(AFP) — US president-elect Barack Obama is considering naming former first lady Hillary Clinton -- his onetime rival for the White House -- as his secretary of state, US news media reported on Friday.
Two unnamed Obama advisers told NBC News network that Clinton, now a senator for New York, "is under consideration" for the post.
According to NBC, Clinton flew to Chicago -- where Obama is based -- on Thursday, but an adviser said it was on personal business.
Obama sources confirmed to CNN that Clinton was being considered, but her spokesperson Philippe Reines was non-committal when asked.
"Any speculation about cabinet or other administration appointments is really for president-elect Obama's transition team to address," Reines told CNN.
Clinton, 61, has extensive foreign policy experience from her time in the senate, where she serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and indirectly when her husband Bill Clinton was president from 1993 to 2001.
Several big names have been mentioned in the press as possible Obama secretaries of state including another former Democratic presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry; New Mexico governor and former UN ambassador Bill Richardson, a favorite of the Latino community; and moderate Republican senators Richard Lugar and Chuck Hagel.
Vice presidential candidate Joe Biden stumped in his northeastern Pennsylvania hometown Sunday alongside New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Bill Clinton.
Sen. Hillary Clinton has offered a guarded endorsement of the Treasury Department's plan to purchase as much as $700 billion in bad mortgage-related debt from banks and other financial institutions.
In a talk with FOX Business Network's Liz Claman, the New York Democrat also offered a candidate for overseer of the bailout: independent New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
"I am generally supportive of the Treasury proposal,'' Clinton told the FOX Business Network today, "however I believe there needs to be accountability and oversight and some authority for mortgage modification or we're not going to get to the root of what is going on because this is a collapsed housing bubble that has rippled through the financial world but it is at root an economic challenge, which we will meet."
Clinton said she has spoken with the campaigning Sen. Barack Obama about the bailout, with Obama taking a more guarded approach to it and also suggesting that an overseer will be needed -- perhaps handing President Bush's Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson. a role in the transition to a new administration.
"Yes, I have spoken with Senator Obama,'' Clinton said. "He understands the gravity of the situation we're facing... He is working with a number of very knowledgeable experts to be sure that he's kept fully apprised of all of these changes that are going on in the negotiations. So I'm confident he's on top of this."
On the question of the government assuming the toxic assets of the mortgage world: "In a perfect world, that might not be the case, but we don't live in a perfect world,'' Clinton said. "We live right now in a world that is fraught with psychological feelings that may or may not be reality-based...We need to stabilize it and that is exactly what Secretary Paulson is proposing...
"The net result will be that for a short period of time, which is what I prefer, the Treasury will be in charge, but we've got a transition coming. People are coming in and out of the government. That is why I'm so much in favor of creating an entity where we can house this. So it's not the Treasury day to day, but its people who are immersed in it. Some people have suggested that Mike Bloomberg take that over. I think that'd be a great choice. There are other great choices....
"Everybody needs to take a deep breath,'' Clinton said, calling on people to "calm down here. Let's work our way through this. Look, the American economy, our society, we're going to get through it, we will be fine but we got to start, we got to make some tough decisions, and I'm urging that we do that."
Gov. Sarah Palin interviewed by Sean Hannity, talks about her family life, religion, the media, community organizers, her love of country, the upcoming debate with Joe Biden, the book banning rumor, Hillary Clinton and the troopergate investigation.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a prominent Hillary Clinton supporter and member of the Democratic National Committee’s Platform Committee, will endorse John McCain for president on Wednesday, her spokesman tells CNN.
The announcement will take place at a news conference on Capitol Hill, just blocks away from the DNC headquarters. Forester will “campaign and help him through the election,” the spokesman said of her plans to help the Republican presidential nominee.
Forester was a major donor for Clinton earning her the title as a Hillraiser for helping to raise at least $100,000 for the New York Democratic senator’s failed presidential bid.
In an interview with CNN this summer, Forester did not hide her distaste for eventual Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
“This is a hard decision for me personally because frankly I don't like him,” she said of Obama in an interview with CNN’s Joe Johns. “I feel like he is an elitist. I feel like he has not given me reason to trust him.”
Forester is the CEO of EL Rothschild, a holding company with businesses around the world. She is married to international banker Sir Evelyn de Rothschild. Forester is a member of the DNC’s Democrats Abroad chapter and splits her time living in London and New York.
HILLARY CLINTON likes to say she put 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling that keeps a woman out of the White House. She shouldn't let Sarah Palin sneak through to become the first female vice president.
Ever since Barack Obama beat her to become the Democratic nominee, Clinton said she will do what it takes to help him win in November.
Obama didn't have to chase her, like Jimmy Carter chased Ted Kennedy in 1980 in an embarrassing quest for a picture of party unity. Clinton and Obama stood side by side in Unity, N.H., and Clinton called for Obama's nomination by acclimation from the convention floor in Denver.
"No way, no how, no McCain," she told Democrats in a forceful endorsement speech. She added "No Palin" after Republican John McCain picked the little-known, female governor of Alaska as his running mate.
Vanquished primary candidates usually go home to rest and ponder the high points and lows of their failed effort. Clinton, in contrast, raised more than $4 million for the Obama campaign and repeatedly urged her supporters to campaign for Obama and contribute to his cause. She hosted a reception in Denver for 250 of her donors and is scheduled to be in Chicago tonight for another fund-raising event. She has another fund-raising event scheduled for Sept. 22 in New York City, with the goal of raising $500,000.
Diana Madoshi, a Clinton delegate from Rocklin, Calif., said: “It was sort of phony. We had to show all this unity. Well, if you’re pressing people to get on the same train and they’re not ready, that’s not true unity. The roll call vote should have been genuine. I don’t think it served us by it not being genuine.’’
Raymond Penko, a Clinton delegate from San Diego who campaigned door-to-door for her, said it was difficult to get Clinton signs onto the floor of Denver's Pepsi Center. Some of the New York senator's supporters wound up using roll-up signs that could be tucked away and smuggled into the arena, he said.
There was even discussion of using body paint to transmit pro-Clinton messages.
Added Penko: “There was pressure all around to conform to what I would call the old boys club. There was pressure to conform to the unity ticket. As soon as Obama delegates heard that one was a Hillary supporter, they would shun you, tell you to get over it, say ‘Stop being a cry baby. What’s your problem? Don’t you want to win in November?’ ’’
Both Penko and Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred (shown above) circulated a petition for a full roll call vote. They couldn’t round up enough signatures.
Allred, a Clinton delegate well-known in Southern California for her public-relations flair, grew frustrated last week with what she saw as efforts to muzzle her and, as The Ticket noted, showed up at a delegation breakfast one morning with a gag made up of restaurant napkins.
She's still not happy with what transpired at the Democratic gathering.
“This was a scripted convention,’’ she said earlier this week. “There really was no room for dissent for Hillary supporters. Not even room for discussion.’’ -- Peter Nicholas
My colleague Morgan Felchner got a torrent of response to her blog posting of last Friday asking, "Hillary Clinton supporters: Are you happy now?"
I also posted on Sen. Barack Obama's decision (yes, the DNC was part of the negotiating team, but the Obama campaign in essence runs the DNC these days) to allow Clinton's delegates to vote for her when her name is placed in nomination at the Democratic convention next week.
But I would like to respectfully report on the perspective of former Hillary supporters who disagree with the tone of the question: "Are you happy now?"
No one can report on how all 18 million Clinton voters reacted to the decision. Clearly, overall they must have been at least somewhat pleased with the decision. But to ask, "Are you happy now?" carries with it an implication that Clinton supporters are a complaining bunch who won't be happy no matter what the DNC or the Obama campaign does to try to please them. I am in close touch with the PUMA folks and other Democratic anti-Obama bloggers as I will be covering their activities in Denver next week. To ask the question, "Are you happy now?" is to dismiss the seriousness of their concerns.
From where many of them sit, the Democratic Party blew a perfectly good opportunity to nominate a moderate (instead of liberal), seasoned (instead of inexperienced) party leader (instead of Senate newcomer) with a long track record in international relations. Clinton's "3 a.m. call" commercial is still resounding in blogs and media reports because when Russia invaded Georgia, Obama at first issued an appeasement statement, then the next day did a 180-degree turn, pressuring Russia to withdraw quickly. Such flip-flops on war policy are unacceptable but typical of what the party should have expected from a newbie. They also help explain why Obama is now tied with McCain in daily presidential tracking polls, rather than winning by double digits.
So instead of asking, "Are you happy now?" I'd ask y'all to respond to the question: "Why should we be?"
The Democrats' acrimonious primary battle came back to haunt Hillary Clinton yesterday, a day before she sets off on her first solo campaign swing for Barack Obama, with John McCain using footage of her attacking the Democratic candidate in a new campaign ad.
The ad, which was released on the internet, features a number of Democratic leaders - including Obama - offering praise for McCain. But only Clinton, who is the closing speaker, goes so far as to take a jab at Obama, in footage culled from one of her primary rallies.
The ad surfaced a day before Clinton is to step in as Obama's chief cheerleader with a campaign appearance in Nevada today. She is to travel to the pivotal state of Florida next week.
The appearances are intended to keep up the momentum while Obama is on holiday in Hawaii.
In the new ad released by the Republicans, Clinton is shown saying: "I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House and Senator Obama has a speech that he gave in 2002."
The damaging footage is the realisation of Democratic fears at the height of the contest that Clinton's no-holds-barred attacks on Obama, with repeated questioning of his experience and readiness to serve in the White House, would provide ammunition to the Republicans during the presidential contest.
A spokesman for the McCain campaign said yesterday: "Hillary Clinton was making a strong and valid argument for why John McCain will be the next president."
"In this case, we couldn't have said it better ourselves," Tucker Bounds said in an email to the Guardian. Bounds said the ad would not be released on television, allowing the McCain campaign to capitalise on Clinton's now embarrassing comments at relatively little expense.
I think McCain should tread very lightly here. After all, it shouldn't be very hard for anybody to "unearth" videos of Republicans dissing him. Oh, here's one below, and from a potential running mate. How embarrassing:
At this point, it is as likely as not that Clinton will be formally nominated at the convention, individuals close to the negotiations said. Officials have firmly denied a report last week that Clinton had decided not to have her name put into the record. Advisers on both sides also said that relations between the two are improving; Clinton is scheduled to appear in Nevada for Obama later this week.
Details of how Obama's campaign plans to stage the convention have still not been announced, but officials involved in the planning said they expect that Tuesday of that week - two nights before Obama officially accepts the nomination - will belong to Clinton. Her husband has not yet been invited to speak, and it is unclear whether he will appear at all.
Here's Diane Mantouvalos from hireheels.com on Fox & Friends promoting Just Say No Deal. I met Diane in Philadelphia while campaigning for Hillary right before the Pennsylvania primary. While we were there, Diane and I and a group of other bloggers and supporters, got a chance to invade Obama territory and crashed some local Philly lounges. What a great time.
Way to go Diane! Keep up the good work. Looking forward to seeing the caucus-fraud doc. Keep us posted.
Washington Wire - WSJ.com : Obama, Clinton Split on FISA Vote So much for unity? New York Sen. Hillary Clinton split with former rival Sen. Barack Obama today, voting against a controversial surveillance measure the expected Democratic nominee supported.
Obama has taken considerable flack from liberal activists since announcing a couple weeks ago that he would support the measure, which expands government surveillance powers in the United States.
Obama said he would work to eliminate a provision to grant conditional immunity to phone companies alleged to have participated in the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program, but amendments attempting to pare back or strip immunity from the surveillance bill were defeated Wednesday, as expected.
Obama won the nomination, in part, by running to Clinton’s left, but he has been tacking right since clinching the nomination in early June–which today landed him to Clinton’s right on the spy bill, which overhauled the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Obama’s own campaign Web site has become a hotbed of debate over his support for the compromise bill, spawning four groups in which opponents of Obama’s position vastly outnumber supporters—22,957 to 38. The “Get FISA Right” group blog on MyBarackObama.com was flooded with disappointed supporters after Wednesday’s vote, with more than 60 writing in within 90 minutes of the vote.
Hillary Clinton won a hefty 1,600 convention delegates in six months of primaries. A big question now is whether to let them vote at the Democratic convention.
High on the list of matters that Sen. Clinton and likely Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama are negotiating as her campaign closes down is whether and how her name is put into nomination at the August convention in Denver, said party activists in both camps.
A full roll-call vote that reminds everyone how close she came to being the nominee could reveal party rifts going into the fall campaign, they said. But keeping her name off the roll call could anger her supporters.
It is a "bone of contention" in the negotiations between the Clinton and Obama camps, said Democratic consultant Donna Brazile.
The Obama campaign said Monday that the Illinois senator would accept the nomination at the 76,000-seat stadium where the Denver Broncos football team plays so that thousands of nondelegates could attend. But the campaign hasn't settled other key questions about the convention, including whether Sen. Clinton's name will be put into nomination, said Obama spokesman Bill Burton.
Sen. Clinton's campaign office didn't answer emails seeking comment.
Under party rules, Sen. Clinton's huge delegate count gives her the right to put her name into nomination. "But do you do it?" asked Ms. Brazile. "Politically, does it heighten tensions?"
It's incredible that Brazille has so much say in the party; and sad that if Barack wins, her influence will only grow. However, I could see where Obama would not want a roll-call vote. This would undermine the "coronation" of Prince Barack.
A fuller reckoning of the extent of the infighting in Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign began to emerge today -- just as Democrats were stepping up their efforts to unite around Barack Obama as the party's presidential candidate.
In the August edition of Vanity Fair, Gail Sheehy, a Clinton biographer, describes a candidate who deliberately neglected to set up clear lines of authority, opting instead for an organisation which was a "team of rivals".
The picture of discord emerges a day after Bill Clinton held his first extensive telephone conversation with Obama since his wife's defeat a month ago.
The discussion seen as an important and much-needed symbol of healing between the two camps. The Obama campaign is anxious to win over Hillary Clinton's supporters -- women, working-class white men, and Latinos -- especially in the swing states where she won the primaries and to unite the party before the coming contest against Republican John McCain.
A Clinton insider said the former president was committed to helping Obama win the election against McCain. The insider dismissed media reports of continued rancour between the former president and Obama.
WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton's staff used to obsess over the selection of power ballads and you-go-girl anthems at the candidate's rallies, but she was facing a different kind of music Tuesday on Capitol Hill.
The fallen front-runner -- now simply New York's junior senator -- walked into the Democrats' weekly caucus lunch to a forks-on-glasses serenade and standing ovation from 40 Senate colleagues.
"Glad to be here, my friends, glad to be here," Clinton said as she made her way past a greeting party of interns from her office and well-wishers on the Capitol steps.
Clinton, who will appear at her first joint public rally with presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama in Unity, N.H., Friday, is learning to face life as a senator after seven years as a candidate and candidate-in waiting.
She took her first steps toward the commonplace Tuesday afternoon, telling caucus members she planned to be an active advocate for their agenda and promising to campaign for Democratic candidates around the country if called upon.
"I am rolling up my sleeves and getting back to work," she told reporters.
Earlier, reporters asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) if sexism played a part in Clinton's defeat. "Is there sexism? Probably so. Is it responsible for the defeat? I really wouldn't have all of the information to know that. But I do think that being a woman had a positive upside in the campaign -- probably offset by more sexism, I don't know."
Clinton was escorted into the meeting by New York's senior senator, Charles Schumer, and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), and sat through a Schumer introduction that praised her perseverance.
"It was genuinely positive and heartfelt," Schumer said of her reception. "That's because people knew what she had been through."
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will apparently appear together for the first time since she conceded the Democratic nomination at an event next week with big donors.
The New York Daily News is reporting online today that Clinton's national finance director Jonathan Mantz sent top donors an email invitation today:
"As we move forward, we invite you to join us for a National Finance Committee meeting with both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on Thursday, June 26th in Washington, D.C., to discuss how we can work together to support Barack Obama and the Democratic Party."
"Hillary ran for President because she wants to put this country on the right track," the invitation says. "She continues to fight and stand strong for our values and priorities and will do everything she can to unify the party and to elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States."
The Clinton campaign is encouraging its supporters to contribute the maximum $2,300 to Obama's campaign.
But since she suspended her campaign and fully endorsed Obama on June 7, one of the lingering questions has been whether Obama's donors will help Clinton pay off her campaign debt. At the end of April, she owed $19.5 million, including $10 million she loaned herself.
Meanwhile, Obama addressed the boos that greeted the mentions of Clinton at his rally in Detroit Monday night when he was formally endorsed by former Vice President Al Gore.
Obama chided the crowd then, and told reporters on his campaign plane today, "When I got out there I shut that down, and made very clear that Senator Clinton deserves respect. She ran a great race and we are moving forward because we want to win in November. You know I think people were still in primary mindset, and we're moving into general election mindset."
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain is working hard to win over supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton who may not be ready to back Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
McCain reached out to Clinton's base this week by resurrecting Obama's controversial comments during the primaries that blue-collar voters "bitter" about the nation's economy were "clinging" to guns and religion.
"I don't agree with Sen. Obama that they cling to their religion and the Constitution because they are bitter," McCain said Wednesday in Philadelphia.
On the economy, McCain also told voters he understands the pain caused by rising gas prices, but he didn't mention his proposal for a gas tax "holiday." His advisers had said it was a winning argument that he would be pushing all week.
The presumptive GOP nominee spoke off the cuff Wednesday instead of a planned speech on climate change. The town hall-type meeting was in the style of campaigning with which McCain is the most comfortable and an attempt, his advisers admit, to recover from last week's stumbles when he read from a teleprompter.
BRISTOL, Va. — Senator Barack Obama moved forcefully into the general election on Thursday, placing his stamp on the Democratic Party apparatus and holding a private nighttime meeting with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in an effort to unify Democrats.
A day after her campaign said she would end her quest for the presidential nomination, Mrs. Clinton disavowed an effort by her supporters to pressure Mr. Obama into choosing her as his running mate. She said that they were acting on their own and that the decision was “Senator Obama’s and his alone.”
The meeting between the two former rivals in Washington was initiated by Mrs. Clinton after Mr. Obama spent the day in Virginia, a state symbolic of his efforts to expand the Democratic reach.
The senators instructed their aides not to disclose details of the meeting. They issued an unusual joint statement late Thursday, saying, “Senator Clinton and Senator Obama met tonight and had a productive discussion about the important work that needs to be done to succeed in November.”
Get used to saying it because the Democrats have just chosen the wrong nominee. Obama will not win in November. Not unless him and his supporters do some major damage control with Clinton supporters, which would mean reaching out to them in a way they seem incapable of.
The Obama supporters who think Clinton played dirty, haven't seen anything yet. Obama's empty record will finally be in the spotlight. He will have to be much clearer on how he intends to bring change, especially to the voters in middle and rural America. He will now have to puth forth credible, detailed plans rather than rely on lofty themes and buzz words. Good plans, what a concept!
There are already millions of Clinton supporters who have vowed not to vote for Obama. Some of them will not vote for him even if Hillary is on the ticket. There has been too much damage done by his surrogates, his supporters, the media and himself. Obama has a lot of work to do to win over Clinton's army. Whatever he does now will probably be received as disingenuous and way too late.
McCain has some work to do as well. If he can recapture the same spirit of his 2000 campaign then it will be no contest. This is doubtful. He's alligned himself to Bush way too many times since then. However, if he can win over many of Clinton's supporters and enough of the more conservative independents, he will be our next president.
If Hillary is picked as Obama's running mate, then it's hard to see how he loses. However, I hope to God she doesn't choose to go this route if she is offered the spot. I think there are better opportunities ahead for her, and she would be far more effective in a different role.
So for all the pundits and Obama supporters trashing Hillary for not conceding tonight, I say, fuck off already and get used to saying it, "President McCain."
WASHINGTON--Likely Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) told reporters on Monday he told Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) that "once the dust settled" he wants to meet with her "at a time and place of her choosing." He also personally apologized to her for the "offensive remarks" of his long-time friend, Father Michael Pfleger.
Terry McAliffe dicusses Sen. Clinton's crushing victory in Puerto Rico on CNN and blasts the DNC RBC's undemocratic decision to strip 4 of Clinton's MI delegates and hand them to Obama.
(CNN) — It was a clean sweep for Hillary Clinton in Puerto Rico in every demographic group, even those groups that are usually firmly in Barack Obama's camp.
The Illinois senator usually wins among males, young voters, those who attended college, and those with higher incomes.
But in the Puerto Rico primary, Clinton won 70 percent of the male vote, 65 percent of voters under 30, 70 percent of voters who attended college, and 66 percent of voters with an income of over $50,000.
Clinton also performed strongly among those demographic groups that have long constituted the backbone of her base.
She won 70 percent of female voters, 77 percent of those over 65, 69 percent who did not attend college, and 71 percent of voters with an income of $15,000 or less.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — After weeks of planning by unions, women’s rights groups and others supporting Hillary Clinton's push to seat Florida and Michigan delegates at the Democratic convention this summer, supporters of the New York senator's presidential bid arrived in the nation’s capital by the busload Friday in advance of rallies outside Saturday's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting.
“I’m hoping we restore 100 percent of the delegates from both Michigan and Florida and the popular vote will also be restored,” said Karen Feldman, an organizer of the “Count Every Vote” rally. “…I firmly believe that in Florida that was the purest election we’ve ever had, and I think that those votes should stand where they are and should be counted the way they are.”
Florida Demands Representation, another sponsoring group pushing for the January 29 vote to be recognized by the national party, said Friday it was expecting 400 to 500 supporters to arrive by Saturday. “The Democratic party is in danger in Florida,” said organizer James Hannagan.
The seating of the Florida and Michigan delegations is a priority for Clinton, who won both unsanctioned contests and is currently trailing frontrunner Barack Obama by 202 delegates in the latest CNN count.
Hannagan said that if Clinton is not the Democratic nominee, some members of his forum will vote for McCain, write in Hillary’s name or not vote at all.
The Clinton campaign has tacitly encouraged pressure on RBC members meeting to resolve the controversy, but has denied any role in protests planned for Saturday.
"Why is it that of all the wonderful Catholic priests in the Chicago Archdiocese, Obama long ago chose Pfleger to hang with?" Catholic League President Bill Donohue said in a statement. "Truth be known, Pfleger has a very troubling history."
“Senator Obama says he wants to bring people together. Then why does he choose as his clerical friends people like Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Father Pfleger?" Donohue also said. "They are two peas in a pod, both equally divisive, separated only by the color of their skin.”
Obama could certainly become one of those candidates in the days ahead - at the time of this writing, his mathematical advantage is considerable. His appeal also is clear, and his campaign has been strong.
But Clinton is the strongest Democratic candidate for South Dakota.
Her mastery of complex policy detail is broad and deep, and her experience as a senator and former first lady matches that.
Measured against her opponent, Clinton is philosophically more moderate. That is likely a good thing for South Dakota.
Clinton's energy policy is forward thinking and wise. She advocates a broad federal research initiative to help solve our looming oil crisis. It's a plan that would join university researchers, private industry and individual inventors behind a common goal.
Is ethanol part of the answer? Clinton believes it is but not necessarily corn ethanol.
That is not precisely the answer South Dakota wants to hear. Corn-based ethanol has been a boon for farmers here. But the simple fact is that she probably is correct. Advances in cellulosic ethanol technologies could render corn ethanol obsolete and wasteful. Happily, South Dakota is poised to be a major player in the push to experiment with other kinds of ethanol.
Clinton has demonstrated a real commitment to Native American issues and will have visited several South Dakota reservations before the race is over. Clinton is precisely correct when she says that people outside the region have a poor understanding of the troubling trends on our reservations. Federal attention could help. That includes but is not limited to higher-ranking posts in the federal bureaucracy.
Her truly universal health care plan would be welcomed by thousands of South Dakotans. Even on reservations, where health care is nominally universal already, such a plan would be welcome. The federal government would never be allowed to subject everyday Americans to the kind of care Native Americans living on reservations routinely receive.
Obama is justifiably credited as a powerful speaker, but Clinton holds her own easily. As those who have attended her South Dakota rallies can attest, she is quick on her feet and energetic. She frames her ideas clearly in speeches and answers questions with genuine directness.
Her resilience and determination never should be questioned. She has met or overcome every challenge or roadblock in her way, and there have been many. Her determination to carry the nomination process through to its real conclusion has perhaps earned her a grudging respect from those who would never support her.
Clinton might not win this race. In fact, it's a long shot. But whatever some might say, the race is not over, and her name is on the ballot. Win or lose, she's also the best Democratic candidate for South Dakota.
I'm looking at my Google page and this is about the only story on the page that is not bashing Hillary and actually takes the time to put things in their proper perspective.
I'm looking at a tvr'd "Meet the Press" right now and the Hillary bashing continues with a panel basically dedicating this episode as a "How Hillary Lost" show. There's Maureen Dowd telling us that the calls of sexism by the Hillary side are "poppycock;" Doris Kearns Goodwin ending a thought with "or God forbid what this thought suggested." The only moderate voice seemed to come from Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post who said she "would differ a little bit from some of the people around the table who thought this was intentional."
If you go to the page of the TPM YouTube video, you will see the most hateful, vitriolic, vile comments against Hillary to date. It's so obvious that the Obama side, who is fixated on thrusting the final dagger in the Clinton campaign, is not interested in anything the Clinton supporters have to bring to party. They really feel they can win without us. For me, this weekend is the final straw. I've finally decided that I will not be voting for Obama if he is the nominee. I've been on the fence for quite a while on what to to if he was the nominee, but the Obama side and the media have, just pushed me over. I'm still not sure if I can find myself voting for a Republican but I will either be staying home or writing in Hillary's name if she is not the nominee.
The consequences could be stark if McCain wins. However, in the case Hillary is not the nominee, I think it would be better to lose the presidency than to lend legitimacy to the wing of this party that finds it OK to disenfranchise millions of voters to win, and finds it OK to use a sexist, biased media as a weapon against a fellow Dem. They apparently are OK with swift-boating fellow Dems and the left-wing blogs like Daily Kos, with their juvenile, vile community, is OK with not only lifting their preferred candidate but destroying the opposing Democrat. The left-wing blogoshere, which has spent the last eight years complaining about right-wing tactics, is guilty of behaving in the same manner. For those of you who will no doubt point to NO QUARTER, I say that this is just one site who is just reacting to these tactics and their resentment stems from, to a large degree, the lack of substance from Obama and the vitriolic attacks of his supporters toward Sen. Clinton and her supporters. Most of this is defensive as opposed to what Obama supporters have managed to do, destroy the the original "inevitable" candidate.
I'm not OK with being forced to follow the "it" crowd; a fashion statement. I'd rather lose and pick my battles with McCain than be told to follow a candidate or face "race riots" as Michelle Bernard said on MSNBC on 5/19/08. I'm not OK with being told I'm a racist because I'm not following the "black candidate" after it took months for that community to even consider him black.
I'm not OK with the media choosing our candidate. I'm not OK with Donna Brazile asking me for money on behalf of the party, when she's done her best to promote her candidate with her "undeclared" support, while also, doing her best to "send a message" and make sure Florida voters pay the maximum price for what Florida Republican politicians created.
This party, which started this campaign with an embarrassment of riches, has exposed their sores and is now infected.
The signature defect of modern political journalism is that it has shredded the ideal of proportionality.
Important stories, sometimes the product of months of serious reporting, that in an earlier era would have captured the attention of the entire political-media community and even redirected the course of a presidential campaign, these days can disappear with barely a whisper.
Trivial stories—the kind that are tailor-made for forwarding to your brother-in-law or college roommate with a wisecracking note at the top—can dominate the campaign narrative for days.
Who can guess what stories will cause the media machine to rev up its hype jets?
Actually, I have gotten pretty good at guessing which ones will. So have many of my colleagues and a generation of political operatives.
This weekend’s uproar over Hillary Clinton invoking the assassination of Robert Kennedy as rationale for continuing her presidential campaign is an especially vivid example of modern journalism as hyperkinetic child—overstimulated by speed and hunger for a head-turning angle that will draw an audience.
The truth about what Clinton said—and any fair-minded appraisal of what she meant—was entirely beside the point.
Her comment was news by any standard. But it was only big news when wrested from context and set aflame by a news media more concerned with being interesting and provocative than in being relevant or serious. Thus, the story made the front page of the New York Times, was the lead story of the Washington Post, and got prominent treatment on the evening news on ABC, CBS, and NBC.
It would be a big story if Clinton said something like this: “Hey, I know it looks bad for me now. But, think about it. Obama could get shot and I’d get to be the nominee after all.”
It is a small story if Clinton said something like this: “Everyone talks like May is incredibly late, but by historical standards it is not. Think of all the famous milestones in presidential races that have taken place during June.”
It seems pretty obvious that the latter is what Clinton meant, and not too far from what she actually said. It was not surprising that the Argus Leader’s executive editor, Randall Beck, put out a statement saying, “Her reference to Mr. Kennedy’s assassination appeared to focus on the time line of his primary candidacy and not the assassination itself.”
Hear what she really said. It's so obvious she was just pointing out that this is not the only year the Dems haven't chosen a nominee this late in the year. Obamabots have gone from dillusional to just plain paranoid.
For you Spanish readers, Hillary is interviewed by Noticentro|WAPA-TV. Felix Enrique Latorre gets the exclusive. They discuss the importance of voter turnout on the island despite the fact Puerto Rico voters can't vote in the general election, which Clinton says she would like to change, no matter what status they choose. Most of the video is in English.
(CNN) — A new series of Quinnipiac polls out of Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania appear to bolster Hillary Clinton's argument that she is better positioned than Barack Obama to beat John McCain in the crucial swing states.
According to the polls released Thursday, Hillary Clinton would beat John McCain in all three states by wide margins while Barack Obama would lose to the Arizona senator in Ohio and Florida and narrowly beat McCain in Pennsylvania.
CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said the poll could be a potential "early-warning sign."
Specifically, the poll found Clinton tops McCain in Florida by 7 points (48 percent to 41 percent), in Ohio by 7 points (48 percent to 41 percent) and in Pennsylvania by 13 percent (50 percent to 37 percent).
Meanwhile the poll finds McCain would beat Obama by 4 points in Florida (45-41 percent) and by 4 points in Ohio (44 percent to 40 percent). Obama beats McCain in Pennsylvania, but by a narrower margin than Clinton does — he beats McCain by 6 points there, 46 percent to 40 percent.
According to Quinnipiac, the difference between Clinton and Obama's performances in the state can be traced to the fact that several Clinton supporters and white working class voters there say they will support McCain over Obama if the Illinois senator is the party's nominee.
Clinton wins young voters 18-29 in KY, 54%-41% according to CNN. 30 points worse for Obama than he did in OR. If Obama is the nominee, KY voters will vote 42% for McCain over 33% for Obama. 23% said they would not vote (souce=Bill Schneider, CNN).
A lot of voters are just not jumping on the bandwagon yet.
From MSNBC: Results from an exit poll conducted in Kentucky's Democratic presidential primary Tuesday and a phone poll during the past week in Oregon's vote-by-mail primary.
Keys to Clinton win in Kentucky The demographic makeup of Kentucky's Democratic primary electorate was fairly similar to West Virginia's - overwhelmingly white, with substantial numbers of lesser-educated, lower-income voters - and that helped Hillary Rodham Clinton to a comparably lopsided victory over Barack Obama. Clinton won two-thirds of women and nearly as many men; 7 in 10 whites, who made up nearly 90 percent of Kentucky's electorate; and roughly 60 percent or more of all voters over age 30. Clinton also prevailed among all income and education categories, with particularly large margins among those at the lower end of both scales.
Obama ran nearly even with Clinton among voters under age 30 and may have edged her out among self-described independents, who were about 1 in 10 voters in the Kentucky Democratic primary. He won a majority among those who most valued change as a candidate attribute, but about a quarter cited experience, and Clinton won 9 in 10 of them.
One of the few other groups in which Obama was competitive was those who thought Clinton's proposal to suspend the federal gasoline tax this summer was a bad idea.
Kentucky has one of the least liberal electorates out of 33 competitive Democratic primaries in which exit polls were conducted this year - only about a third of voters called themselves liberal - and that, too, worked in Clinton's favor. She ran strongest among conservatives and moderates; Obama tends to do better among liberals.
Ideological extremes In contrast to Kentucky, Oregon's was among the most liberal Democratic electorates to date, with close to 6 in 10 voters in its vote-by-mail primary calling themselves liberal.
Issue differences Kentucky continued a recent trend in Democratic primaries with voters overwhelmingly picking the economy when given three choices for the most important issue facing the country. Oregon defied that trend. About two-thirds of Democratic voters in Kentucky said the economy was the top issue, about 20 percent picked the Iraq war, and half as many said health care. In Oregon, fewer than half picked the economy, 3 in 10 said Iraq, and 2 in 10 said health care. Voters in Kentucky were a bit more likely than in Oregon to say the economic slowdown has affected them and their families a great deal. Kentucky Democrats also were more likely than their Oregon counterparts to say it's a good idea to suspend the federal gas tax this summer - an idea Clinton has promoted and Obama has criticized.
Keeping hope alive ... or not As Obama has built a daunting lead among convention delegates, his own supporters in Kentucky and Oregon were nearly unanimous in thinking he will secure the Democratic nomination. Many Clinton voters maintained hope for their candidate, but substantial numbers acknowledged Obama as the likely nominee - half of Clinton voters in Oregon and a third in Kentucky said Obama will win the nomination.
Timing is everything All balloting was by mail in Oregon's primary, and the phone poll asked when people voted or planned to. The survey found Clinton ran stronger among those who voted earlier, while Obama ran better among those who mailed or delivered their ballots closer to Election Day. In Kentucky, 3 in 4 voters said they made up their minds more than a month ago.
John Edwards Nearly 2 in 10 Kentucky Democratic voters said John Edwards' endorsement of Obama was a very important factor in their vote, and nearly 3 in 10 said it was somewhat important. The question wasn't asked in Oregon, where the phone poll began before Edwards' announcement.
Democratic potpourri As usual for this Democratic primary season, Clinton tended to run better in both states among older voters, those with lower incomes and less education, and those in rural areas, while Obama's strengths included the young, urban, wealthier and better-educated voters.
Soon after the 2004 election, after spending so much time, energy and money supporting John Kerry's failed bid, I remember being outraged by some remarks made by the the founder and CEO of the DLC, Al From. From, who is infamous for his centrist and hawkish policies, said in March 2005, “You’ve got to reject Michael Moore and the MoveOn crowd.” From added “rank-and-file Democrats ‘are more like us than MoveOn,’ which [Al] From called a group of ‘elites, people who sit in their basements all the time and play on their computers.’” (NBC’s “First Read,” 3/1/05)
I myself was a MoveOn member, and I guess I still am, although I haven't participated in any of their events in quite a while. So at the time, I took great offense to these remarks, and it seemed he was suggesting that the party needed to move toward the right if it ever wanted to win an election again.
I can't help but think that From's remarks have come to mind several times during the current Democratic campaign. Now I'm not saying that From was correct, but the vigorous support and vitriol shown by Obama supporters and the media which seems to now be overtly gushing over the junior senator from IL, have made things a little clearer. It's quite obvious that there is a rift in the party.
Obama supporters on blogs like Daily Kos, 527's like MoveOn and his supporters throughout the media would have you believe that Clinton supporters are all dumb, white racists and/or feminists. The many Clinton supporters I've met while campaigning are far from being dumb or racist. In fact, many of her supporters admire the work she's done over the years on civil and human rights and her collaborations with African-American and Latino leaders. Many of her supporters didn't even start out this campaign against Obama. They just felt he wasn't ready for the job and that Clinton was ready and much more experienced. After all, if Obama does become president, America will have chosen somebody who's last complete term was as a state senator.
Some of Hillary's supporters didn't start out supporting her. As their preferred candidates finally left the race, they were faced with a decision. I for one started out as an Edwards supporter. One thing that stuck in my mind from the beginning was how Hillary performed during the debates. She just seemed so much more experienced, so much more in control and her answers were always very detailed. It also became very obvious that the media was in Obama's corner. When the piling on started with pundits like Keith Olbermann making it a mission to bring Hillary down, then seeing the ugly diaries and comments at sites that claim to be for all Dems, and when Edwards finally decided to leave the race, the choice became clear for me.
Clinton supporters are passionate for sure. As they began to express their support online, in forums and blogs, they were met with a ferocious wave of disdain from fellow Democrats. The Obama supporters were so furious that many Clinton supporters found it necessary to seek out other places they would be welcome.
So if there is a Clinton wing of the party, I would say they range from being liberal to more moderate, just left-of-center Dems. Clinton liberals can be those with traditional progressive values who feel she is the best person to champion causes like universal health care, the rights of labor, immigrants, gays and despite her 2002 vote, they feel she is the best person to get us out of the war in Iraq. Clinton moderates feel she would be the strongest leader and be the best person on issues like national defense, the fight on terrorism and the security of the nation.
On the other hand, although I don't agree with From's past statements, there is an element in the party that sees itself as entitled. They are ultra-partisan and don't feel the party should be tolerant of any part of the country that is even a fraction to the right of them. They realize that there will be more conservative Dems, in areas where there are a majority of Republicans and will even campaign for them, but they won't let them into their conversations or clubs; they won't let them speak for the party. If they had their way there would only be one party and everybody would be as vile, snarky and liberal as they are. Sounds like a mirror-image of right-wing republicans.
So here lies the danger. If Obama wins, this wing of the party will surely dominate. How will Obama unite the country as he says he can, when his supporters are unwilling to compromise and are not even tolerant of the more moderate views within their own party? And before you reply with comments about how divisive Hillary is and polls showing her supporters are unwilling to support Obama if he's the nominee, remember that she didn't start the attacks. She was very civil and withstood constant attacks from the other candidates early in the race. In fact, I remember one line vividly from the Las Vegas debate: “They're not attacking me because I'm a woman,” she said. “They're attacking me because I'm ahead.” This is from Politico's coverage (which hasn't always been friendly to Sen. Clinton) of that debate:
LAS VEGAS – New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton responded to weeks of increasing criticism from her rivals at a debate here Thursday night with a rhetorical show of force of her own.
She accused former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards of “throwing mud” and said Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is being too modest in his plans for health care and too aggressive in aiming to raise Social Security taxes.
Clinton was cheered — and her rivals' criticisms were, at times, booed — by an unusually raucous crowd made up of students, labor union members and Democratic activists at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Clinton supporters have to stay relevant. We have to show the blogs and the pundits that we do count and that bias and sexism will never be tolerated. The most obvious way to do this would be to not support Obama. Without us, he may never get his hands on the prize. However, to be able to make this statement, is it really worth the alternative outcome? I'm not sure that McCain doesn't keep us in the war and maybe start a new one. Universal health care will be out the window. So how will I vote if Obama is the nominee? I'm still not sure. For me, the choice will not be as relevant as I will be voting in NJ this year. I can't see either Dem losing here. But for many of you, a tough decision is pending. I also know for others I've spoken to, the decision will be very easy because you've already decided that there is no way you will vote for Obama, and as long as it's not based of race, I respect that decision.
There is another way we can show our unity and strength. We should start looking toward local races where we can make a difference. We should seek out candidates that share Sen. Clinton's values and show our support. For me, one candidate in particular comes to mind. His name is Steve Harrison from New York's 13th congressional district. I'm sure many of you have heard of the recent troubles of the incumbent Republican Vito Fossella, NYC's only Republican Congressperson.
This seat is clearly up for grabs. My good friend Steve Harrison ran against Fossella in 2006 and received an unprecedented 43% even though he was heavily under-funded and outspent 13:1. Despite promises from the DCCC that they would step in, they never did. This year could be different. He has already received endorsements from DFNYC, the NY Times, Progressive Democrats of America and National Peace Action. "We found that Mr. Harrison would bring to Congress an intelligent and educated approach to the real security of this country based on international cooperation, respect for human rights, and diplomacy," said Peace Action NY State Chair, Sally Jones. "Among the positions taken by Mr. Harrison that garnered him the support of Peace Action is his opposition to the Bush war policy that is destroying the American economy and driving down living standards."
Harrison wants the country to approach our energy problems with the same vigor and national resolve as we did putting a man on the moon. He feels that in a decade we should be free from foreign and domestic fossil fuel dependance.
Steve is also for single-payer universal medical coverage for all Americans. He opposes the war in Iraq and calls for the immediate withdrawal of forces, consistent with our troops' safety. As of the 2006 election, Fossella had voted with Bush administration policies an incredible 91% of the time.
Hillary played a big part in Steve's campaign in 2006, including robocalls from her and Bill. However, the help came too late in the race. With more name recognition this year and more support from people like us, we can get Steve to DC.
I know everybody is tapped out from helping Hillary, but a nominee will be chosen soon. Whether or not it's the person we want is a different matter. However, it would be great to show we can keep this coalition together and actually make a difference. We can send a strong message to the media by supporting candidates that share Hillary's vision and values. This will also help put her in a much stronger position if she decides to run again in four years. Think how many more superdelegates she can win if we are the ones to help put them in that position (unless they become like Bill "Judas" Richardson, kidding).
So whether you can spare $5 now or later on after the convention, I urge you to my ActBlue page and show a little love.
If you can't give anything right now, I would love for you to go to Steve's site at SteveHarrisonforcongress.com and let him know that Marc from Blue Spot sent you and that Hillary supporters have his back.
Obama had been leading by double digits in Oregon, where he expects to win on Tuesday, enabling him to declare victory in the pledged delegate race and perhaps sew up the nomination.
But the latest polls in Oregon show Clinton within striking distance. Obama leads 45 percent to 41 percent with 8 percent undecided and 6 percent refusing a response, according to a Suffolk University survey released this morning. An American Research Group survey puts Obama's lead at 50 percent to 45 percent.
Obama, however, appears to be confident of victory. Today, he does not plan to campaign in Oregon, instead stumping in Montana, which votes June 3. He has already scheduled a huge outdoor victory rally Tuesday night in Iowa, a battleground state in November and where his victory in the January caucuses propelled him to the front of the pack.
Clinton, on the other hand, continues to lead handily in every poll in Kentucky, which also votes Tuesday. In a Suffolk survey released today, she leads Obama 51 percent to 25 percent, followed by John Edwards with 6 percent, "uncommitted" with 5 percent, while 11 percent were undecided.
But she isn't taking any chances and hopes to win big enough to cut into Obama's lead in the total popular vote, campaigning all day in the Bluegrass State. She plans her primary night rally in Louisville.
The tale of two states voting Tuesday demonstrates again the demographic divide in the Democratic race -- blue-collar voters for Clinton, more affluent and more educated voters for Obama.
LORETTO, Kentucky (CNN) — Wrapping up a rally at the Maker's Mark bourbon distillery on Saturday, Hillary Clinton again argued that she leads Barack Obama in the popular vote and attacked the television "punditry" that has suggested the race is over.
"All those people on TV who are telling you and everybody else that this race is over and I should just be graceful and say, 'Oh it's over' even though I've won more votes - those are all people who have a job," Clinton told supporters picnicking in the gardens of the distillery.
"Those are all people who have health care. Those are all people who can afford to send their kids to college. Those are all people who can pay whatever is charged at the gas pump. They're not the people I'm running to be a champion for."
"They keep telling me to quit," said Clinton. "I don't know, maybe I was just raised with the kind of values you were raised [with]. You don't quit on people and you don't quit until you finish what you started and you don't quit on America."
LOS ANGELES -- Hillary Clinton released a new ad in Oregon today that casts political pundits as out of touch with what voters in that state care about.
The ad, entitled “What’s Right,” suggests that voters should ignore “pundits in Washington” and shows video of ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, and Tim Russert.
“In Washington, they talk about who's up and who's down,” the ad’s announcer says. “In Oregon, we care about what's right and what's wrong.”
The ad goes on to list Clinton’s proposals to end No Child Left Behind, create a universal healthcare system, and says she opposed a Bush energy bill to control liquefied gas sites on Oregon’s coast.
The ad highlights a frustration the Clinton campaign is suffering from as they try to continue to gain support through the six primaries running up to June 3rd – the date through which she has vowed to stay in the race. The Clinton campaign has become increasingly aggravated with members of the media who deduce that she has little chance of regaining her lead in the delegate count and pulling ahead of Senator Obama.
While the media has already decided who the Democratic nominee will be, and the Democratic leaders have chosen to disenfranchise millions of voters, the voters of still want to have their say. Here are a few of those voices on C-Span last night.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Hillary Clinton choked up Wednesday as she told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that her daughter's presence on the campaign trail had been one of the "most incredibly gratifying experiences of my life."
"Well, it's one of the most incredibly gratifying experiences of my life, as a person and as a mother. I get very emotional," she said. "She is an exceptional person, and she's worked so hard, and she's done such a good job that I'm just filled with pride every time I look at her.
"Obviously, we are very close. We are in communication all the time. But she is doing this because she believes I'd be a good president, but also because she cares so much about our country's future. She did grow up in the White House. She knows what a difference a president makes. If anybody ever doubted what difference a president makes, after seven years of George Bush, I think the doubts should be put to rest.
"So she's doing it because she's my daughter, but she's doing it because, as she says, she's a young American who cares about our future."
I can't remember a time I ever agreed with Cokie Roberts, but this week on "This Week" she actually made some sense. Here she is blasting the media for the "blantant sexism" they have shown throughout their coverage of the election.
On a day when it seemed that everybody was beating up on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton — even “Saturday Night Live” had run a skit making fun of her -– one person came to her defense on Sunday: Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, a top Democrat in the House.
Mr. Emanuel called to assail Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, for remarks he made when asked about the possibility of Senator Barack Obama of Illinois choosing Mrs. Clinton, of New York, as his running-mate. “I have a lot of respect for Ted Kennedy, but I don’t know how the hell he comes off saying that,” said Mr. Emanuel, who has ties to Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama and has not endorsed in the race. “The gratuitous attack on her is uncalled for and wrong. He is a better senator than that comment reveals.”
Mr. Emanuel was responding to an interview with Mr. Kennedy on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital With Al Hunt.” In the interview, Mr. Kennedy said he did not think it was possible that Mr. Obama, whom Mr. Kennedy has endorsed, would pick Mrs. Clinton for his ticket should he clinch the nomination.
He went on to say that Mr. Obama should pick someone who was “in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspirations of the American people,” adding, “If we had real leadership — as we do with Barack Obama — in the No. 2 spot as well, it’d be enormously helpful.”
Mr. Kennedy’s office said that his remarks had been misconstrued and that he had not been talking about Mrs. Clinton when saying what kind of candidate Mr. Obama should turn to. “Senator Kennedy believes Senator Clinton is qualified to be vice president but doesn’t think it’s likely given the tenor of the campaign,” said Mr. Kennedy’s spokesman, Anthony Colley.
Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe told FOXNews.com on Thursday that the Obama camp’s plan to declare victory based on a pledged delegate majority is “meaningless.” He said that a candidate will need a majority of the pledged delegates and the unpledged superdelegates combined to be the true winner.
“Until you get to twenty-twenty-five or twenty-two-oh-nine, none of this matters,” McAuliffe said, referring to the numbers being bandied about as the number of votes needed.
“In order to have a majority of the delegates seated at the national convention, that’s how you get to become the nominee, not the pledged,” McAuliffe said.
“If that’s the case, take everyone of the superdelegates away from him, if he doesn’t care about them.”
The Democrats will have 3,253 pledged delegates and 796 superdelegates at the Democratic National Convention, if Michigan and Florida are excluded. Without those two states, the eventual Democratic nominee will need 2,025 delegates. If those states’ delegations are ultimately seated, then a candidate will need 2,209 delegates to secure the nomination.
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. They say it's all over but the shouting. Fortunately, Hillary Clinton does that part very well.
"West Virginia is one of those so-called swing states Democrats need to win in the fall!" she told a rally at the old City Hall here, the day after her loss in North Carolina and her narrow win in Indiana all but sealed the Democratic nomination for Barack Obama.
"I want to start by winning it in the spring to lay the groundwork for a victory in November!" said the woman whose candidacy has been pronounced dead by George Stephanopoulos and Tim Russert.
"I hope next Tuesday you will give me a chance to be your president!" announced the person who lent her campaign $6 million to keep it afloat.
Cheers rose from the audience of several hundred on the lawn and in the street, but even some of the faithful said they could read the writing on their cable news screens. "It's pretty obvious," said Ken Martin, waving Clinton posters and wearing paint-speckled overalls. "She fought a good fight."
The surroundings were appropriate. For this, her bid to demonstrate her resilience in the next primary state, she chose a landmark identified with the severely wounded. Shepherd University's McMurran Hall was under construction as Shepherdstown's town hall in 1862 when the Battle of Antietam flooded the city with wounded; with no place to go, the maimed used the unfinished building as a hospital.
There were signs, too, of disarray. Security was minimal (the event had been scheduled as a solo appearance for Chelsea), Obama posters were prominent in the crowd, and the sound system, operated in part by a man wearing an Obama T-shirt, had problems. A camera riser collapsed, sending bodies, coffee and cameras flying -- and providing the press corps with a fresh metaphor.
When Clinton gave her victory speech in Indiana on Tuesday night, there was still a chance that she had scored a solid victory in that state, thereby keeping her candidacy viable. But in the wee hours, her win shriveled to a near-draw, and Clinton aides awoke to brutal judgments about her prospects.
"This nomination fight is over," said Bill Clinton aide-cum-ABC newsman George Stephanopoulos.
"We now know who the Democratic nominee is going to be," submitted NBC's Tim Russert.
"Stick a Fork in Her -- She's Done," recommended the New York Post.
And Matt Drudge celebrated with a headline announcing: "Hillary having trouble finding superdelegates who will meet with her . . . 'No one wants to see her today.' "
But Clinton's advisers fought back with a morning conference call. "Another beautiful day in downtown Arlington!" began Howard Wolfson, from Clinton headquarters. How about all the obituaries? "Thankfully for us, the punditocracy does not control this nominating process," he answered. Any talk about dropping out? "No. No discussions" was the entirety of Wolfson's response.
In the crowd here in Shepherdstown, a few of the Clinton fans wanted to believe. "I think she can pull it off -- she can still do it," said volunteer Dan Frost, carrying a clipboard and trying to sign up supporters. His total: five. Nearby, an opportunistic Obama canvasser carried her own clipboard.
Though the Obama campaign, officially, was practicing good sportsmanship, it had no control over supporter Carol Dunleavy, who waved an Obama sign at the Clinton event. "We got it locked up after last night," she said. "She should drop out. She should do it graciously. She should do it soon."
When the famously tardy candidate arrived half an hour late, she was greeted by cheers mixed with some heckling from people waving Obama placards. "Down with the monarchy!" shouted one.
Elizabeth Edwards likes Hillary Clinton's plan for universal health insurance. Husband John Edwards doesn't much care for Clinton's "old politics."
So goes the his-and-her debate in the Edwards household (their kitchen, to be specific), as they spoke exclusively to PEOPLE Monday on the eve of primary voting in their homestate of North Carolina – the latest must-win state in this year's protracted Democratic presidental nomination fight between Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.
In their first joint interview since John, the Democratic former senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee, dropped out of the race in January, the couple named what they liked and disliked about each of the remaining Democrats – and Mrs. Edwards didn't hesitate: "I like Hillary's health care plan."
What doesn't she like about the senator from New York and former first lady? "The lobbyist money," she adds.
On Obama, she says: "The fact that he has motivated so many young people to be involved, I think is fantastic."
But, she adds: "I don't like his health care plan or his advertising on health care, which I think is misleading."
The Clinton campaign on Monday touted the endorsement of Sara Fisher, the first woman to earn a pole position at an IndyCar series event.
"We need a president who will stand up for us and be a fighter for Hoosiers and all Americans," Fisher said in a statement released by the campaign. "Hillary will be a president who steers our country in the right direction and puts our economy back on track.
"Something Hillary and I have in common is our commitment to achieving our goals, leaving roadblocks behind and refusing to be knocked down," she also said. "Hillary is a doer and a fighter who keeps getting out there, going for the checkered flag.”
Fisher has completed in six Indianapolis 500s and will try to qualify for her seventh this month.
But is Hanks still supporting Hillary? I went to Open Secrets and discovered that as recently as Saturday, Hanks gave $2300 to Hillary. Hmmm...I guess if I'm Hillary, I'd gladly take the money. I haven't seen his video yet so I'm not really sure what's up with this. I'll have to wait until tonight as the job is blocking videos from being viewed. Really curious though. *UPDATE: OK, so I read the Open Secrets page wrong. He actually gave to Hillary last year. This is what happens when you try to rush posts while working. Sorry!
Barack Obama's national standing has been significantly damaged by the controversy over his former pastor, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, raising questions for some voters about the Illinois senator's values, credibility and electability.
The erosion of support among Democrats and independents raises the stakes in Tuesday's Indiana and North Carolina primaries, which represent a chance for Obama to reassert his claim to a Democratic nomination that seems nearly in his grasp. A defeat in Indiana and a close finish in North Carolina, where he's favored, could fuel unease about his ability to win in November. Such results also could help propel Hillary Rodham Clinton's uphill campaign all the way to the Democratic convention in August.
In the USA TODAY survey, taken Thursday through Saturday, Clinton leads Obama among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents by 7 percentage points, the first time in three months she has been ahead. Two weeks ago, before the controversy over comments by Jeremiah Wright reignited, Obama led by 10 points.
In February, Democrats and Democratic leaners by 33 points said Obama had a better shot at beating Republican John McCain in November. Clinton is now seen as the stronger candidate by 5 points.
Insider Advantage has released new polls in Indiana and North Carolina, with less than stellar results for Obama. However, in a poll released earlier this week, I.A. actually had Clinton leading in North Carolina -- Obama's now regained the lead there.
Indiana
Clinton 47 Obama 40
Clinton leads by 6.2 points in the RCP Average for Indiana
North Carolina
Obama 49 (+7 vs. last poll, April 29) Clinton 44 (nc)
Obama leads by 8.2 points in the RCP Average for North Carolina
While Sen. Obama has prevailed in 27 states, Sen. Clinton's 17 states include California, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Michigan. In fact, if the states that have had a primary or caucus are ranked according to population size, one sees that of the 10 most populous states, Sen. Clinton has won eight and Sen. Obama only two. Considering the 10 least populous states that have voted, one sees a flip in the results — Sen. Obama has prevailed in eight and Sen. Clinton in only two.
Another way of looking at the status of the candidates is to use 2004 election results to ask how many 2004 Electoral College votes in states that John Kerry won does each candidate have to date. In fact, if one sums the Electoral College vote of the states that went Democrat in 2004 according to whether Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama prevailed, one finds that Sen. Clinton again leads, with 159 of the 2004 Democratic Electoral College votes in her column vs. 85 in Sen. Obama's column.
With only seven of those Electoral College votes in states yet to hold their primary or caucus, Sen. Obama's campaign cannot close this gap. It seems that the strongest Democratic presidential candidate would be the one who is strongest in the "must win" Democratic states. Further, the strongest Democratic candidate should be the one who will be extremely competitive in Ohio and Florida. Again, Hillary Clinton wins in these respects.
Hillary discusses the challenge of juggling career and family life. Click here for more video and for more of momlogic's town hall exclusive with Hillary Clinton.
Hillary sends a special message to Guam on the eve of their upcoming primary.
*Update: Sen. Barack Obama won Guam's Democratic presidential caucuses Saturday by just seven votes, according to a Guam election official.
With all 21 precincts reporting, Obama finished with 2,264 votes, or 50.1 percent. Sen. Hillary Clinton got 2,257 votes, or 49.9 percent.
The presidential candidates were battling for Guam's four pledged delegate votes. Eight delegates will be elected, each with half a vote at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, this summer.
Forgoing for a moment the dirty trick of the doctored clip from “The War Room,” which falsely had Mickey Kantor using a racial slur, the filmmaker behind the documentary has posted the clip on his Web site to clarify that other point of confusion -- what Kantor was referring to when he cursed. (An apparent source of confusion since the movie came out and some newspaper writers thought he was cursing Indianans. See previous post for that.)
Filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker write: "We would like to respond to some erroneous statements made today about our film, THE WAR ROOM. These statements alleged certain remarks to Mickey Kantor that simply are not true. The transcript of the scene in question confirms this."
But in what it described as a "difficult choice," the newspaper's editorial board said that Clinton's "years of high-level experience" gives her the edge.
The next president "will take office at a time of extraordinary risk for this nation, both at home and abroad," including "a sagging economy, rising energy and food costs, the gap in health care, wars in two countries and threats from Iran," the endorsement editorial said. "Clinton is the better choice, based on her experience and grasp of major issues, to confront those challenges."
Of Obama, the editorial said, "His inexperience in high office is a liability."
JEFFERSONVILLE, IN. - Robert Kennedy Jr. — a Kennedy who is not backing Sen. Barack Obama — campaigned on Thursday for Sen. Hillary Clinton, saying he wanted to explain why other members of his family are wrong and he is right.
“I am here because I love this woman,” he told a crowd of Clinton supporters in southern Indiana, which holds its presidential nominating primary on Tuesday.
“There are some members of my family who have decided to do the wrong thing and support Barack Obama,” he said. “Let me tell you why they’re wrong and I’m right, because I know Hillary Clinton better than they know Barrack Obama.”
Congressman Tim Ryan Pledges Support For Hillary Clinton
HillaryClinton.com - Media Release I know this has been floating around a while already, but I just found out and I really, really like this guy. Great news!
Congressman Tim Ryan formally announced his support for the candidacy of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for President today. Citing her experience and economic platform, Congressman Ryan believes that Hillary Clinton, if elected President, is in the best position to create jobs and economic growth in Northeast Ohio.
"The people of the 17th district overwhelmingly voted for Senator Clinton in the Democratic primary and today I officially pledge my support for Hillary Rodham Clinton. Throughout the 1990s, Senator Clinton working alongside President Bill Clinton had a proven record of economic growth and higher wages for America's working families," said Congressman Tim Ryan. "People in the seventeenth district of Ohio would enjoy a return to strong economic growth, millions of jobs being created and a rise in wages. I look forward to working with her to see that our community is the beneficiary of her economic policies."
You may remember Democrat Tim Ryan from Ohio strongly responding to why young people think the Bush Administration will institute a draft despite their denials. This made Ryan an instant DKos darling.
The Clinton Campaign announced the support of four New York automatic delegates today, after the New York State Democratic Committee elected its automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention.
The automatic delegates include New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and New York Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo.
Puerto Rico Democratic Committee Vice Chair and Superdelegate Luisette Cabañas announced her support for Hillary Clinton today at an event with Chelsea Clinton in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
"Today I endorse Hillary Clinton for President because of her strong win in Pennsylvania," said Cabañas. "She has shown a firm conviction and the character needed to lead the nation. Her proposals for Puerto Rico, particularly those related to healthcare, are the best by far of any candidate in history."
Cabañas is a successful real estate businesswoman and has been Vice Chair of the Democratic Committee in Puerto Rico since 2003.
"I am honored to have the support of Ms. Cabañas," said Hillary Clinton. "I look forward to working with Luisette and the many friends that we have in Puerto Rico on issues important to the island like health care and economic development."
North Carolina Governor Mike Easley's scheduled endorsement of Senator Hillary Clinton today offers her a potent symbolic and electoral boost in the biggest state left to vote.
Easley is a meaningful ally in the culture war she's waging against Senator Barack Obama, as she seeks to cast him as a hopelessly unelectable liberal elitist and to persuade the Democratic Party leaders who will decide the nomination – the "superdelegates" – to choose her instead.
"It’s an incredibly strong endorsement because Easley is popular among the blue collar 'Bubba' voters who are Democrats," said David "Mudcat" Saunders, a Democratic consultant who advised former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner on winning rural voters.
Easley had endorsed Edwards for president, but again became a heavily sought superdelegate once Edwards bowed out of the race.
"He's clean in the culture. Easley's wrecked the Charlotte Motor Speedway doing 150 miles per hour, and Bubba likes that," said Saunders, referring to NASCAR fan Easley’s 2003 race car crash. “He's a hunter. He's a strong Second Amendment guy. He gives her great cultural validation in the state of North Carolina."
The polls are starting to show a post-Pennsylvania bump for Hillary Clinton and could buttress her argument to voters in Indiana and North Carolina that she would be the stronger Democratic nominee in November.
In an Associated Press/Ipsos survey released today, Clinton now leads Republican John McCain, 50 percent to 41 percent, while Barack Obama remains virtually tied with McCain, 46 percent to 44 percent.
And in the Gallup daily tracking poll, Clinton leads McCain 47 to 44 percent while Obama and McCain are tied at 45 percent. Also, Clinton and Obama are tied at 47 percent among Democrats in the tracking poll -- a 5-percentage-point gain for Clinton since she won the Pennsylvania primary last Tuesday.
Here's Sen. Evan Bayh doing a great job of explaining why the Florida votes do count and why Hillary is correct for citing Florida as part of the popular vote.
Politically, there seem to be a lot of Democrats out there who think that Clinton is a really, really bad person. There are very few Democrats out there who think that Obama is a bad person.
As an amateur observer of human social behavior, I am quite impressed by the steel wall of aversion that some Obama supporters put up whenever they're confronted by something that does not fit with their established perception of Hillary Clinton -- namely that there is just NO way that Hillary can raise that much money in such a short period of time...because she is, well, Hillary. The fundamental attribution error is at work: it must be a lie because Hillary is a liar; the situation -- a 9 point victory in Pennsylvania, or the roughly half of the Democratic electorate who supporters her -- well, it matters much less. Many Clinton supporters exhibit the same behavior. I exhibit the behavior when it comes to defending members of my tribe -- journalists.
Anyway, here's a representative e-mail from a reader:
Dear Marc, I have enjoyed your campaign coverage, in large part because you generally are a difficult person to dupe. The Clinton campaign got you this time though. I would suggest that you run a few numbers: the Clinton campaign says that it has raised $10 million online, by attracting 100,000 donors, 80% of whom are new donors. That is a tall tale for an incredible number of reasons but here are the most obvious: if Clinton really raised an average of $100 per internet donor, that's about 5 times higher than the typical average internet donation. The claim is specious, but possible--especially given that the Clintons say they directed their large donors towards their website. That begs the obvious question, though: how many "big" donors have the Clintons left untapped? The thousands that it would take to raise that average? That seems unlikely. What also seems unlikely is that they raised money from 80,000 new donors yesterday. That would be increasing their online donor base by 30 to 40 % in one day. The likelihood of that happening is absolutely miniscule, and you know it. The Clintons have had an awfully poor track record of lying about donations over the past three months. And I don't blame them--they have every incentive to lie. The official reports will not come in until the 15th of next month (I believe, though you should know), and by that time how much money they have will be wholly irrelevant because a new storyline should have taken hold in the press; but, if their lies are passed on now, it will create the appearance of momentum, which in turn creates momentum, and may give their campaign a few more weeks of life. So the Clintons have an incentive to lie; your incentive to pass on that lie, without putting a critical eye to it, is what I question. There isn't one. So, with all due respect Marc, dig a little deeper. There's a story there, and you're too smart to miss it. Best, Patrick Moore
Wow...when I look at the comments for the videos I put up on YouTube, the Obama supporters usually have something equally ignorant to say. Usually, it's something like "you're grasping at straws." Well, judging from the above post, it looks like it's Obama's supporters who are now beginning to grasp at straws.
globeandmail.com: Hillary: so macho, she's 'scary' Interesting article from a Canadian media outlet. I'm not sure if a deeper, hidden respect for Hillary becomes present toward the end of this female author's sexist article.
She's mowing down everything in her path.
There was Hillary Clinton on early morning television yesterday, fresh from her Pennsylvania primary victory the night before, in what I call full mental jacket (plus necklace), deliciously upending every gender stereotype on the block by being the most macho politician on the airwaves.
The senator was being challenged to explain her latest campaign ad that showed, among other threats to American security, a picture of Osama bin Laden, as if to convince voters that without her, the terrorists would surely win.
"I would consider him a person we must take out," she replied serenely, making me wonder for a moment whether she was secretly thinking Obama and not Osama.
How macho is she? She makes George W. Bush look like a wimp, John McCain look tender-hearted and her main rival Barack Obama look like a whipped puppy.
Ms. Clinton is now viewed as so "scary" and even mean in her campaign tactics that The New York Times editorial board, who once (in what now seems like another century) endorsed her for the Democratic nomination, pleaded with her to "call off the dogs."
In another interview Ms. Clinton gave recently, she said that if Iran attacked Israel while she were president, "we would be able to totally obliterate them."
Whoa. That kind of commander-in-chief cojones, combined with an almost otherworldly resilience and determination on the campaign trail - despite Hillary deathwatches and pundits and party members calling for her to quit - has evoked equal amounts of admiration, terror and, well, irritation in Clinton watchers.
Whether you consider her to be authentic or a five-star phony, Ms. Clinton is no longer trapped in the bitch ditch. With a ferocious command of facts at her fingertips - no one seems as policy-prepared as she does - and that Olympian tenacity, she seems all of a sudden to have transcended gender.
Was this what we wanted? If so, I wonder why Ms. Clinton's toughness is making some of us uneasy in a new way. Now I'm hearing women who once were drawn to her clearing their throats.
This isn't exactly what we meant, they say. "She's really starting to bug me," said one woman, worried about Ms. Clinton's bruising effect on the Democratic chances of winning the election.
Yet all I know is that while her approach may not be "nice" or filled with hope or idealism or any of those very fine Obamaesque themes, if I had to slog through crap of any kind and end up a winner, I'd channel my inner Hillary to do so. She is one tough mother.
Whether she can also transcend character or baggage or even numbers to win the nomination is quite another matter.
But for the sheer delight - and intrigue - of watching her, she's still the best thing that's ever happened to women in politics.
What's even more fascinating is the comment section, with some Canadians leaving statements that mirror the kind of vitriol you usually see in American blogs.
The candidate who burst onto the national stage promising to bring red and blue states together is suddenly looking quite blue.
Sen. Barack Obama's second consecutive lopsided loss in a critical swing state has exposed soft spots in the support he's been able to secure.
The Illinois senator's had persistent problems in winning working-class, less-educated whites and Pennsylvania accentuated his seeming inability to connect with those voters.
Key Losses Fuel Doubts
While Obama remains the prohibitive front-runner -- with an effectively insurmountable lead in elected delegates -- those potential weaknesses among key demographic groups are fueling a fierce argument inside the Democratic Party over Obama's ability to win a general election.
Lou Dobbs, one of the few making at least a little sense in recent days, makes the point that although Clinton had a big victory, many are still calling for her to leave the race, or say she can't win.
Now on to Indiana! Make sure to make a donation tonight. I know you can spare $5. The clueless pundits are relentless with their negative, anti-Hillary bias. I just flipped on MSNBC for a couple of minutes, only to see the tag-team of Eugene Robinson and Rachel Maddow whine about the recent Clinton ad. Robinson looked depressed while Maddow was just down right angry, even suggesting that "the super-delagates will have to be pushed" to make a decision. Of course, the bias is not limited to MSNBC as the rest of the networks are yapping about Hillary being "bankrupt." I've heard this on three different networks. They just refuse to let her have her day. So give up on a couple of packs of cigarettes, take your lunch to work, hitch a ride to work to save on gas money, wait a couple of weeks to see that movie, buy those new shoes next month, do what ever you can to make a small donation in the next couple of weeks.
Recruiting out-of-state volunteers for the Clinton campaign going into Tuesday's primary was a tall task for Heather Capell. Again and again she heard, "I can't come. It's Passover."
So Capell came up with a special pitch: "Make your exodus to Pennsylvania, so we can celebrate Passover next year in the White House!"
When people complained that it was terrible timing, she said it was actually the perfect time. "Even when it seems inconvenient or hard, you keep on going," she told them. "That's the message of Passover. You keep going to get to the other side."
Enough people responded to her appeals that the campaign gathered more than 40 staff and volunteers, many adorned with Hebrew "Hillary" pins, to celebrate the second night of the holiday on Sunday. Taking a break from knocking on doors, the Clinton boosters sat together at the University of Pennsylvania Hillel, feasting on gefilte fish, singing "Had Gadya" and drawing parallels between the historic ritual and their own present endeavor.
It wasn't just the presence of top advisers and dedicated volunteers at the table that made it clear it was a Clinton event; it was also what was on the table itself: The Seder plates all had oranges on them.
Capell thought including the citrus fruit was important, since the group was supporting a female candidate for president, and some Jews have defiantly included the orange based on an apocryphal story in which a man was said to have told leading Jewish feminist Susannah Heschel that a woman "belonged on the bima [the pulpit from which the Torah is read] like an orange belonged on a Seder plate."
"A woman should be in the White House as much as an orange should be on the Seder plate," explained Capell, a 37-year-old lawyer who took a leave from her firm to volunteer for the campaign.
Hillary Clinton could snag the double-digit win she wants in Pennsylvania today, according to an election-eve poll of Democrats in a bellwether county.
She led Barack Obama 52 percent to 40 percent in polling conducted Sunday and Monday in Allegheny County around Pittsburgh in a Suffolk University survey released today, a slightly larger margin than the statewide Suffolk poll done over the weekend.
Suffolk pollsters say they used similar bellwether counties to correctly predict results in prior Democratic primaries in New Hampshire, California, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Ohio. They picked Allegheny County because its election results mirrored the statewide results in the 1988 and 2000 Democratic and Republican primaries.
“A cautionary word or two: Past bellwether performance is a guide but not a 100 percent guarantee of future performance,” David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said in a statement. “New bellwethers often are created every election cycle as people migrate and as development and geography-driven issues emerge. In addition, local endorsements from popular people can skew margins.”
Other recent polls have given Clinton a single-digit lead heading into today's make-or-break nomination contest, the first in six weeks.
Keith Olbermann tried his best tonight to slam Sen. Clinton. He threw his best pitches but she kept hitting out of the park. Since he couldn't do the job in person, after the interview he brought in his favorite Obamabot, Richard Wolfe, to start slamming her. They even pointed out among other things, her chuckling about the Richard Mellon Scaife question.
And to the media who keep bringing up the ad that flashes Bin Laden; the ad clearly is about the challenges the next president will have to face. Is the American public supposed to forget Osama? Are we supposed to forget 9-11? This is a typical Obama supporter and Obama media tactic to paint the Senator as a fearmonger.
During the interview, KO brought up our little protest outside his office. It's obvious we got his attention. Here's a clip of that protest:
Matthews has harvested a bumper crop of outrageous remarks during this extended primary season. Specifically, fueled by his obsession with the Clintons (he can't recall attending a single Beltway party where the couple has not been discussed), Matthews has unleashed a flood of sexist commentary.
On that front, of course, the Hardball host has not been alone. This election season, we've seen a cavalcade of white, middle-age men express their deep, personal contempt for the first serious female contender for the White House. Contempt, of course, that has nothing to do with Sen. Hillary Clinton's policies or her beliefs. Instead, it's been an oddly personal disdain dressed up as political analysis.
The way Mike Barnicle on MSNBC said Clinton "look[ed] like everyone's first wife standing outside a probate court." The way Bill Kristol on Fox News said that among the only people supporting Hillary Clinton were white women, and "[w]hite women are a problem, that's, you know -- we all live with that." The way CNN's Jack Cafferty likened Clinton to "a scolding mother, talking down to a child." The way Fox News' Neil Cavuto suggested Clinton was "trying to run away from this tough, kind of bitchy image." The way MSNBC's Tucker Carlson announced that "when [Clinton] comes on television, I involuntarily cross my legs." The way Christopher Hitchens on CNBC described Clinton as being "sort of alternately soppy and bitchy.'"
That's all taken place in open view. And while a blog swarm did engulf Matthews in January, followed by a forced, pseudo-apology by the host -- and his attacks did prompt some women activists to carry picket signs outside the MSNBC studios -- the openly sexist comments have produced very few condemnations from within the industry and even less soul-searching from the (mostly male) press corps. In fact, in Matthews' case, the sexist outbursts have helped propel his career. That's how he landed on the cover of the Times magazine.
Clinton, who with her husband former President Bill Clinton were the subjects of many conservative investigations when they first entered the White House in 1993, was endorsed on Sunday by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review whose publisher, Richard Mellon Scaife, funded many of those probes.
The Tribune-Review mentioned Clinton's record and experience in making the choice in the Democratic vote, but also cited her willingness to sit down with the newspaper's editorial board.
"Clinton's decision to sit down with the Trib was courageous, given our long-standing criticism of her," the paper said. "That is no small matter. Political courage is essential in a president. Clinton has demonstrated it. Obama has not."
In Philadelphia, a group of Clinton supporters gathered outside City Hall on Market St. as part of a visibility campaign this past Saturday, April 19th. Unlike what you might be hearing in the media, I saw a bunch of support for Hillary in Philadelphia and the supporters were very diverse.
PRINCETON, NJ -- A sizable proportion of Democrats would vote for John McCain next November if he is matched against the candidate they do not support for the Democratic nomination. This is particularly true for Hillary Clinton supporters, more than a quarter of whom currently say they would vote for McCain if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee.
This is amazing. Remember when Barack smugly declared "I wil get the people who voted for her".
I just got back from Philly, where I spent the weekend campaigning for Hillary. I met some great people at Hilladarity which was put on by the girls at HireHeels.com/. Shout out to Dianne & Liz who did a great job. People from as far as CA were at this event. I also met Piper a SeatOurDelegates.com When you get a chance, please go the site and sign her petition to seat the FL and Michican delegates. I'll have some video footage up very soon.
This ABC report points out the latest Gallup poll that has Clinton back on top by 1 point nationally. The first time in a month since she's been ahead.
If the criticism is aimed at Hillary, it's called a character or credibility issue. If the criticism is aimed at Obama, or if it's about something he doesn't care about, it's called nitpicking or a wedge issue.
The Philly mayor appeared on the Tavis Smiley and explains why he's supporting Hillary and responds to critics attacking him for supporting her. Smiley, who has not endorsed either candidate, also talks about the heat he is getting (including death threats), from what I consider to be ignorant bigots.
This mom & daughter spent a weekend canvassing for Hillary in Pennsylvania. It's crunch time folks! Let's get to PA this weekend if at all possible. Make phone calls if you can't get there. Write letters; HillaryClintonForum has an excellent media list. You know where I'll be. Hope to see you there.
Lou Dobbs is citing a poll that has Hillary up 20 points in PA, post-Obama remarks. Also, he gets into a discussion about the definition of elitism after Keith Richburg of the Washington Post breaks out the typical Obama defense that Hillary is the one who is an elitist because she makes more money. Dobbs astutely responds by bringing up Obama surrogates, and very rich Kennedy family.
Hillary supporters from all over the country gathered in front of the Today Show at Rockefeller Plaza in NYC yesterday morning. There was a nice turnout considering this was a purely grassroots, word-of-mouth organized event put on by HillaryClintonForum.net/. Staff from Hillaryspeaksforme.com were in attendance. Also, Bill O'Reilly's staff was there taking video. I would not be surprised to see some footage on his show on Monday. This clip runs a little over half an hour. Taylor Marsh gets a big shout-out from a supporter for helping to spread the word and for all her support of Hillary. No love for Keith Olbermann or Randi Rhodes here.
So you're an Obama supporter and say "give me a break...what bias"? Well take a look at this video and you'll see how blatantly sexist and biased the "main stream media" has been.
A look back at the Democratic AFL-CIO Presidential Forum from August of last year. One of the better debates between the Dems, shows why Hillary has strong support amongst middle-class, blue-collar voters.
Probably not. But you never know. Obama is showing us that you don't really need that much experience, and Chelsea sure does have that likability factor. How does State Senator Chelsea Clinton sound. Then she can go for Sen. Chelsea and in the middle of her first term she can announce her bid for president. Hmmm, that sounds familiar.
Great interview with Hillary during her tour of the Civil Rights Museum yesterday in Memphis regarding the legacy of MLK, issues of economic injustice, inequalities in our public education system, the conversation on race and voting rights.
Rolan Martin surprises us with a fair interview. Let's hope Hillary made an impact on him which translate to fair commentary on CNN.
I couldn't help but notice that on the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's death, even John McCain showed up in Memphis to reflect on MLK's legacy. Where was Barack Obama? Apparently, he felt it was more important to be in Indiana and continue campaigning.
This is must-see! Lou Dobbs really nails it and highlights non-partisan evidence of bias against Hillary and Lanny Davis points out the double standard applied to the campaign.
You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
This is not the first time you have seen Hillary Clinton seemingly at her wits end, but she has always risen, always risen, much to the dismay of her adversaries and the delight of her friends.
Hillary Clinton will not give up on you and all she asks of you is that you do not give up on her.
There is a world of difference between being a woman and being an old female. If you’re born a girl, grow up, and live long enough, you can become an old female. But, to become a woman is a serious matter. A woman takes responsibility for the time she takes up and the space she occupies.
Hillary Clinton is a woman. She has been there and done that and has still risen. She is in this race for the long haul. She intends to make a difference in our country.
She is the prayer of every woman and man who long for fair play, healthy families, good schools, and a balanced economy.
She declares she wants to see more smiles in the families, more courtesies between men and women, more honesty in the marketplace. Hillary Clinton intends to help our country to what it can become.
She means to rise.
She means to help our country rise. Don’t give up on her, ever.
In fact, if you help her to rise, you will rise with her and help her make this country a wonderful, wonderful place where every man and every woman can live freely without sanctimonious piety, without crippling fear.
Over the last several months, the country has watched incredible activism and turnout among Latino voters. It started with Hispanics returning to the Democratic Party and has ended up inspiring cross-generations of Latinos to engage in the Democratic presidential primary.
According to a recent report from the Pew Hispanic Center, Latinos’ share of the Democratic primary vote has risen in 16 of the 19 states that have held elections. This is the most striking in California and Texas. In California, Latino voters made up 30% of the turnout – a 14 point increase from 16% in 2004. And in Texas, Hispanic voters made up 32% of the turnout – an 8 point increase from 24% in 2004. Hillary won the Latino vote decisively in these states, 67 % and 66% respectively.
That's one of the amazing stories about this election. Hillary's candidacy is inspiring Latino families to mobilize and make their voices heard. Latinos know what's at stake in this election, and are standing with the candidate who will best advocate for their families in the White House. And this matters most for the general election, where Hillary receives overwhelming support among Hispanics. This includes key swing states such as Florida, where Hillary receives 67% to McCain's 30% (Survey USA).
Remember when Keith Olbermann was one of the good guys? It wasn't that long ago. Here we see KO defending Hillary back in July 2007 against attacks from the Bush administration that she was helping to reinforce enemy propaganda. KO clearly proclaims, "This sir, is your war!"
Oh, the irony. Somebody really needs to play this back to him.
JOHNSTOWN, Pa.—Barack Obama rejected suggestions from his allies that rival Hillary Clinton should end her presidential campaign, saying Saturday that she should "stay in as long as she wants."
The Illinois senator told reporters that fears that the prolonged primary battle is dividing the party are "somewhat overstated."
Even so, Obama argued that the party must quickly settle on a nominee after the final primary votes are cast on June 3 so Democrats can quickly shift to the general election campaign that presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona already has begun.
"At that point there are no more contests. And I think it is important to pivot as completely as possible, for the superdelegates or others, to make a decision as quickly as possible so that we can settle on a nominee," Obama said at a brief news conference after a campaign appearance in Johnstown, Pa.
For those who forget that Obama is a politician, this is a reminder. An obvious attempt here to soften the many Hillary supporters who say they won't be voting for him if he's the nominee. Could this also be a way to distract people from the disenfranchisement of millions of voters in MI and FL? Hmmm!
I've been seeing the quote Hillary made on NH Public Radio back on 10/11/2007 regarding the MI primary, pop up all over comments and forums, particularly in pro-Obama sites. The quote they usually cite is a snippet of an hour long interview with Laura Knoy, where she says "Well, you know… it’s clear. This election they’re having is not going to count for anything."
Above is an extended snippet that I think puts this quote in it's proper perspective. I think it's clear that Hillary was tring to pay her respect to the NH voters while warning that we shouldn't have just ignore the voters of MI. Judge for yourself.
HAMMOND, Ind. - If Hillary Rodham Clinton is feeling heat from pundits and party elders to quit the race and back Barack Obama, you’d never know it from her crowds, energy level and upbeat demeanor on the campaign trail.
“There are millions of reasons to continue this race: people in Pennsylvania, Indiana and North Carolina, and all of the contests yet to come,” Clinton told reporters Friday. “This is a very close race and clearly I believe strongly that everyone should have their voices heard and their votes counted.”
The former first lady weathered a two-pronged blow Friday, with influential Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr. endorsing Obama and another Senate colleague, Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, urging her to step aside. But to hear Clinton tell it, it was just another day in an epic primary battle whose result is still not known.
“I believe a spirited contest is good for the Democratic Party and will strengthen the eventual nominee,” she said. “We will have a united party behind whomever that nominee is. ... I look forward to campaigning over the next several months.”
Traveling across Indiana, the former first lady was greeted by large, enthusiastic audiences who roared their approval at her proposals to help fix the state’s economic challenges.
There is understandable concern among Democrats that the longer the battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton goes on, and the nastier it gets, the more split the party will be heading into the fall campaign. But news out of Pennsylvania overnight offers contrary evidence, suggesting this contest is good news for the Democrats.
Figures from Pennsylvania's Department of State showed that Democrats have now topped 4 million registered voters, the first time either party has crossed that threshold. Democrats added 161,000 to their rolls since last year's election, a gain of about 4 percent, while Republican registration dipped about 1 percent to 3.2 million.
That is consistent with the pattern since the beginning of the year in which Democratic turnout in the primaries and caucuses has topped Republican turnout, often by huge proportions.
In Ohio, 2.2 million voters participated in the Democratic primary compared with 1.1 million in the Republican primary. In Texas, 2.9 million voters turned out for the Democratic primary compared with 1.4 million in the Republican primary. Even in Florida, where the Republican primary was one of the most hotly contested of the year and the Democratic primary featured no active campaigning by the candidates, GOP turnout was only marginally higher: 1.9 million versus 1.7 million.
These turnout figures match what pollsters have found as they have surveyed the electorate throughout the year: The gap between Democratic and Republican identification has grown dramatically... When the general election arrives, Democrats will have voter lists far larger than they ever imagined and will have to spend far less money than in past years identifying these voters. That will affect every candidate up and down the ballot.
Some Democratic strategists worry that a protracted nomination battle will put the eventual nominee months behind in putting state organizations into place for the general election. That's a real issue, given that in the recent cycles Democratic and Republican nominees have been able to name their state-by-state teams in the late spring and get them moving into place by early summer.
But the Democratic race may be producing an even more valuable asset for the fall, particularly when compared with John McCain's campaign. By the time this race is over, Clinton and Obama will have competed in almost every state in the country (Michigan and Florida being two potentially costly exceptions). They've been forced to organize these states in the winter and spring. They have identified and trained legions of organizers. They will know which of their state coordinators are the best and many of these staffers will already be familiar with some of the battleground states for the fall.
Well it looks like your're hearing it all over the place now. I just heard this garbage on ABC. To Hillary supporters, all I can tell you is that this is just a full-force blitz by Obama supporters to suppress the turnout in PA (thus preventing a blowout) and the rest of the remaining contests. Here's an incredible example of what some groups are trying to do. A group headed by Michael Fisher and calling itself the "afrosphere's" Committee to Unite the Democratic Party has started an online petition calling for Hillary to "concede defeat and support the democratic presidential ticket". Among some of the reasons they list on their web page:
(1) The Democratic Party base has spoken. The delegate count shows that Senator Hillary Clinton cannot win the nomination on the strength of earned delegates, based on the will of the voters.
That's funny considering that Obama can't win on the strength of earned delegates either.
(3) This divisiveness is regrettable because, via the presidential candidacy of Senator Obama, the vast majority of African-Americans stand united with millions of white Americans and Americans of all colors, genders, ethnicities and religious backgrounds, erasing divisions to implement a program of Democratic change.
This is also curious as Hillary also has support across the spectrum including a majority of the Latino population, the Gay community, millions of poor working-class and blue collar voters, as well as people of all religious backgrounds.
(6) Mrs. Clinton must wholeheartedly support the winner of the nomination, who has earned the most delegates, and devote herself honestly and enthusiastically to defeating Republican electoral hopes in 2008, not attacking Democratic politicians and Democratic constituencies.
This is down right hypocritical considering the next reason.
(7) Should the Democratic Party leadership nullify the people's votes by giving Mrs. Clinton the nomination, despite the popular will as represented by earned delegates, we would then call upon African-American voters and all Democratic Party constituencies and supporters to withhold their support from a Hillary Clinton candidacy in November. We have survived eight years under President Bush and, if compelled to do so, we will survive four years under a President McCain. However, we cannot and will NOT survive the nullification of our most hard-won right - our votes.
OK, first of all, tell that to the people of MI and FL. Another thing is...really?!? You would really support McCain by not voting for Hillay? Considering this group says it's part of the "afrosphere", I'm going to assume that MLK Day is important to them as it is to me as well. Why would you then go ahead and support a candidate who opposed the creation of this special day? The man who McCain idolized, Ronald Reagan, also opposed the creation of the holiday. In fact, the holiday was not recognized in McCain's state of Arizona until the year 2000. Would you really vote against a Democrat who has a record of helping African-American causes and vote for a candidate who admits to the mistake above and supported the display of the confederate flag atop the SC Statehouse in 2000 due to political pressure. All I can say is, be careful what you wish for.
The national polls still show the race just about even. For all those people yelling about "the rules", I want to see if they bring up the rules if the momentum shifts and the super-delegates decide to vote for Hillary, which the rules state they can do if they feel she would be a better candidate against McCain. The best way for us to be unified as Dems is to let the process continue and have every state be heard.
I hate sports analogies, since they remind me of Chris Matthews. However, (here it goes) can you imagine everybody calling for the Red Sox to quit in 2000, for the good of baseball, because they were down 3 games? What a series we would have missed.
AFP: Obama considers Clinton for secretary of state: reports WASHINGTON 
posted by Marc1A at 11/14/2008 09:54:00 AM
|
1 comments
links to this post
