2004 Dem Nominee Kerry Endorses Obama

The Washington Post announced:

“Senator Johh Kerry of Massachusetts, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, endorsed Senator Barack Obama for the White House Thursday in a timely slap at Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as well as his own vice presidential running mate.

Quoting a black American hero in endorsing the man who hopes to be the first black president, Kerry declared, “Martin Luther King Jr. said the time is always right to do what is right. And I’m here in South Carolina because this is the right time to share with you, to make sure that we know that I have the confidence … and that Barack Obama can be, will be and should be the next president of the United States.”

                         

“But I believe more than anyone else, Barack Obama can help our country turn the page and get America moving by uniting and ending the division we have faced,” Kerry said. “  To read the whole article go to: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/10/AR2008011001706.html

     

I’m not sure how much this will impact Obama’s race, but I believe as more public and Democratic figures endorse him the better.   Kerry had made his mistakes but he is a good Democrat, now making an excellent and right decision!

                

AIG 4 Obama

     

Obama to Get Union Endorsement

What a great morning for Obama to have received the Union Endorsement.  The New York Times anounced:

“After suffering a setback in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Senate Barack Obama will get some good news at 11 a.m. today, eastern time, when Unite Here, the union representing 460,000 apparel, laundry, hotel and restaurant workers, announces that it is endorsing him, a union official said.

The union will make the announcement simultaneously at its New York headquarters and in Las Vegas, where its local, Culinary Local 226, representing more than 60,000 casino, hotel and restaurant workers, is by far the largest and most politically potent union in Nevada.

With its announcement, Unite Here will become the first national union to back Mr. Obama. Its leaders hope to help put him over the top in the Nevada caucuses on Jan. 19 and give him new momentum.”  See the rest of the article here: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/obama-to-get-union-endorsement/

An Introduction of Sorts…

What is the blog about? Simply put, this blog is about Democratic Presidential politics (more can be found in the “About” section”) and its respective campaigns in Nevada, generally, but with content and commentary aimed at the Latino community, specifically.

Why now, and why Latinos? Aside from the fact that Nevada is one of four early primaries that will set the tone (if not almost entirely determine) for the primaries to follow, and that Nevada has one of the largest Latino voting populations in the country*, or that it’s just obviously important, the only answer I can think to give is this: because if not now, then when; and if not us, then who?

[* Note: According to the Hispanic Electorate in 2004, by Pew Hispanic Center- Nevada Latinos account for 13% of the eligible voters but their numbers are growing very fast. Since the last presidential election, the number of eligible Latinos in Nevada has increased by about 50%, and Latinos account for about half of all the increase in the Nevada electorate. About two-thirds of the Latino eligible voters in Nevada are native born.]

Disclaimer(s): Ok, so I’m going to be really honest here: this is my first attempt at blogging. That’s not to say that this is exactly my first rodeo. I mean, I’ve been involved in campaigns and Democratic and Latino politics for a couple of cycles now. But while I’ve always appreciated the contribution that bloggers and the “netroots” community have made on behalf of the Party and the process overall, this is the first time I’ve ever actually participated as a full-fledged member (with all the rights, responsibilities and privileges afforded thereto). Additionally, for the sake of honesty, I should also let you know up front that I’ve already picked my candidate in this primary race: Barack Obama (…and more on that in upcoming posts). Lastly, I do not, under any circumstances, consider myself an authority on the “Latino experience”, as I know as well as anyone that ours is not a monolithic community. However, as heterogeneous as our community is (and in the spirit of “there is more that unites us than that which divides us”), I write with an understanding that there are some experiences so unique to the Latino community, that to deny that commonality would be to deny who we are at the most fundamental level. And it is with that shared experience through which everything in this blog is filtered.

Conclusion: All disclaimers aside, this blog is meant to provide Latinos- engaged at all levels of the political process- with additional information, news, and the occasional commentary about Presidential campaigns and politics in Nevada in 2008.