CNN Headlines Candidates Weak Space Stance

CNN headlines the story: "Raw Politics: Candidates and the space race" about how Obama, Clinton, and McCain all have a soft stance on manned exploration. Tom Foreman, the writer for the story, emphasizes China's growing space prowess and writes "if space does not become a higher priority, the Chinese program will be on par with America's by the end of the next president's second term. Then, it will be a real race to Mars even if we want to join in."

Its good to see the issue getting some attention in the election, even if it isn't from the candidates. NASAWatch links to a video on the story.

Could CNN be trying to put it on the agenda after neglecting it in a series of debates earlier?

Tell the candidates about the story. Tell them it makes them look bad. Invite them to differentiate themselves.

Popular Mechanics Analyzes the Candidates

Popular Mechanics systematically exposes that all 3 presidential candidates are soft on space. McCain will freeze the budget, Hillary focuses on a ensuring expensive government capability to do what COTS is trying to do, and Obama is stately against expensive and dangerous human spaceflight.

It makes me sick to my stomach to see these politicians cover their bases with vague statements and ignoring the science debate. Give them your 2 cents. Tell them it makes you sick as well.

Promote Science Debate 2008 and
Email, Fax, and call Obama at (866) 675-2008,
Email, Fax, and call Clinton at (703) 469-2008, and
Email, Fax, and call McCain at (703) 418-2800.

McCain Plans to Freeze NASA Budget

John McCain has announced a plan to freeze NASA's budget, along with all other discretionary spending, at 2009 levels for 2010. According to the Vision for Space Exploration laid out by Bush and approved by Congress, including a vocally supportive McCain, NASA's budget had been slated to be 18.5 Billion in 2010. President Bush himself has asked for 17.6 Billion in 2009 (which is .5 billion less than less than the VSE called for at 2009 levels). If this happens, it will have a cumulative 1.5 billion dollar hit to what NASA has planned for over only 2 years.

To put this in perspective, NASA only allocates 3.2 billion to constellation in 2010, with the rest of their budget spread over Earth science, planetary science, the Space Station and Shuttle programs, astrophysics, aeronautics, and other programs. Where will they get the money from to pick up the shortfall? Robotic Exploration? Will they delay the manned program? Will they neglect to put up necessary replacement weather satellites? Will they cut short missions for spacecraft already performing in space (Mars Rovers, Cassini, or Mars Odessey?)

This is not a question of priorities at NASA. This is a question of negligence in Washington. Over 1 Billion is spent in Iraq each week and we are starving the very agency that has given us the ability to fight wars, perform modern operations, communicate globally, etc.

Even if you don't think that NASA gets high marks for efficiency, commissioning them to build new ships to go to the Moon and Mars and then systematically giving them less than what was proposed is a recipe for problems regardless of NASA's execution of the plan.

John McCain, don't freeze NASA's budget. Increase it to at least what you authorized it to be in 2005. Be true to your stated position and voting record. Furthermore, participate in the Science debate in Oregon and demonstrate a sincere desire to act in the long term interest of this nation.

Readers, Email, Fax, and call McCain at (703) 418-2800 and tell him to prioritize space exploration.

Science Debate 2008

The Science Debate is realigning its efforts toward a Oregon debate rather than the planned April 18th debate in Philadelphia.

In their words "Obama has declined, Clinton has been non-committal, and McCain has been non-responsive."

The next debate is planned to be at Portland State University in May, and is to be moderated by PBS personality David Brancaccio.

"We will broadcast even if only one candidate confirms, and we will publicize who confirmed first, so this could be a major win for your candidate with these communities both nationally and in Oregon"

Encourage your candidate of choice to accept this important invitation.

Campaign Space Policy Clarifications from the Houston Chronicle

Recent clarifications of Obama, Clinton, and McCain's space policies were examined in an article by the Houston Chronicle leading up to Tomorrow's primaries there.

All of the candidates have somewhat drifted toward the middle on the issue, saying that they all want to shorten the gap. None of them have specifically stated support of a moon or mars mission.

While the attention to the issue is a good thing, and concurrence in shortening the gap is also positive, tell each candidate that if they want to differentiate themselves in a positive way, they will need to make bolder statements of support for specific NASA programs.

Space Legislative Blitz Update

This update from the Space Exploration Alliance 2008 Legislative Blitz came from a member of SpaceGeneration:

"We met with many staffers (probably on the order of 50 or 60 meetings). Including Boxer, Pelosi, Hutchison, Nelson, etc. We also dropped off materials with Obama and McCains offices. Focus is on funding the presidents request, communicating the importance of human spaceflight, COTS, balanced program etc."

and from the National Space Society:

"126 meetings total, we can send you a copy of the blitz points later.
Meetings with Pelosi, Gordon, Wasserman-Schultz, and many more.
Focused on supporting space exploration, closing gap in human spaceflight, overall NASA funding, entrepreneurial activity, key science missions, and relevance of NASA to climate change / climate science."

And Finally some pictures of training at NSS headquarters




Find out how you can contribute by calling 202.429.1600

Science Debate Invites Sent out

"Dear Candidates for President of the United States: We invite you to participate in Science Debate 2008, a presidential candidates debate about issues in science and technology policy that are vital to the future of America. . ."

This invitation was sent out to Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Barack Obama. It was accompanied with a petition with many thousands of signers of individuals and institutions who supported the debates.

Now it is time to ask the candidates to accept this call.

Email, Fax, and call Obama at (866) 675-2008 and tell him to participate

Email, Fax, and call Huckabee at (800) 871-6320 and tell him to participate

Email, Fax, and call McCain at (703) 418-2800 and tell him to participate

Email, Fax, and call Clinton at (703) 469-2008 and tell her to participate

With Super Tuesday Split, Opportunities for Speaking With the Candidates Continue

Gear up, space advocates. The primaries aren't over, and the candidates are all over the map the next few days. With the Super Tuesday primaries so close on the democratic side, and Huckabee not giving up, the campaigns roll on. Check the following list to see where you can get to a candidate and tell them what you think about space exploration and the national need to engage in it!

February 7th:
Clinton in Arlington, VA and Seattle, WA

McCain in Baltimore, MD
Obama in New Orleans, LA and Omaha, NB

February 8th:
Clinton and Obama in Washington (Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma)

Candidates Dispersing to Super Tuesday States: More Opportunities to Contact Them

From the Ticker

Hillary Clinton is in California. She attends "Solutions for America" town halls in San Diego and San Francisco, followed by a “Low-Dollar Fundraiser,” also in San Francisco.

Mike Huckabee starts the day in Oklahoma, where he attends a rally and media availability in Oklahoma City and a media availability in Tulsa. He also attends rallies in northwest Arkansas and Springfield, Missouri, followed by a media availability in Springfield.

John McCain attends campaign rallies in Chesterfield, Missouri and Villa Park, followed by a media availability in Villa Park.

Barack Obama holds an economic roundtable in Albuquerque, New Mexico and a rally in Santa Fe.

Ron Paul holds a meet and greet and media availability in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a press availability and rally in Denver.

Mitt Romney holds a "Change Begins With Us" tour stop and media availability in Thornton, Colorado.

McCain on Space

John McCain has posted this on his website (his typo, not mine):

"John McCain has been a strong supporter of NASA and the space program. . ."

Also, Former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe has publicly endorsed McCain:

"His leadership during a challenging time in the rich NASA history helped put our nation's quest for exploration on track. . ."

I received this message in a personal email from someone representing his campaign as a response to my inquiry as to why he has appeared so lukewarm on space throughout this campaign:

". . .I can assure you that the McCain campaign will be saying more about space and its importance to not only the American economy and science, but to our very view of our selves."

With these three developments over that past day, perhaps we can expect McCain to come out with more pro-space statements.

Where to Make a Difference on Monday

* Hillary Clinton holds “Solutions for the American economy” town halls in Hartford, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts before returning to Washington.

* John Edwards meets with union workers in Chattanooga and Nashville, Tennessee and in Springfield, Missouri.

* Rudy Giuliani attends rallies in Sanford, Clearwater, Ft. Myers, Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood, and Miami, Florida.

* Mike Huckabee attends a rally in Pensacola, Florida. Later he attends a closed-press fundraising event, media availability, and closed-press meetings with political leaders, then goes on a tour of Music Row and plays guitar in a recording session, all in Nashville, Tennessee. At night, he attends a rally in Tampa, Florida.

* John McCain holds a national security roundtable with political and military leaders, a media availability and a campaign rally, all in Jacksonville, Florida. Later, he holds rallies in Orlando and Tampa.

* Barack Obama attends a rally in Washington, DC.

* Ron Paul is in Maine. He holds a media availability and meets with voters in Portland, and holds a press conference in Augusta.

* Mitt Romney holds "Change Begins with Us" rallies in West Palm Beach, Ft. Myers, Orlando, Panama City, and Jacksonville, Florida.

As to Hillary being in Florida, it appears that she will be taking some time there after the polls close tomorrow.

Help Yourself Help Space

For those of you who want a little more advanced warning of where candidates are going to be than I usually give on this website, here are a few websites that I have found that help me know where that candidates are going to be:

CNN political Ticker's daily "On the Trail" blog posts

Washington Post's "Campaign Tracker"

Barack Obama's event page
Mitt Romney's event page (you need to register to log on)
Hillary Clinton's event Page
John McCain's event page
John Edwards event page
Mike Huckabee's state headquarters' start page
Rudy Giuliani's Florida event page

How to Make an Impact on January 25

It is crunch time in Florida, with only four days left. The Democrats are coalescing in South Carolina.

* Hillary Clinton is at a town hall meeting in Columbia and a rally in Rock Hill.

* John Edwards is in Greenville, Columbia, Orangeburg and Charleston; South Carolina.

* Rudy Giuliani is in Miami, Florida.

* Mike Huckabee Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, and on the radio in Coral Gables, Florida. Call in

* John McCain is in Miami, Tampa, and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

* Barack Obama is in Charleston, Columbia, Clemson, and Florence, South Carolina.

* Mitt Romney is in in Miami, Pensacola, and Clearwater, Florida.

You telling any of these candidates your opinions on space, even if you are in a crowd of people, makes a difference. If they give you a positive response that you later publish online, it can serve as something to hold a candidate accountable to.

Candidate Locations on Thursday

Tonight is the republican debate in Boca Raton. From the ticker: where the candidates will be before the debate

Clinton is in Greenville and Anderson South Carolina.

Edwards is in Greenwood and Seneca South Carolina.

email us and tell us where Huckabee is going to be before the debate in Boca Raton.

McCain holds town halls (see previous post) in Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. Later he attends a pre-debate party in Deerfield Beach.

Obama is in Kingstree, and Beaufort South Carolina.

Romney is in Miami (see previous post) before the debate in Boca Raton.

Tell McCain and Romney in Your Own Voice

Tomorrow, January 24, all space supporters in Florida:

at 6:45 p.m, Governor Romney attends a pre-debate rally at Bogart's Bar & Grille: Muvico Palace 20, 3200 Airport Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431

Go get yourself a burger, sidle up to good 'ole Mitt, and tell him why he needs to give NASA a couple billion more dollars. Tell him what effect if will have on your vote. He seems like a nice enough guy to talk to.

John McCain will be at a town hall meeting in West Palm Beach at 11:00am. The address is the Palm Beach County Convention Center Ballroom A & B, 650 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Go to the convention center early. Figure out how to get at the front of the question line, and ask something along the lines of

"John McCain, Why don't you make room in your schedule to meet with the Economic Development Council of Florida’s Space Coast and how much money will you increase NASA's budget by when you are president?"

That question being asked alone will have a large impact on all of the candidates space positions. Get this issue out in the open! Record the answer with a mp3 recorder and email it to us as actionforspace@gmail.com.

Send us an email if you hear word of where Huckabee will be before the debate.

Florida Efforts Picking Up Speed, More Opportunities to Contact Candidates Today

We are having success with the effort in Florida. Today there are opportunities up and down the East Coast to contact the candidates. Be sure to contact them early and ofter, because as time goes by in this election, they w ill be less and less accessible.

On another positive note:
"Lynda Weatherman, who leads the EDC, was not disheartened that first Giuliani and now Romney had made no pledges of budget increases to help NASA bridge the gap. Weatherman said exposing the candidates to space industry issues was only a first step."


From the ticker

Hillary Clinton will be in Philadelphia at City Hall, New Jersey at the "Solutions for America" rallies with Sen. Bob Menendez in Hackensack, North Bergen, and at New York in the evening.

Edwards will be in Bennettsville, Lancaster and Gaffney, South Carolina.

Giuliani is in Estero and Naples, Florida.

Huckabee will be in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Ft Lauderdale residents, Go to him!

McCain holds an economic roundtable and media availability in Orlando.

Obama is at a town hall meeting in Rock Hill, and at another fathering in Sumter and Dillon, South Carolina.

Romney is in Sarasota and Tampa Florida.

Good Luck! Let us know how it goes!

"Space Becomes Primary Frontier as Candidates Court Voters"

They said it, Space has become a primary frontier as candidates court voters: "It is crude, but compelling, political arithmetic" You all, actionforspace readers, are part of that arithmetic!

This week is crunch time as the Florida primaries are coming up. If there ever was a time to speak up, it is now!

"The group hopes former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will come this week. Only Arizona Sen. John McCain said no."

"So far, though, there is scant evidence that the voting public has tuned into space policy. . .the country is relatively content with how much money is being spent on space."

This week, especially if you live in Florida, California, Arizona, or South Carolina: be the discontented public.

Today, Tuesday, this is where you can go to make a difference (besides this website's fax and email links)

Clinton will be in Salinas, CA and
Clinton will be in Laveen, AZ.
Edwards will be in Conway, SC.
Giuliani will be in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
Huckabee will be in Atlanta, GA.
McCain will be in Pensacola, FL and
McCain will be in Ft Walton Beach, FL and
McCain will be in New York City and
McCain will be in Orlando, FL.
Obama will be in Greenville, SC and
Obama will be in Lexington, SC and
Obama will be in Orangeburg, SC.
Romney will be in Boca Raton, FL and
Romney will be in Coral Springs, FL and
Romney will be in Naples, FL.

Get out of you chair!

Romney scheduled for a visit, Huckabee on the Edge, and McCain Needs a Talking To

The EDC sent out invitations for round tables to all the candidates. So far only Arizona Senator John McCain, citing scheduling problems, has outright turned them down. Other candidates, like Mike Huckabee, are still considering it.

As reported by the Orlando Sentinel

“We were extremely fortunate it was Giuliani who accepted to speak to us first," said one space lobbyist. "He bet the farm on Florida… and because he is so desperate he set the bar so high that everyone has to be even more aggressive or be willing to tell people something that they don’t want to hear and be compared to him.”
The problem is that while candidates are indeed starting to speak about space policy in ways that they have not for decades, none have been willing to talk in specifics about funding levels, which is ultimately what it is all about.

Push on Huckabee. Shout at McCain. This sweet spot of opportunity ends after the Florida primaries!

Get Your Voice Into a Candidates Ear Today!

Florida, Georgian, and Louisianan Space supporters:

* Hillary Clinton participates in a King Day prayer service, then marches from the Zion Baptist Church to the South Carolina Statehouse and participates in a King Day event there.

* John Edwards addresses the NAACP's King Day rally at the Capitol.

* Barack Obama participates in the march begins from Zion Baptist Church and attends the rally at the South Carolina Statehouse.

* Rudy Giuliani is in Florida, where he attends rallies in Orlando, Daytona Beach and Ponte Vedra Beach.

* Mike Huckabee attends the Martin Luther King Jr. service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, and hosts a news conference to announce African-American endorsements in Atlanta. Later, he heads to Orlando, where he hosts a media availability and a closed press fundraiser.

* John McCain is in Florida, where he holds a meet and greet and media availability in Miami and a media availability in Jacksonville.

* Ron Paul is in Louisiana, where he visits Shreveport, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

* Mitt Romney is in Florida, where he meets with workers, then with participants in the Jacksonville Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade. Later, he holds "Change Begins with Us" tour stops in Daytona Beach and Titusville, and meets with aerospace industry executives in Cape Canaveral.

Giuliani pledges to send astronauts to the moon and Mars

Giuliani stated boldly and unequivocally today his commintment to send humans to the Moon and Mars, among other things. He did this in response to an open invitation to the Economic Development Council of Florida’s Space Coast. Obama, Romney, Huckabee, McCain, Clinton, and Edwards have all received this invitation and not answered to it. The Florida primary isn't until Jan 29, so the other candidates will turn their attention to Florida after the primaries in Nevada and South Carolina are finished tomorrow.

When they turn their attention to florida, lets give them something to think about.

• Fax them all at once
  
• Email Obama and call him at (866) 675-2008
  
• Email Romney and call him at (857) 288-6400
  
• Email Huckabee and call him at (800) 871-6302
  
• Email McCain and call him at (703) 418-2008
  
• Email Clinton and call her at (703) 469-2008
  
• Email Edwards and call him at (919) 636-3131
  

Tell them that they need to support spaceflight, tell them that they need to answer the invitation of the Economic Development Council of Florida’s Space Coast. Tell them your vote depends on it (It might...).