West Virginia Blue
The Best Blogging Community in West Virginia Democratic politics, progressive policies, the good life and free living in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia.
Well I guess I am the only one with a boring enough life to be sitting at home with a cold on a Saturday night reading the news.......... Okay I get it I have a boring life at the moment. can I blame it on my cold?
Anyhoo!
Local boy makes it into the Obama administration. I thought that might be worth a mention.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Even as a boy, Alec Ross had lofty aspirations. Take it from his mother.
"In the sixth grade at Sacred Heart, they were doing the yearbook and they asked the kids what they wanted to be," Becky Ross said. "Alec said he wanted to be president. He got real offended because they said, 'President of what?' He said, 'THE president.'"
"He's a Type A personality, a goal driver," said his father, Alex. "He was always rather intense, constantly striving. He's going to go higher and higher. No telling where he will end up."
The White House?
Well, maybe not that high. But he's not far away.
Earlier this month, the Charleston-reared technology sage started a new job as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's senior adviser on innovation. A key player in tech policy planning during the Obama campaign and transition, he's in charge of finding ways to use technology as a tool for improving poverty, health care, human rights and other social ills around the globe.
Described in one Internet bio as "a nationally respected social entrepreneur," Ross earned a reputation for promoting universal access to technology, the conviction that computers are a necessity of everyday living and should be available to people from all walks of life, not just those who can afford them.
Co-author of a book called "A Laptop in Every Backpack," he once described his work to his mother as "connecting the lower-income segment of the population with the e-economy."
"He sees the big picture on how to best put these things to use for the most good.
Courtesy photo
Before Charleston native Alec Ross joined the U.S. State Department as senior adviser on innovation to Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, he appeared often as a speaker promoting technology as a tool to improve the lives of people in low-income communities. A 1990 graduate of George Washington High School, he co-founded a nonprofit corporation called One Economy to develop technology programs in digitally deprived areas.
snip
But the well-traveled tech visionary remains true to his West Virginia roots. Even the name of his first child reflects his West Virginia background. He named his son Colton, a derivative of "coal town," an obvious salute to his home state.
Awesome......... a West Virginian helping to shape policy in Washington. Very cool.
So does anybody know him?
Lets keep adding some common sense West Virginia progressives to Washington. .......... We'll have that place straightened out before you know it!
While Sarah Palin is on her Blow Off West Virginia Tour in Ohio, Clinton, fresh off stumping in West Virginia for Anne Barth and Barack Obama, hit back with the "Jobs, baby, jobs" remark.
Because today, while Palin and McCain focus on debunked smears of Obama and try to get their campaign back on track, Obama announced a sweeping response to the economic problems that will help middle class working people and those in distress from the economic downturn.
TOLEDO - Senator Barack Obama on Monday expanded his economic platform, including proposals to spur new jobs, to give Americans penalty-free access to retirement savings to help them through the downturn, to urge a 90-day moratorium on home foreclosures and to lend money to strapped local and state governments.
"We need to give people the breathing room they need to get back on their feet," Mr. Obama said in an afternoon speech here at the Sea Gate Convention Centre before a crowd of more than 3,000 people.
Mr. Obama called on Congress to double by another $25 billion the government loan guarantees for automakers and to temporarily eliminate taxes on unemployment benefits.
Campaign advisers said those steps and several others could be taken before January through current laws or by the Democratic-controlled Congress acting in a lame-duck session.
Mr. Obama outlined his revised plan in Toledo, a struggling city that is representative of the economic crisis and the battle for industrial-belt swing states that could determine the winner of the Nov. 4 election. He is spending three days in northwestern Ohio, sequestered with an advisers to prepare for the third presidential debate on Wednesday.
In a 30-minute address here, Mr. Obama also called on Americans to embrace a new "ethic of responsibility." His speech was supplemented with visions of optimism, but conceded that tough times faced the nation in the coming months and years.
"I won't pretend this will be easy," Mr. Obama said. "George Bush has dug a deep hole for us. It's going to take a while for us to dig our way out. We're going to have to set priorities as never before."
McCain sought to come up with an economic plan, but rejected those from his advisors as "too gimmicky." Considering this comes from the same John McCain who "suspended" his campaign only to keep it going, their proposals must boggle the imagination for him to have called them "too gimmicky."
But I'm sure he offered a vision to a better future, right? I mean since Mr. Keating 5 with his constant pushing of deregulation and his voting with George W. Bush 95 percent of the time helped create the problem, surely McCain will want to be at the forefront in offering solutions for voters.
"These are hard times, my friends," Mr. McCain said. "Our economy is in crisis. Financial markets are collapsing. Credit is drying up. Your savings are in danger and your retirement is at risk. Jobs are disappearing."
Oh.
So to compare: we have one candidate with specific proposals to help the economy and the middle class and one that offers fear and despair for everyone.
I'm tickled pink with Hillary Clinton's endorsement and visit. Who is ineffective Republican Shelley Moore Capito going to bring to town to counter? Mitt Romney, Rudy Guiliani, or Fred Thompson?
Here's more details on the event from the Barth campaign:
October 10, 2008
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON
STUMPS FOR ANNE BARTH IN WEST VIRGINIA
Hillary Tells Voters Barth is the Candidate and This is the Moment-
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Senator Hillary Clinton visited the Mountain State today to campaign with Anne Barth, the Democratic nominee for Congress in West Virginia's 2nd Congressional district.
"We've got to elect Anne Barth to Congress - to be your champion, to be a new voice, to be a leader who will side with the people of West Virginia instead of the policies of George Bush and Dick Cheney," Clinton told an overflow crowd.
The outdoor event was free and open to the public, and was blessed with a cloudless blue sky above and the shimmering gold dome of the state capitol across the river in the background.
Barth, the daughter of a retired minister and former senior aide to the venerable Sen. Robert C. Byrd, has been steadily gaining ground on a well-entrenched Republican incumbent.
The personal visit by Hillary Clinton, who remains wildly popular in West Virginia, delivered a major boost to Barth's already surging challenger campaign.
"I am so pleased to be back in West Virginia," Clinton told an enthusiastic crowd gathered at the University of Charleston.
"You have stood with me and I promised I would always stand with you. That's why I'm here today. We've got to elect Anne Barth to Congress - to be your champion, to be a new voice, to be a leader who will side with the people of West Virginia instead of the failed policies of George Bush and Dick Cheney," Clinton said.
Speaking of Anne Barth, Clinton told the crowd "This is a woman that West Virginians can believe in. This is the kind of woman that America needs in Congress now more than ever."
Clinton, who won the West Virginia presidential primary handily, also said that all Democrats need to get behind Barack Obama and change the direction of the country.
During her remarks, Barth called Hillary Clinton "a role model and an inspiration to so many women in West Virginia and across America."
"Your example is one for all of us to follow, and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting things done in Washington for the people of West Virginia.
"When I decided to get in this race, Senator Byrd advised me to view you as a role model and an example of how to be a workhorse and not a show horse," Barth told Clinton.
Senator Byrd made a brief surprise appearance at the event, and was recognized from the stage by Sen. Clinton and Anne Barth and greeted with wild applause.
Handed a wireless microphone, "I'm for Anne Barth!" was the entirety of the senior senator's remarks, echoing his line from a popular Barth campaign commercial, which drew laughter and loud applause from the audience.
Help Anne Barth seal the deal with West Virginia voters. She needs volunteers to get the word out, and contributions so she can run more ads. Once voters learn who Anne Barth is, they'll be running to the polls to send Shelley Moore Capito packing.
For those going to see Sen. Hillary Clinton endorsing Anne Barth at 1 p.m. at the rally at the University of Charleston, here's a sample of her fired up and ready to go!
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The winner of West Virginia's Democratic primary for president will visit Charleston this Friday to endorse Anne Barth for Congress.
United States Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) will host a rally for Barth's campaign beginning at 1pm at the University of Charleston.
Excellent news. Click on the link for more details. The primary showed how popular Hillary Clinton is in this state.
For weeks I'd been urging her to come to West Virginia to campaign for Barack Obama. I can't tell you how happy I am she's coming here to endorse Anne Barth.
Maybe Shelley Moore Capito should bring her close friend Dick Cheney to campaign for her like she did in the past. Or George Bush. They're so tight.
Most of all she campaigned to "Ditch Mitch McConnell" by campaigning for his US Senate opponent Bruce Lunsford.
The West Virginia border is just 31 miles a way, Senator Clinton! Please cross the border into West Virginia while you're campaigning. Obama needs you here too!
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