I'm Catching Hope!

Tonight, like millions of Americans, I witnessed a remarkable and historic moment. Barack Obama, became the first African American to be nominated as a presidential candidate for a major political Party! No matter what you think of politics, of government, or even of this candidate himself, this is an amazing thing. Literally in our lifetimes the seemingly impossible has occurred! Less than 40 years ago African Americans were denied the same rights as White Americans, and today, a man who is 50% each race is almost our next President. The extreme policies of the Republican Party lo this past terrible decade, have actually caused the nation to swing like a pendulum back towards progressive, say it proudly now, LIBERAL politics!

Here is a fun little ad MoveOn.org put together that explains how sweet this moment is:



Watching Obama's speech tonight, in the company of more than 100 of my fellow Americans, every color, age, size, and shape, made me hope again!

There's a lot of work to be done and guess who's going to do it? YOU AND ME! Why? Because it's our JOB! Obama put it so well at the end of his acceptance speech tonight:

And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength." Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.

Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility -- that's the essence of America's promise.

Read the text of his entire speech HERE

Watch a video of it here:

Convention Shows Democrats Finally Growing Spine Back

After almost 2 decades since the Republican party's Contract "On" America, and 8 monstrous years of George W. Bush Administration policies, and so Heuculean effort by millions of regular citizens such as myself, it appears the Democratic Party is finally paying attention. That doesn't mean we can sit back and trust them to stay on track pulling the country out of the GOP gutter but it gives a whiff of that stuff Senator Obama keeps mentioning, that quality we had almost forgotten, HOPE!

Last night was the 2nd of the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver, CO. There were many good speeches,(lots of sappy music, and boiler-plate pro-America stuff) but some real gems too. I especially liked what former Virginia Governor Mark Warner (an Obama VP contender) had to say. You can watch it here (or read the text at the link below):



Senator Hillary Clinton also delivered a strong speech, one she really had to deliver, both in order to convince her own supporters to rally behind Obama, and to show the party, and the nation, that she's in for the national team effort rather than just trying to win for herself. This was crucial and she did a great job:



Read Warner's Speech

The Next First Lady of The United States

Tonight the Democratic Convention started in Denver, Colorado. There were several good speeches (one from Caroline Kennedy and another from ailing Ted Kennedy) but the best speech of the night was delivered by Michelle Obama. She will make a fantastic First Lady for our nation, watch the following video of her speech and see if you don't agree:

Part 1



Part 2

Meet Obama's VP Pick, Joe Biden

Coming Soon!!!

Another one of my sculptures for the upcoming exhibit at True World Gallery in Joshua Tree. This exhibit is part of the Art of Democracy nationwide political art exhibit.



(Click image for larger view)

Midas Touch © 2008 Emily Duffy

Barack Obama Coming To SF THIS SUNDAY!

Barack Obama will be making a fundraising stop in San Francisco this Sunday, and Bay Area Democrats will be turning out in large numbers to greet him. If you'd like to be part of the crowd cheering Barack Obama on, please grab your Obama gear and come join us!

What: Obama Rally at the Fairmont Hotel

Where: Mason Street between Sacramento and California Streets

When: Sunday, August 17th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Parking: Brocklebank Garage
1040 Sacramento Street
San Francisco, CA 94108

Click here for the map:

Please share this around to all your contacts!

Why Not to Vote for John McSame

Scrapbook of an American Candidate

Click HERE to see the fascinating scrapbook!

What makes this scrapbook even more special is that it was created by a former Hilary Clinton supporter! Please share it around, it's a great way to introduce yourself, and others, to our very unusual and excellent Democratic Presidential candidate!

Artist Richard Rodriguez Gets Political

About Shepard Fairey (Designer of these original Obama images.)

Richard Rodriguez's Flicker Page

No More Wars

MoveOn.org's Call for Art

Hope (Barack Obama) by Shepard Fairey

From MoveOn.org

Barack Obama's historic candidacy has sparked an unprecedented artistic outpouring. Now, in partnership with Shepard Fairey and his Obey Giant collective, we're offering a new way for artists—anyone with a pen and paper qualifies—to share their talents and help elect Barack Obama at the same time.

It's called Manifest Hope, and it's a new Obama art contest for 2D and 3D art, from painting to photography to sculpture. The winners will be shown at the Manifest Hope Gallery online and in Denver during the Democratic convention alongside works from dozens of established and influential artists.

If you think you might want to enter, or want updates on the contest, please let us know here:
http://pol.moveon.org/mh/enter/index.html

If not, can you pass this on to friends of yours who might be interested?

Anyone can enter. You don't have to be Picasso, you just need to be inspired by Barack Obama and willing to donate your creativity and time to the cause.

But you need to get started soon. The final submissions deadline is August 18th at 11:59 a.m. ET. That's not much time to conceive and create a piece of art, so get started today.

All submissions will be judged by a distinguished panel of judges—artists from Obey Giant, contemporary art curators, and multi-talented musicians. Finalists will be asked to auction off their pieces, and donate the proceeds to progressive organizations.

Denver will be buzzing during the convention, but this gallery is going to be one of the coolest places to visit there. Plus, the gallery's going to have an amazing party with live performances by Death Cab For Cutie, Moby, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

We're not going to send any more emails to the full MoveOn list before the submission deadline. So if there's any chance you might be interested, you have to sign up for contest updates now:

http://pol.moveon.org/mh/enter/index.html

Thanks for all you do.

–Peter, Karin, Laura, Ilyse and the rest of the team

P.S. It's okay to enter a piece of art you've already created, as long as you're willing to offer it up for auction if it becomes a finalist. If you're ready to enter right now, you can upload your entry here:


http://pol.moveon.org/mh/enter/index.html

Paris Hilton Kicks John McCain's ASS!

Last week John McCain's campaign released the following face-slapping ad against Barack Obama:



And Paris Hilton responds:

Proof of High Crimes

From Politico:

A new book by the author Ron Suskind claims that the White House ordered the CIA to forge a back-dated, handwritten letter from the head of Iraqi intelligence to Saddam Hussein.

Suskind writes in “The Way of the World,” to be published Tuesday, that the alleged forgery – adamantly denied by the White House – was designed to portray a false link between Hussein’s regime and al Qaeda as a justification for the Iraq war.

The author also claims that the Bush administration had information from a top Iraqi intelligence official “that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq – intelligence they received in plenty of time to stop an invasion.”

Read the entire ARTICLE!

Coming Soon!!!

I'm pleased to announce that I'm almost finished with the group of sculptures I'll be exhibiting in my first solo show. I'll be premiering the artwork here on the blog first (and in other cyberspace locales) before the "bricks and mortar" show at True World Gallery in Joshua Tree, CA.

Here's a preview:






















(Click on image for larger view)

Democratic Spine © 2008 Emily Duffy
Wood, parchment replica of the Bill of Rights, quotes from Democrats WITH spine, velvet, metal, plastic, varnish.
14"x14"x9"

Every time the Democrats in Congress cave in to George W. Bush, or the radical right, I think that they've lost their collective spine, that it's somehow been separated from the party's very body. To much of the damage done to America these long years of right-wing rule has been at the hands of Democrats. Lack of citizen oversight, and years of perpetual incumbencies, made the party weak and insular. The GOP was able to launch a complete take-over of our government, (ironically) in 1994. George W. Bush's presidency is the worst, and final (goddess-willing) chapter in this dreadful story of regression, radical ideological abuses, and outright criminal acts.

All through these dark years there have been Democrats continuing to stand up for the party's basic principals. At first they were lone whispers in the political wilderness but ever since the U.S. Supreme Count decided the 2000 presidential election in Bush's favor there's been a groundswell of resistance. This grassroots movement has slowly been able to replace and/or reform members of Congress to their sworn duties. It's also resulted in the first REAL possibility of an African American president. In 2008 America is on the brink of regaining it's political balance and sanity. Let's each do our part to help that effort!

Details about the exhibit!

More to come soon!

Please respect the work of the artists you see here and be sure to credit them when you share their artwork with others.

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