrity and values to release this information. Well, if there truly is dirt on Obama, we here at Vote for Hillary Online would like to get to the bottom of what it is. We are not endorsed by the official campaign here, so we do not necessarily need to abide by the same policy of not releasing the information. And if in fact this is as devastating as we think it may be, then it is important that the American people know about it. Adequate information in the hands of the voters is vital to a healthy democracy so we can all make informed choices.

We are offering $100 for this information that was rumored to exist. By the way, please do not waste our time with information that is already available to the public. We already know that Barack Obama used to be a heavy drug user.

Some conditions:

• It has to be new information not already in the media
• It must be true
• It has to be verifiable
• It must be damaging to his career if made known

Note: we will only award $100 to the first person that offers this secret information. If we get 25 messages with the same info, we can't give all of you $100.

Also, please keep in mind laws pertaining to slander. It is not legal to make false accusations in order to ruin someone's good name. If we receive any unverifiable information, we will be forwarding it to the authorities.