American Morning
We Listen – Your Comments 1/19/10
Editor's Note:Tuesday’s American Morning viewers zeroed in on today’s Massachusetts’ election to fill the senate seat held by former Senator Ted Kennedy. Independents were said to play a critical role in the election’s outcome, as many former Democrats, disenchanted by President Obama, were moving to the right of the political spectrum. Others believed that abandoning the Democrats at this time was akin to being “traitors to the poor and working class people.”
- Ginspelts: As a former moderate democrat who got fed up with the bail outs, a 800 billion stimulus bill that did absolutely nothing to help with jobs or the economy and a crappy 2000 page healthcare bill that I do not know a whole lot about except all the wheeling, dealing & sweetheart deals behind close doors to special interest groups and the unions, and the ever mounting debt that our country is in; I can only hope that Scott Brown wins today. Maybe that is the kick in the teeth moment that the democrats in congress need to stop being so arrogant and hateful to the voters and start listening to the voters instead of putting them down and ignoring them. They completely lost me as a democrat in their party. I now considered myself a Independent
- Susan: If the independents vote for Brown because they are not pleased the way Obama is doing things and let health care fail, these people that do this are idiots and traitors to the poor and working class people. Obama is doing a great job for the situation were in. He is not God. Those that are disappointed in Obama should not put him on a pedestal. He is only a man working very hard to continue to bring back America the way it was. He has only been in there a year. If the independents vote for Brown they are letting the American people down. Brown has done nothing for no body and he is a tea bagger who is full of hate and they want him to take Teddy's seat. They are crazy. I don't think America will ever forgive them. Also, the democrats have to get out in groves today. Supporting Coakley for this Seat in Congress. Let's not give up now we have come to far for getting health care. We have some real idiots out there. Mr. Centerfold(Brown) would be a disaster. He has already said he would vote down health care. Now, for the independents to go ahead and vote for him would be just plain stupid!!!
- Joan: Jim Acosta's report on the race in Massachusetts today was disappointing because he is usually fair. He definitely slanted the report positively for Brown and showed negative aspects of the Coakley campaign. There were lots of negative issues in the Brown campaign but as the Republicans like to do, they gloss over that and attack the other candidate. If Mass. votes in Brown and he derails the health care plan, then those voters have a lot on their shoulders. They will be setting health care reform back for years and years and your country will continue to have one of the most one-sided, unfair systems in the industrialized world. Your system is geared for the wealthy and big companies and to heck with the poor little guys who can't afford it. What a shame. I'm not sure that you all realize that a lot of countries around the world are watching to see how your country responds to the health care crises and hope that your moral conscience comes through. Everyone is understandably upset about the horrible circumstances in Haiti and people need health care. You have people suffering in your own country without healthcare but try to cover that up. It seems kind of hypocritical.
The Massachusetts’ senate seat is critical in order for the Democrats to hold power in the Senate. What is your desired outcome of this election? Would having less Democratic power actually drive the senators to work together better, or would such a loss endanger any chance of health care and other reform that exists on the president’s agenda?
Surviving Haiti's tent cities
Thousands of people in Port-au-Prince now fear what's to come as they spend desperate days and nights in tent cities. These makeshift communities now dot the earthquake ravaged city. There is little fresh water and food and safety is now a growing concern. CNN's Jason Carroll reports.
Showdown in Massachusetts
Today voters are deciding who will fill the late Ted Kennedy's senate seat. The outcome could prove critical to health care reform. Tempers are hot in Massachusetts. CNN's Jim Acosta reports on the race that has turned ugly.
Massachusetts' critical seat
Today's election will fill the seat of the late senator Ted Kennedy but in the bluest of blue states, polls show the state's attorney general, Democrat Martha Coakley, trailing her Republican challenger, State Senator Scott brown. A GOP win would mean the Democrats will lose their filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate and jeopardize President Obama's health care reform plan. CNN senior political analyst and former presidential adviser, David Gergen spoke with CNN's John Roberts Tuesday.
Who will get Kennedy's seat?
The irony in the Massachusetts election is a seat that was occupied for nearly 50 years by Ted Kennedy, the "liberal lion" of the Senate who helped champion health care reform on Capitol Hill, could go to a Republican candidate who's vowing to stop President Obama's plan. CNN political analysts, Jennifer Donahue and John Avlon spoke with CNN's Kiran Chetry Tuesday.
Haiti relief efforts succeed through tweets
By Dash Harris, CNN
Since the earthquake and devastation hit Haiti last week, online social networks have been hard at work promoting relief efforts. These relief efforts range from established organizations to individuals mobilizing on their own accord. The tragedy in Haiti seemed to affect all Americans and the global online community immediately sprung to action and continue to persevere on the web and through grass roots. Blogs,Twitter and Facebook have been invaluable tools since day one of the tragic events.
Through technology, this week, my agenda is chock full of Haiti events. For those wanting to lend a hand, a simple 'Haiti' search on Facebook garners numerous groups touting 'For every person that joins I will donate 25 cents to help Haiti' or via twitter, 'For every X amount of new followers I have, I will give X amount of money." The myriad of organizations, donation drives, fund raising events and relief efforts dedicated to helping the island nation is vast and accessible with just a click.
Through tweets and retweets, I found out one organization, Charity Water was collecting essential supplies to take to Haiti such as blankets, bandages, soap and bottled water. The plane leaves today. I went to their Soho office and was floored. The turn out was amazing! People dropped off just a little of what they could and the outcome was huge. I felt personally moved.I was completely awe-struck and awe-inspired. This goes to show when we unite for good and pool our resources, indeed we can make a huge difference.
Unfortunately, as I am learning now, the downside to to donating things is it may not get to Haiti for months, if at all. Money is needed more than anything. If you want to give donations, give money to an established charity with a track record in Haiti. Charity Navigator.com and the American Institute for Philanthropy have lists and resources online.
I am sure there are many more stories out there on how a little can go a long way. How are you helping? Please comment and share your stories here.
To learn more about how you can get involved, visit Impact Your World.
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