When you read the I Own My Vote Pledge, keep in mind that the demands it contains are not admissions of defeat, nor are they conditions precedent to your vote. Hillary's campaign is only suspended, not ended. And only you can decide when your vote has been earned. Whether you are a PUMA activist, a WomenCountPAC donor, a Just Say No Deal blogger, a Clinton Democrat for McCain, a yellow dog Democrat for VoteBoth, or simply a Hillary Clinton supporter who feels like the Party leaders and their presumptive nominee are ignoring everything that you value, the most powerful statement you can make right now is that YOU OWN YOUR VOTE. Only in finding that common ground will we be counted, for only in that common ground will we be able to count ourselves. On Saturday, June 7, 2008, Hillary Clinton suspended her historic campaign for President. To her 18 million voters, it may have seemed like an end, but I pledge to make it a beginning … a beginning of a movement to achieve the democratic and just country that Hillary has envisioned for America.
I stand together with Hillary Clinton’s 18 million voters to demand that Senator Obama and the Democratic Party:
- Bring us together by seating 100% of the Florida and Michigan delegations in Denver with 100% of their votes, allocated in accordance with the popular vote of each state.
- Bring us together by adopting policies on the Platform Committee that Hillary Clinton has championed.
- Bring us together through reform of the primary and caucus system to reflect the basic principle of one person/one vote.
- Bring us together through outspoken denunciation of all gender bias, racism and other forms of discrimination.
- Bring us together by fairly and respectfully including Hillary and her supporters at the Democratic National Convention in Denver by, among other things, placing her name in nomination for President, conducting a roll call vote, and providing her a prominent speaking role during prime time on August 26th, the 88th anniversary of women’s suffrage.
I own my vote. It does not belong to any party. It does not belong to any candidate. It does not belong to any mob that would impose its will on me. Only I can decide how to use my vote, and I can decide based on any criteria I choose. Therefore I pledge not to give my vote to anyone who does not earn it.
Click here to sign the pledge: http://iownmyvote.com/
7 comments:
This was my letter to Obama's spokesman:
TO: William Burton, Spokesman Obama for President Campaign
Sir,
I am quite dismayed that Sen. Obama has decided not to oppose the FISA legislation pending in the US Senate. I really expected more from him. I had supported his candidacy up to now, voting for him in the Virginia Democratic Primary and contributing frequently to the campaign.
I am writing to tell you personally that I will not vote in the general presidential election and have removed the solicitation email address from my address list. Any future messages and requests for funds from Obama's campaign will bounce. I am frequently asked by friends and peers to weigh in on political issues, and as far as I am concerned, this position is a total sellout for conservative votes. I intend to actively encourage everyone I know to sit out the 2008 presidential campaign and withhold their vote. I have blind-copied them on this letter.
I find it incomprehensible that Democrats would bow to the Bush administration's now successful attempt to cover up their efforts to break the law and wiretap US citizens without a warrant. The telecommunications companies were being sued in federal court by US citizens who will now have their rights abrogated by the US Congress, all in the name of the phony war on terror. There is a minority of folks in this country who see this sham war and the war in Iraq for what it really is: a means to subjugate dissent and enrich military contractors at the expense of the US taxpayer.
Sen. Obama has squandered a golden opportunity to explain why FISA in its present form is more than adequate to protect the nation from terrorism. He could have cleared up the obfuscation and misinformation being propagandized from the right. Sadly, Sen. Obama has chosen to forgo honorable actions for political expediency.
I am fairly certain that the pending FISA legislation, which contains ex post facto attempts to allow illegal acts on the part of government officials and private companies, would not hold up if reviewed by an impartial Supreme Court. Sadly, the US Supreme Court is not impartial, as the 2000 Florida election debacle has proven. Our civil rights, fought for by our founding fathers, are being gradually eroded and discarded in the name of political expediency.
Perhaps Sen. Obama has forgotten that Martin Luther King was a victim of illegal wiretapping by the FBI. Words cannot adequately express my disappointment in the position taken by your candidate. Actions, however, can.
I expect to receive some kind of canned form letter response to this email, but at least I will have said my piece before pulling the plug on my support for your candidate's campaign.
Vaporland:
Thank you so much for posting this here! I did actually post it previously - I thought it was an important message to get out...
You may be interested in the Fact Check done on the "I Love My Country" ad in which Obama claims several legislative accomplishments that were not his. If you care to, this is the link: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obama_polishes_his_resume.html
They were a little kinder in their assessment than others might have been...
I want to say to you, too, that I am sorry. I know this must be very difficult for you. My heart goes out to you.
Thanks for posting your letter!
Hey....as always a great succinct post.
I added the pic and link on my site and signed the petition yesterday.
Thanks for suggestion!
Hey, Diamond Tiger!
Yeah, I figured you would have already signed it, but wanted to make sure!
That's a great site you have!! I am so glad you let me know abt it!!
Great Post, as always! Love your writings, RR!
Thank you for sharing!
Amarissa
http://womenstate.blogspot.com/
Rev,
I want to know where you find the time for research and writing? :) Where? Your site is the very first one I check every morning, then NQ, then JSND.
Don't even get me started on Nan baby! GRRRRRRRR
Amarissa -
Thanks! And NICE SITE!! Very impressive.
I am glad you had the piece abt Hilary's debt - I got another email from her campaign yesterday - and gave again (I think that was the third time this week). I cannot STAND the thought that she would have to be indebted to Obama or the DNC in any way...
Thanks Diamond Tiger!! What a NICE thing to say! Oh, crap - I better get writing so you'll have something new to read!! :-)
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