A Blog Called Hope

The newest ad from the Obama campaign highlights Senator Obama’s plans for energy in America

Senator Obama stresses the need to break our dependence on foreign oil and enhance America’s energy infrastructure

Today, Senator Barack Obama outlined his energy plan for the United States. Central to his proposal is the need to shift away from America’s reliance on foreign oil and find alternative energy resources.

Senator Obama’s plan calls for tapping into our own oil reserves. In addition to the utilization of our reserves, Senator Obama set forth three steps to increase energy production and reduce the cost of energy for American consumers. These include:

“To do this, we will invest $150 billion over the next decade … and leverage billions more in private capital to build a new energy economy that harnesses American energy and creates 5 million new American jobs,” Senator Obama explained.

In addition to his energy plan, Senator Obama expressed his support for windfall profits taxes on big oil that will provide $1,000 to people struggling with the high energy costs.

For more on this story visit, CNN.

To learn more about Senator Obama’s energy policy, visit BarackObama.com.

Here is the video from Senator Obama’s speech.

Obama in Lansing, MI on August 4, 2008.

Click below to view Senator Obama’s newest ad on energy.

Senator Obama’s “Pocket” ad

Despite an array of personal attacks by Republicans, Obama promises to only question McCain the politician, NOT the person

“I’m not going to assault Senator McCain’s character. I’m not going to compare him to pop stars. I will, however, compare our two visions for our economic future.

Senator McCain wants to keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. I want to end them and start giving incentives to companies that create jobs here at home. Because I don’t think 463,000 lost jobs this year is economic progress.

He wants to give $300 billion worth of tax breaks to big corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Under his plan, more than 100 million middle class families won’t see a penny in direct tax relief. I want to put a tax cut of up to $1,000 into the pockets of 95% of working Americans. And if you’re a family making less than $250,000 a year, my plan won’t raise your taxes one penny — not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.

Senator McCain is opposed to regular increases in the minimum wage — I want to index it so that it rises with rising costs. He thinks the Earned Income Tax Credit is fine as it is — I want to expand it. He has no plans to make childcare more affordable or help people get paid sick leave — while I do.” -Senator Barack Obama, August 2, 2008.

National Urban League Annual Conference, August 2, 2008.

Senator Obama in Missouri to discuss our economic security and his stark differences from John McCain

Rhode Island family accompanies Senator Reed (D-RI) for the signing of a bill which calls for $150 million in funding for youth cancer research

“The Haights, who are from Warwick, were at The White House Tuesday as President Bush signed a bill, honoring their son. Vince and Nancy Haight asked Senator Jack Reed to help secure funding for childhood cancer research, after their son, Ben, died from the disease.” -WPRI

To read the article, visit WPRI online.

Michelle Obama spoke at a Women for Obama lunch reception in Chicago, IL, unveiling the Obama campaign’s Blueprint for America’s Working Women and Families

Ad assailing Barack Obama for “snubbing” troops proves to be off-base

The Republican smear campaign was working in overdrive to tear down Senator Obama’s successful foreign policy trip abroad. Their feeble attempt to taint Senator Obama’s highly touted trip resulted in a short video clip slamming Senator Obama for “snubbing” our brave troops.

The ad attacks Obama on choosing playing basketball over visiting wounded troops, and ultimately canceling the visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center due to the fact cameras would not be allowed in to view him visiting the troops. The obvious insinuations from the fictitious ad are that Barack Obama does not care about the troops and Barack Obama is a calculated political figure who only does things for the accolades that accompany them.

The truth of the matter is that Barack Obama had no say in the decision. Despite planning for the trip for several weeks, Senator Obama was advised by the Pentagon to not visit the troops due to the potential political conflict of interest. The truth is video cameras were not going to be permitted to tag along in the first place. Senator Obama had planned to visit our brave men and women for weeks, knowing full well cameras would not be part of the visit. So any insinuation by the McCain campaign that Senator Obama “snubbed” our troops because he would not get face time is utterly false.

Fact is Senator Obama has visited troops in U.S. and Iraq, outside the gaze of TV cameras. However, that doesn’t plan well for the Republicans, so they won’t want you to know that factual tidbit.

For more “fact checking”, which the McCain camp again has neglected to do, visit Newsweek.

Soon after returning from his political journey abroad, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) stopped by ‘Face the Nation’ to report on his foreign policy trip with Senator Obama.

Check out the video from the appearance below:

From Sunday, July 27, 2008.