<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Bynumite @ Mar 8 2008, 08:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Mar 6 2008, 08:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>The hispanics WERE part of the religious right / republican core. That's why California did vote republican. I lived there 15 years and I don't think we had a democrat governor the whole time...</div> Yup its been a long time since we have had a Democrat as our governor. </div> You had Gray Davis, Democrat. But he gambled away the peoples' money on energy futures and left office with you guys experiencing regular rolling blackouts and deficits as big as the entire budget.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (such sweet thunder @ Mar 9 2008, 01:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I think the really big news for the Obama campaign today wasn't in Wyoming but in IL. 14 where Bill Foster beat Jim Oberweis in a Republican-leaning congressional district. The victory is symbolic -- Foster willl face another challenger is just a couple of months. But the reason Foster won was likely because of Obama opening up his donor list and cutting an add on his behalf. All politics is local. And as far as I see it, the Super Delegates are first and foremost concerned about winning their own re-elections again. It appears to me that Obama's proven fundraising acumen and ability to help down-ticket will grab the majority of Supers, even if Hillary is more likely to win in the general (which she is not). When the main stream media talks about Super Delegates I think they miss the point that all of the elected politicians would love to have the Obama bump.</div> Wait, they're politicians first. What they care about more than that Obama bump is how much graft they can get in on to line their pockets.
MSNBC reports that Obama will only need <u> 35%</u> of the undeclared Super delegates, probably less, to win.
According to Rasmussen, Obama leads 53-39 in the lastest Mississippi polls. He also has a 49-44 nationwide Gallup lead on her. Chuck Todd says Hillary is merely a salesman now. Obama victories are coming in North Carolina and Oregon.
Latest update: Obama wins 61-37 and gains 100,000 in the popular vote. Obama nets approximately 8 delegates as well.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Lavalamp @ Mar 12 2008, 01:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>So Obama pretty much has beaten Hillary hasn't he?</div> Yes, at this point she's just waiting for him to make a verbal blunder like Geralidine Ferraro.
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http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Vote2008/sto...5376&page=1 Ferraro Steps Down From Clinton Campaign Geraldine Ferraro Leaves Clinton Camp After Saying Obama Where He Is Because He's Black Geraldine Ferarro, left, said of Sen. Barack Obama's success: "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept." (AP Photo) By JENNIFER PARKER and OLIVIA STERNS March 12, 2008 The Clinton campaign confirms Geraldine Ferraro has stepped down from her role on the finance committee of Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign after making racially charged remarks about Sen. Barack Obama. Ferraro notified Clinton by letter Wednesday that she would no longer serve on Clinton's finance committee as "Honorary New York Leadership Council Chair," reported the Associated Press. Ferraro notified Clinton by letter Wednesday that she would no longer serve on Clinton's finance committee as "Honorary New York Leadership Council Chair." The AP reported Ferraro wrote a letter to Clinton, saying: "Dear Hillary, I am stepping down from your finance committee so I can speak for myself and you can continue to speak for yourself about what's at stake in this campaign. The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you. I won't let that happen. Thank you for everything you've done and continue to do to make this a better world for my children and grandchildren. You have my deep admiration and respect, Gerry," read the letter, first reported by CNN. Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson told the AP it was Ferraro's decision to leave the campaign. Ferraro could not be immediately reached by ABC News for comment. Just this morning, Ferraro stood by her controversial comments suggesting Obama wouldn't be succeeding in the Democratic nomination battle if he weren't black. "I am sorry that people think this was a racist comment," Ferraro said in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America" Wednesday. She declined to apologize directly for the firestorm she created when she told a local California newspaper that "if Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position." Ferraro, the 1984 Democratic vice presidential candidate, told Sawyer she was "absolutely not" sorry for what she'd said, suggesting she had tried to pay Obama a compliment. Ferraro said she was saying that "the black community came out with ... pride in [Obama's] candidacy. You would think he would say 'thank you' for doing that. Instead, I'm charged with being a racist." Ferraro told "GMA" she was drawing a comparison to her own history, contending that if she had not been a woman Walter Mondale would not have chosen her as his running mate in 1984 -- a point she also made in the newspaper interview. Obama Speaks Obama also appeared on "GMA," fresh from his victory in Tuesday's Mississippi primary. Today he declined to say whether he believed Ferraro should be fired. "I'll leave that to the Clinton campaign," he said, but added when people associated with his campaign have made objectionable comments, they were fired. Obama scoffed at the notion that being black "is a huge advantage" for him. "The quickest path to the presidency [is not] I want to be an African-American man named Barack Obama," he said. A fundraiser and outspoken supporter for Clinton, Ferraro was the first woman chosen by a major political party to be its vice presidential candidate. In an interview Tuesday with ABC News affiliate WHTM, Clinton ignored calls from the Obama campaign to remove Ferraro from her campaign, saying, "Well, I don't agree with that, and I think it's important that we try to stay focused on issues that matter to the American people." In a relatively mild response, Clinton continued, "And both of us have had supporters and staff members who've gone over the line, and we have to rein them in and try to keep this on the issues. There are big differences between us on the issues — let's stay focused on that." Obama chided Clinton for Ferraro's comment to a Pennsylvania newspaper. "I don't think Geraldine Ferraro's comments have any place in our politics or in the Democratic Party," Obama told Pennsylvania's Allentown Morning Call newspaper. "They are divisive. I think anybody who understands the history of this country knows they are patently absurd. And I would expect that the same way those comments don't have a place in my campaign they shouldn't have a place in Sen. Clinton's either." Ferraro, a 72-year-old lawyer and former congresswoman, told a California newspaper that this campaign has been "very emotional" for her and suggested Clinton has been a victim of a "very sexist media." "I think what America feels about a woman becoming president takes a very secondary place to Obama's campaign — to a kind of campaign that it would be hard for anyone to run against," Ferraro told California's Daily Breeze local paper. "For one thing, you have the press, which has been uniquely hard on her," she said. "It's been a very sexist media. Some just don't like her. The others have gotten caught up in the Obama campaign." Obama Aide Resigned After 'Monster' Remark Ferraro's controversial comments made news less than a week after Obama's senior foreign policy adviser Samantha Power resigned from the Illinois senator's campaign for calling Clinton "a monster.'' The Obama campaign held a conference call with reporters Tuesday with Obama supporter Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., arguing that Ferraro's words "undermine" Democrats' "ability to win in November." "It's disappointing that Clinton supporters have sought to somehow diminish Sen. Obama's candidacy and his support by suggesting he's in some way being given preferential treatment because of his race," Schakowsky said. "Any and all remarks that diminish Sen. Obama's candidacy because of his race are completely out of line." Schakowsky urged Clinton to call on all of her advisers and supporters to change the tone of the campaign. Obama campaign manager David Axelrod added the comment was "part of an insidious pattern that needs to be addressed" within the Clinton campaign, pointing to Clinton's remark on "60 Minutes" that rumors of Obama being a Muslim aren't true, "as far as I know," she said. "When you wink and nod at offensive statements, you're really sending a signal to your supporters that anything goes," Axelrod said, arguing that Clinton is seen as a "divisive and polarizing force." The Obama campaign pounced Tuesday afternoon on Clinton's mild statement about Ferraro's remark, referring to language Clinton used when she urged Obama to denounce and reject anti-Semitic comments by Nation of Islam head Louis Farrakhan. "With Sen. Clinton's refusal to denounce or reject Ms. Ferraro, she has once again proven that her campaign gets to live by its own rules and its own double standard, and will only decry offensive comments when it's politically advantageous to Sen. Clinton," Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said. "Her refusal to take responsibility for her own supporter's remarks is exactly the kind of tactic that feeds the American people's cynicism about politics today, and it's why Barack Obama's message of change has resonated so strongly in every corner of the country," Burton said. Ferraro is currently a lobbyist in New York with Blank Rome Government Relations. Campaign Surrogates Go Off-Message It's not the first time a Democratic surrogate has made controversial remarks. Obama's senior economic adviser Austan Goolsbee told Canadian diplomats the candidate's anti-NAFTA rhetoric should be interpreted as political positioning and not an articulation of policy, according to a Canadian government memo. Obama foreign policy adviser Susan Rice was part of a mini firestorm last week when she appeared to go off message and said that neither Obama nor Clinton is ready to answer the proverbial 3 a.m. phone call in the White House. "Clinton hasn't had to answer the phone at three o'clock in the morning and yet she attacked Barack Obama for not being ready. They're both not ready to have that 3 a.m. phone call," Rice told MSNBC last week. At the time, the Clinton campaign e-mailed a YouTube video of the interview to reporters. Earlier in the campaign, Bill Shaheen, a Clinton campaign co-chairman in New Hampshire, stepped aside after making remarks about Obama's past drug use. The Clinton campaign also fired Iowa staffers who forwarded e-mails with false rumors that Obama is a Muslim. Ferraro's comments appeared to highlight her frustration with Obama's campaign. The Illinois senator is leading Clinton in popular support and pledged delegates, according to ABC News' delegate scorecard. In the interview with the newspaper, Ferraro also rejected the notion that Obama will bring together Republicans and Democrats. "I was reading an article that said young Republicans are out there campaigning for Obama because they believe he's going to be able to put an end to partisanship," Ferraro said. "Dear God! Anyone that has worked in the Congress knows that for over 200 years this country has had partisanship — that's the way our country is." In February, Ferraro made similarly racially-charged remarks on Fox News Radio's John Gibson show. When asked about the decision of Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., to abandon his endorsement of Clinton in favor of Obama, Ferraro said: "I'm very disappointed. When I see John Lewis. He's turning around — this is a civil rights leader. Why in God's name did he change his vote from Hillary to Barack Obama? I'll tell you why. He's not going to lose a Democratic primary in his district in two years, but he sure as hell will face one if he sticks it to Barack Obama when he has a greater majority of blacks in his district. He's not going to lose. I'm so disappointed in him, I could die. "John, between me and you and your millions of listeners, if Barack Obama were a white man, would we be talking about this as a potential real problem for Hillary Clinton? ? If he were a woman of any color, would he be in this position that he's in? Absolutely not," Ferraro said. "Geraldine, are you playing the race card?" the host asked. "No, and that's the problem. Every time you say the truth — I'm the first person, John, and you know how honest I am — I am the first person who will say in 1984, if my name were Gerard instead of Geraldine, I would never have been picked as the vice presidential candidate." In a follow-up interview with the local California paper that broke the story, Ferraro defended her remarks. "Any time anybody does anything that in any way pulls this campaign down and says let's address reality and the problems we're facing in this world, you're accused of being racist, so you have to shut up," Ferraro told the Daily Breeze. "Racism works in two different directions. I really think they're attacking me because I'm white. How's that?" It wasn't immediately clear Wednesday what persuaded Ferraro to step aside from her role as a fundraiser and Clinton campaign finance committee member; however the Obama campaign had pounced extraordinarily hard on the comment, suggesting it was indicative of Clinton's "kitchen sink" strategy. ABC News' Eloise Harper, Steven Portnoy, Sunlen Miller and David Wright and the Associated Press contributed reporting.
I have little doubt that anything these surrogates say is planned out. It is campaign strategy. Elections are contact sports. Get over it. Just recognize it for what it is. And yes, it's despicable. It's not the first time this campaign. Wife of the first "black" president. The whole clan knows what they're doing. Olbermann's chest thumping holier than thou attitude notwithstanding.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Mar 12 2008, 10:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I have little doubt that anything these surrogates say is planned out. It is campaign strategy. Elections are contact sports. Get over it. Just recognize it for what it is. And yes, it's despicable. It's not the first time this campaign. Wife of the first "black" president. The whole clan knows what they're doing. Olbermann's chest thumping holier than thou attitude notwithstanding.</div> Oh, I know. I post on Daily Kos -- make fun of me for it because I deserve it -- that place is like Liberal commies gone mad sometimes. Anyways. After the news broke, my line was don't respond: she's tolling for Pennsylvania. But what I didn't anticipate was the media shift against Clinton. I've read more negative stories about the Clinton campaign, unrelated to Ferraro, in the last twenty four hours than in the last month. Politics is cheap. I realize that. I have no doubt the media line will shift back in her favor (and probably back to Obama, and then back to Clinton again, etc). And I also think that it is somewhat beneficial to the Obama campaign for this story line to play out now, like the red phone, instead of before the general. But, I find the editorial sincere and moving. It's still disgusting politics even if it is the name of the game. And, I'm reasonably sure I would feel this way even if Hill were my candidate.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (such sweet thunder @ Mar 12 2008, 10:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Mar 12 2008, 10:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I have little doubt that anything these surrogates say is planned out. It is campaign strategy. Elections are contact sports. Get over it. Just recognize it for what it is. And yes, it's despicable. It's not the first time this campaign. Wife of the first "black" president. The whole clan knows what they're doing. Olbermann's chest thumping holier than thou attitude notwithstanding.</div> Oh, I know. I post on Daily Kos -- make fun of me for it because I deserve it -- that place is like Liberal commies gone mad sometimes. Anyways. After the news broke, my line was don't respond: she's tolling for Pennsylvania. But what I didn't anticipate was the media shift against Clinton. I've read more negative stories about the Clinton campaign, unrelated to Ferraro, in the last twenty four hours than in the last month. Politics is cheap. I realize that. I have no doubt the media line will shift back in her favor (and probably back to Obama, and then back to Clinton again, etc). And I also think that it is somewhat beneficial to the Obama campaign for this story line to play out now, like the red phone, instead of before the general. But, I find the editorial sincere and moving. It's still disgusting politics even if it is the name of the game. And, I'm reasonably sure I would feel this way even if Hill were my candidate. </div> KO did sound sincere in this special comment, I can't blame him for detesting these double-thinking Clinton tactics.
I think Pennsylvania is going to serve as Clinton's last stand, and this is going to be a complete result of the 6 week span with no primaries. McCain and Romney will form a ticket within this time. The attacks will be on even heavier with two of them, and the Democrats will feel under pressure to get their candidate. Bill Richardson will be the first to endorse Obama. Today, he said that he owes a lot to President Clinton...for making him blah blah blah...but then he said, but I don't owe him anything, because I did a good job for him, and then he went on to praise Obama. John Edwards will probably endorse Obama as well in this time period. Help him out in the white areas of Pennsylvania, where he will get slaughtered otherwise. Obama will definitely win these states. Then if that is not enough, look for Palosi to try to push Gore towards endorsing Obama, while she holds back to stay a neutral voice in the party along with Howard Dean. Look for all these Democrats to unite behind Obama, and push him forward to get that win in Pennsylvania. These Ferraro comments are ultimately are going to be what got Richardson and Edwards to endorse imo.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BG7 Lavigne @ Mar 12 2008, 10:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I think Pennsylvania is going to serve as Clinton's last stand, and this is going to be a complete result of the 6 week span with no primaries. McCain and Romney will form a ticket within this time. The attacks will be on even heavier with two of them, and the Democrats will feel under pressure to get their candidate. Bill Richardson will be the first to endorse Obama. Today, he said that he owes a lot to President Clinton...for making him blah blah blah...but then he said, but I don't owe him anything, because I did a good job for him, and then he went on to praise Obama. John Edwards will probably endorse Obama as well in this time period. Help him out in the white areas of Pennsylvania, where he will get slaughtered otherwise. Obama will definitely win these states. Then if that is not enough, look for Palosi to try to push Gore towards endorsing Obama, while she holds back to stay a neutral voice in the party along with Howard Dean. Look for all these Democrats to unite behind Obama, and push him forward to get that win in Pennsylvania. These Ferraro comments are ultimately are going to be what got Richardson and Edwards to endorse imo.</div> Pelosi already came out yesterday and said that an Obama-Clinton dual ticket was impossible because of Clinton's tactics. I thought that was a very surprising statement, given her prominence in the party and the importance of her appearing neutral -- especially since her state went Clinton. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends before PA. Seven weeks is a long time, and you have to believe that, if BC's SC comments made many Supers flee to Obama, there have to be more that are similarly disgusted by this round.
Some pundits are suggesting that the unelected superdelegates might vote how their state went. This means guys like Teddy and Kerry, who both support Obama, might end up voting for Hillary. Makes sense in a not-so-twisted way.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (such sweet thunder @ Mar 12 2008, 10:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BG7 Lavigne @ Mar 12 2008, 10:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I think Pennsylvania is going to serve as Clinton's last stand, and this is going to be a complete result of the 6 week span with no primaries. McCain and Romney will form a ticket within this time. The attacks will be on even heavier with two of them, and the Democrats will feel under pressure to get their candidate. Bill Richardson will be the first to endorse Obama. Today, he said that he owes a lot to President Clinton...for making him blah blah blah...but then he said, but I don't owe him anything, because I did a good job for him, and then he went on to praise Obama. John Edwards will probably endorse Obama as well in this time period. Help him out in the white areas of Pennsylvania, where he will get slaughtered otherwise. Obama will definitely win these states. Then if that is not enough, look for Palosi to try to push Gore towards endorsing Obama, while she holds back to stay a neutral voice in the party along with Howard Dean. Look for all these Democrats to unite behind Obama, and push him forward to get that win in Pennsylvania. These Ferraro comments are ultimately are going to be what got Richardson and Edwards to endorse imo.</div> Pelosi already came out yesterday and said that an Obama-Clinton dual ticket was impossible because of Clinton's tactics. I thought that was a very surprising statement, given her prominence in the party and the importance of her appearing neutral -- especially since her state went Clinton. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends before PA. Seven weeks is a long time, and you have to believe that, if BC's SC comments made many Supers flee to Obama, there have to be more that are similarly disgusted by this round. </div> Good to see Pelosi has common sense. Hopefully it is as you say. If not by April 22, I assume May 6 or so after NC votes.
I don't see the Dems winning Ohio in November. Clinton only won the primary because of cross over voting from Republicans. If enough of them are going to be that motivated at primary time, I expect McCain to win the state.
Watched a little MSNBC today: ~Ugh Hillary talked about the fair elections in Michigan again, ridiculous. ~Obama's response about Florida was nice: If he just put his name on the ballot in every state without campaigning, he would have lost nationwide. ~MSNBC reports he has also won more swing states, and a lot of the "Big States" Clinton has won also go to Obama in the general election. ~Chuck Todd says the Michigan Democratic party is nearing a deal. Apparently, the State would agree to run a primary if they were reimbursed. Todd says Michigan and Florida will not count otherwise. ~Todd says the Florida mail-in is very unlikely. He says if Michigan starts another primary, Florida will have a real Primary, not a mail-in one.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Mar 13 2008, 12:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don't see the Dems winning Ohio in November. Clinton only won the primary because of cross over voting from Republicans. If enough of them are going to be that motivated at primary time, I expect McCain to win the state.</div> I would have agreed with you before the primary. But low and behold, after all the blood and dust settled from that awful election, it turns out both Hillary and Obama are leading in the state v. McCain 50 - 40. At the end of the day, name recognition -- even if it isn't necessarily all good -- is very much underrated during election season.
