Fenton Communications held a teleconference on voter protection concering Florida and Ohio, reassuring voters that since 2001, resources have been implemented to help stop possible problems on election day.

Jonah Goldman, Director of the National Campaign for Fair Elections, said that Florida and Ohio are showing signs of potential problems on election day but he is optimistic they will be resolved. “Their system is good but it still needs work. The issue is that even for early voting, there are voters who leave because of long lines, come back the next day, and still can’t vote because of the long lines,” Goldman said.

Jorge Mursuli, President and CEO of Democracia U.S.A, said that the good news is the collaboration between organizations which is helping increase peoples awareness of possible problems. “We now have an 800 number that people can call from anywhere to find out about possible voting issues in their area along with what they exactly need to bring to the voting booths,” Mursuli said.

Goldman believes that the improvements his organization, others have made since 2001 will make a big difference with early voting and on election day.

Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) speaks about the impact the struggling economy has been having on the hispanic community both in America and South American countries. Diaz-Balart was on hand to speak at the second annual Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute conference in which he serves as chairman. (1:12)

 

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The Obama campaign manager Davide Plouffe spoke about the goals and attitude of the Obama campaign as they look toward the fall campaign season. In looking over the electoral map of the 2004 campaign, Plouffe said that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will not hold much sway in the Kerry states. Obama is looking to have more of an offensive campaign and will be campaigning harder in Ohio and Florida then any presidential nominee in history, Plouffe said.

In New Mexico and Colorado the Obama campaign feels they have a significant lead and a big lead with Hispanic voters, 60 percent more saying they will vote democratically then in 2004, Plouffe said. The “west is a place of enormous opportunity for us,” Plouffe said, while the Midwest will be the battleground states. Many independent voters who self identify with democrats are growing and will be the votes that the campaign is fighting for.

The Obama campaign has several goals it is looking to focus on and accomplish my November: having a historically high African American turnout and a high turnout with voters under 40, register people to vote, help elect democrats down the ballot and to build grassroots organizations in every state. The state by state grassroots organizations will give the campaign a “persuasion army” to pull independents and others to vote for Obama.

Former Senator Bob Graham (D-Fla.) says that republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain was unable to rally support against the Water Resource Development Act and, though the federal government is now working to meet its obligations in the Everglades, questions what would have resulted had McCain’s judgement prevailed. (0:22)

 

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Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain’s position on the preservation of the Florida Everglades was discussed by former Senator Bob Graham (D-Fla.) during an Obama for America conference call. Graham said that the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) had not been passed since 2000 and that years without funding threatened to cause further harm to the Everglades and southern Florida.

WRDA was passed into law despite a presidential veto and a no-vote from McCain. According to Graham, McCain voted against WRDA, believing it to be an appropriations bill. He said that WRDA is in fact not an appropriations bill but that projects now qualify for appropriations after its enactment. The act intends to sustain the Everglades over the next twenty to thirty years. Funds are shared evenly by the federal government and the State of Florida. .

Graham said that Sen. McCain’s disapproval of WRDA shows that his views are out of sync with a large number of floridians, saying that environmental concerns consistently rank high among voters’ issues in the state. Graham emphasized that growth into the Everglades threatens 40 percent of floridians’ fresh water sources. According to Graham, the Everglades are currently in a state of jeopardy, causing him to question whether Sen. McCain is concerned with issues important to Florida’s voters.

Protesters at the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee express their dissatisfaction at the decision made concerning Florida and Michigan’s votes and delegate allocation. *note- contains the word “Goddamn”* (2:14)

Alice Huffman, discussing the Florida delegate plan that would give Florida delegates half a vote each, says that it is the “next best thing” to democracy (in contrast to the already-voted down plan that would have given each delegate a full vote). She says that the world is not perfect and people must compromise. (0:29)

 

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Florida State Senator Arthenia Joyner, speaking on behalf of the Clinton campaign on the issue of Florida delegates, says that she “want[s] it all,” meaning she wanted the Florida DNC delegates to have a full vote. (0:34)

 

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At the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee hearing, political activist and strategist Donna Brazile says “my momma always taught me to play by the rules” and that her mother also taught her that if you try to change the rules, it’s called “cheating.” (0:39)

 

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At the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee hearing, Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich) says when there is only one name on the ballot, that’s not appropriate. What we’ve done is what you have wanted us to do, which is to say that we tried to fix it, and we’re here as a reform group, and we’re proud that we tried to reform the system. We’re not going to back away from that, but how do you have a fair reflection of a flawed primary? (1:02)

 

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