Susan Davis reports on the inauguration.

Oprah Winfrey confirmed that she will be in Washington, D.C., for President-elect Barack Obama’s Jan. 20 inauguration, and the media mogul will host her talk show from the Opera House at the Kennedy Center during inauguration week, Access Hollywood reported today.

Oprah dropped her long-standing ban on embracing political causes to endorse Obama in the Democratic presidential primary. She campaigned for Obama at a number of rallies that drew thousands of supporters. Oprah was also present in Denver, Colo., in August for Obama’s nomination speech at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Two University of Maryland economists also released a study over the summer that concluded that Oprah’s endorsement may have delivered as many as one million votes for Obama in the primaries.

Oprah told Access Hollywood Tuesday night that Washington is “the place to be” in January.

Posted at Talk To Tony

If the voters bring me back, I would be honored to serve another term on the Oshkosh Common Council. If there are enough candidates, a primary will be held on February 17, 2009. The general election will be held on April 7th (which also happens to by my older brother Frank’s 50th birthday).

Two years ago the message of the Palmeri for Oshkosh campaign was this: “City government at all levels must be held to higher standards of performance and accountability.” I would argue that we have made some progress in that direction, but there’s a long, long way to go.

If you are a supporter and interested in helping the campaign, please email me at tony@tonypalmeri.com or give me a call at 920-235-1116.

As was the case two years ago, I will neither raise nor spend more than $1,000. As a result, and especially if big money candidates get in the race, the only way to win another term will be with grassroots support.

Published at On The Wilder Side:

ELECTION WEEK What you can do to help

The campaign is shifting to high gear. We have placed 800 lawn signs, 260 t-shirts, expanded our radio ads, and the campaign is featured on three digital billboards. Teams have canvassed uptown and downtown neighborhoods in the district. We have print ads in the Louisiana Weekly (largest Black paper) and Gambit Weekly (arts and entertainment paper), distributed over 17,000 push cards and volunteers continue to distribute literature. Selfless volunteers from around the country are phone banking to bring Malik’s message of hope and progressive social change to the District’s voters. Despite all of this, Malik is still being ignored or disparaged by the local media.

What we do- what each and every one of us does- in the next five days will decide the election. Please tell everyone you know that there is an election on December 6 and Malik Rahim is the candidate to support!

If you can phone bank from home (if your home is in district or even out of state), please sign up to phone bank at: http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1488/t/689/signUp.jsp?key=2078

If you are in the area and would like to participate in campaign events, please see the following schedule:

TUESDAY 12/2 (9^th Ward & Downtown)

*Westbank events- contact Sylvia at 504-810-4053 or the campaign headquarters at 504-368-8162

*Eastbank sign holding 8:00-9:30 AM at St. Claude and Elysian Fields and 12-1 and 4- 5:00 PM at Claiborne and Elysian Fields. Contact Robert at 504-301-8210 for more information.

WEDNESDAY 12/3

*Westbank events- contact Sylvia at 504-810-4053 or the campaign headquarters at 504-368-8162

*Eastbank sign holding holding 8:00-9:30 AM and 12-1 at Gentilly and Elysian Fields and 4- 5:00 PM at 610 & Elysian Fields. Contact Robert at 504-301-8210 for more information.

THURSDAY 12/4

*Westbank events- contact Sylvia at 504-810-4053 or the campaign headquarters at 504-368-8162

*Eastbank sign holding around district. Contact Robert at 504-301-8210 to RSVP or for more information.

FRIDAY 12/5- REMIND YOUR NEIGHBORS TO VOTE!

Get Out The Vote calls: REMIND EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO VOTE! WE WILL BE DOING A CARAVAN. Contact campaign headquarters at 504-368-8162.

SATURDAY 12/6- ELECTION DAY

We need campaign workers throughout the district all day long. Contact your area coordinator, precinct captain, or the campaign at 368-6897 or Robert Caldwell at 504-301-8210 or show up between 8 AM-6 PM for sign holding and lit reminders in key locations:

Algiers 1: DeGaulle and Shirley (Nevin)

Algiers 2: Newton & Landry (Benn)

Downtown: St. Claude/Claiborne &Elysian Fields (Joanna)

Mid City: Canal & Carrollton/ Jeff Davis (Shawn, Angela)

Uptown: Claiborne & Carrollton (Derrick)

12/6- 7-10 PM VICTORY PARTY! CRAIGE CULTURAL CENTER. 1800 Newton Street in Algiers.

12/6- After Party: Support “Grassroots! Hip Hop Showcase” with TRuTH UNIVeRSAL & Special Guests Dragon’s Den 435 Esplanade Ave. $5

The Party for Socialism and Liberation will be holding a “Fight Back” conference at the University of California Los Angeles this weekend, apparently as both a primer for newcomers and an organizational session for stalwarts eager to move forward past the campaign season:

Food and gas prices are skyrocketing worldwide, the environment is being destroyed, and the sharp economic recession has thrown millions of workers out of their jobs and onto the streets. In the United States, the richest 400 people have as much wealth as 50 million households combined. The criminal occupation of Iraq is now in its sixth year, having cost over a million Iraqi lives, and hundreds of billions of dollars. Meanwhile, tens of millions in this country live without adequate health care, housing, and public transportation.

Working people worldwide are being squeezed for every last penny so that Wall Street can maintain its profit margins. The epidemic of police brutality, checkpoints and anti-gang injunctions are intensifying as the state seeks to protect the class it serves.

This is the reality of capitalism. Is this the way it has to be? No. Socialism is an alternative to this irrational and increasingly barbaric system. It is a system that puts human needs over private profits.

Featured Saturday night at a “Special International Solidarity Session” will be the 66th Attorney General of the United States and longtime anti-war activist Ramsey Clark, most recently notable for his roles as defense attorney for both Slobodan Milo?evi? and Saddam Hussein:

“It is urgent that the people of the United States and the world build a bridge of unity to reject the scourge of war and economic colonialism, and end poverty. I will be attending and speaking at the Party For Socialism and Liberation’s National Conference in Los Angeles on December 6-7. I hope you will be able to join me and participate in this important event.”
–Ramsey Clark

Clark has, or had, tangential connections with the Workers World Party through the International Action Center that he founded in 1992, and that went on to form the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition prior to the PSL’s breakaway from the WWP. Also speaking at the conference will be 2008’s PSL presidential ticket, Gloria LaRiva and Eugene Puryear.

Video by Todd Andrew Barnett. Part one is here.