Obama has won more states, delegates, and popular votes. Now that the superdelegates are lining up to support Obama. Bottom line, Obama appears more electable than Hillary Clinton.
Now, according to Associated Press, the Clinton campaign is "warning of damage to the party's chances in November if women -- who make up the majority of Democratic voters nationwide, but especially the older, white working-class women who've long formed the former first lady's base -- sense a mostly male party establishment is unfairly muscling Clinton out of the race."
Isn't Hillary Clinton's strategy to lure the delegates to her side and push Obama out of the race or at least catch up in delegate count? Now that she realizes that she cannot rely on old favors owed to her husband to line up delegates her campaign wants to say she is being pushed out of the race. I guess the strategy is only okay if it works in Clinton's favor. What a sore loser.
Senator Clinton can stay in until the hector has a puppy. That won't change the fact that more people want to see Barack Obama as the Democratic Presidential Candidate.
Obama snags more superdelegates
Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor Boston.com
The trickle of Democratic superdelegates declaring for Barack Obama is turning into more of a gusher, fast closing Hillary Clinton's one lead in the nomination race and ratcheting up pressure on her to defend her candidacy.
Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is announcing her support this morning. The Wall Street Journal reported today that all seven Democratic US House members from North Carolina plan to come out for Obama in one fell swoop before that state's May 6 primary.
"The Democratic Party is blessed this year with two candidates with many excellent leadership qualities, and I believe each of them would be a strong president. I am endorsing Barack Obama today, because he has inspired an enthusiasm and idealism that we have not seen in this country in a long time," Klobuchar said in a statement issued by the Obama campaign. Read the full story here
Obama takes double-digit lead in new Gallup Poll - Associated Press Report
Barack Obama has opened a 10-percentage-point lead over Hillary Rodham Clinton in Gallup's latest national presidential tracking poll, just about reversing the 11 point lead she held in early February.
Among Democrats surveyed between March 27-29, the Illinois senator showed 52 percent support compared to 42 percent for Clinton. Obama did particularly well in interviewing conducted on March 29, Gallup said. Full Associated Press Article
Not her pastor, surrogate, or friend, but Senator Clinton herself has "misspoken" in the past making stereotypical remarks. The remarks were made in 2004 and the Senator already apologized. I am amazed that she would comment on Dr. Jeremiah Wright knowing her racist remark is on tape. But she didn't care that her sniper attack was on tape - classic Hillary Clinton. (CNN - Hillary Clinton 'truly regrets' Gandhi joke Remarks called stereotypical, racially insensitive)
Since she has not agreed to do an interview with CNN's Larry King, I have to assume that Hillary Clinton is pandering to the Repubican voters that are switching over during the primaries to make sure she is the Democratic candidate. The Republicans know that the Clinton's withll of their baggage - are easy to defeat.
They don't want to run against Barack Obama because they know the whole country will be in the race. With the massive number of new voters Obama has attracted to the race, there would be no more sure-bet Republican or Democratic states.
The Clinton's will focus on traditional Democratic states and, once the Republican's that flipped for the primary go back to their party, along with a loss of at least 1/2 of the black vote, Hillary Clinton can not win. I believe she knows that and is attempting to position herself for the next presidential race. Appearing on Fox News supports that theory. Read her Fox News transcript
If people wonder why Hillary and Bill Clinton would stay in the race with a less than five percent chance of winning, they are using old math. With old math, 2+2 doesn't necessarily equal 4. That's why the Clinton's could suggest offering Barack Obama the VP slot.
To start, with old math, black people had to do twice as good to get half as much. With old math, when you're not winning, you simple find a different way to add the numbers. If that doesn't work, find different numbers to add. And if that still does not put you in the winners seat, it's time to take drastic measures.
As Billary said, you can't get in the game and expect not to get tackled. Sen. Obama was prepared to get tackled, however, Sen Obama is too young to understand what a lot of the "old-school" blacks have been preaching- You can still do twice a well but as soon as you get close to your goal all of a sudden the rules will change.
Young black children were taught the twice as good for half as much scenario from birth. As a young black man raised by white grandparents Obama might have missed that tidbit. We all had hope that things had changed. And they have. But not for old-school people like the Clinton's. So, for the past few months the Clinton's have attempted to apply the old math to this election. Since the old math and the kitchen sink strategy has not worked the Clinton's pulled out their trump card – which explains why they have been so arrogant about being the winners of this primary. Read on....
Nancy Pelosi, (D-CA) House Speaker and chair of the Democratic National Convention, recently commented, "If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what's happened in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic Party."
In response to Pelosi's remarks, ABC.com reports that several Clinton donars "reminded Pelosi that they have given generously to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which helps fund Democratic House races.
"We have been strong supporters of the DCCC." they wrote. "We therefore urge you to clarify your position on super-delegates and reflect in your comments a more open view to the optional independent actions of each of the delegates at the National Convention in August. We appreciate your activities in support of the Democratic Party and your leadership role in the Party and hope you will be responsive to some of your major enthusiastic supporters." Clinton Fat Cats Hiss at Pelosi
An ABC News update from ABC News' Political Director David Chalian:
UPDATE: ABC News' Political Director David Chalian reports that a Democratic operative unaffiliated with either campaign and familiar with the reaction to the letter among Members of Congress says, "Members of Congress - who are superdelegates - make up the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee" or DCCC from which the donors seemed to be threatening to withhold funds. Read "More on those Clinton Fat Cats" at ABC News blogs
Hillary Clinton may not realize it yet, but she’s just endured one of the worst weeks of her campaign...
...In short, Hillary Clinton’s presidential prospects continue to dim. The door is closing. Night is coming. The end, however, is not near.
Last week, an important Clinton adviser told Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen (also of Politico) that Clinton had no more than a 10 percent chance of getting the nomination. Now, she’s probably down to a 5 percent chance.
...No wonder the Clinton campaign feels impersonal. It’s like a machine for the production of politics. It plows ahead from event to event following its own iron logic. The only question is whether Clinton herself can step outside the apparatus long enough to turn it off and withdraw voluntarily or whether she will force the rest of her party to intervene and jam the gears. Read the full story here
Thanks to Dick Morris, a former political adviser to Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and President Bill Clinton, we have a shocking list of Hillary Clinton's "mis-speaks." (from ReaClearPolitics.com) Michelle Malkin of GOPUSA aptly named it "The Clintons' Truth Deficit Disorder."
Hillary simply cannot tell the truth. Here’s her scorecard:
Admitted Lies
• Chelsea was jogging around the Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001 [and had to duck for cover]. (She was in bed watching it on TV.)
• Hillary was named after Sir Edmund Hillary. (She admitted she was wrong. He climbed Mt. Everest five years after her birth.)
• She was under sniper fire in Bosnia. (A girl presented her with flowers at the foot of the ramp.)
• She learned in The Wall Street Journal how to make a killing in the futures market. (It didn’t cover the market back then.) Whoppers She Won’t Confess To
• She didn’t know about the FALN pardons.
• She didn’t know that her brothers were being paid to get pardons that Clinton granted.
• Taking the White House gifts was a clerical error.
• She didn’t know that her staff would fire the travel office staff after she told them to do so.
• She didn’t know that the Peter Paul fundraiser in Hollywood in 2000 cost $700,000 more than she reported it had.
• She opposed NAFTA at the time.
• She was instrumental in the Irish peace process.
• She urged Bill to intervene in Rwanda.
• She played a role in the ’90s economic recovery.
• The billing records showed up on their own.
• She thought Bill was innocent when the Monica scandal broke.
• She was always a Yankees fan.
• She had nothing to do with the New Square Hasidic pardons (after they voted for her 1,400-12 and she attended a meeting at the White House about the pardons).
• She negotiated for the release of refugees in Macedonia (who were released the day before she got there).
Cafferty: Gore-led ticket good compromise for Democrats?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
A Florida congressman is suggesting that a brokered convention for the Democrats could lead to some pretty unexpected results. In other words, forget about Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.
Representative Tim Mahoney says he wouldn't be surprised if someone different is at the top of the ticket. He says a compromise candidate could be someone like Al Gore. Read the full story here
This story about Hillary Clinton's lie about Bosnia is a hoot. It seems Mrs. Clinton can tell as tall a tale as her husband who did not have sexual relations with that women.
By Chip Collis - The Huffington Post
How can you tell Hillary Clinton is lying? Howard Wolfson's lips are moving.
Clinton suffered another daily gotcha when her self-proclaimed GI Jane moment - dashing across the Tuzla tarmac while ducking sniper fire - was revealed to be a typical prosaic airport greeting: a cute kid, flowers, the double air kiss, even a poem! Apparently, it took actual footage for the Clinton campaign to realize that Sinbad wasn't just being funny when he called her a liar last week. I could have told them that; Sinbad hasn't been funny since her husband's first term.
In trying to walk back this latest of Clinton's dalliances with dishonesty, Wolfson was quoted as saying, "it is possible in the most recent instance with which she discussed this that she misspoke, with regards to the leaving of the plane."
To say someone misspoke usually connotes that the untrue statement was made inadvertently. We all do it. "I played golf last Saturday," says I. "No, we went to lunch last Saturday. You played golf on Sunday," says she who is always right. "Oh, yeah, I misspoke, thank you dear. You're the best wife in the world."
Now, if we replay that last vignette Clinton/Wolfson-style, it might go something like this: "I single-handedly foiled an armed bank robbery last Saturday," says I. "No you didn't, you played golf," says she. "Oh yeah, I misspoke."
If Black America and progressive people of faith and good conscience do not defend and restore the legacy of Rev. Wright we will loose the opportunity to bring about the change that we seek. We are reaching to change not the color of politics but the character. Truth is the foundation for the transformation that we seek in the 21st Century. Thus far we (African Americans) are guilty of allowing a false caricature to stand. Defending the Black church and one of our leading men of faith is more critical for the Black community than whether Barack Obama wins the nomination. We have allowed the assault upon our most sacred institution and the only institution that is wholly our own. There is no way that Obama can win the presidency if we don’t set the record straight on Reverend Wright. When that is done and the American people see how far the media went to distort the teachings of the Black church, realizes how deeply embedded racism is in American society, and as each individual is challenged to hold a mirror to their own lives and thinking—only then will we have a chance.
As soon as we push for the truth there will be an effort to “move on” and this is where we will have to remain vigilant extracting apologies, demanding honors for Rev. Wright, and even challenging the most vocal characters on the far right. If we do this then no matter what happens with the elections We The People Win! Barack Obama is an international leader even if the majority of Americans happen to miss this point.
Trinity United Church of Christ
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, shown here with his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, March 10, 2005. Obama on Friday March 14, 2008 denounced inflammatory remarks from his pastor, who has railed against the United States and accused the country of bringing on the Sept. 11 attacks by spreading terrorism.The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, a religious mentor of presidential hopeful Barack Obama and the source of racial controversy over some of his remarks, gave two sermons in Macon last fall and is scheduled to return here in October.
In fact, Wright's sermons, at St. Paul AME Church in east Macon, so inspired visiting mayoral candidate Robert Reichert at the time that Reichert drew upon their themes in his inaugural address. In that speech, which many lauded as an attempt to bridge gaps between blacks and whites in the city, Reichert mentioned Wright by name and said the Chicago pastor's messages "have given me courage to share with you some of my innermost thoughts and recent revelations."
Thursday, Reichert said some elements of Wright's Macon sermons "could be construed as racially sensitive" and that circulating video of sermons at Wright's home church are certainly "inflammatory." But Reichert said he'd happily hear Wright speak again, and that "I would urge you to go hear him with an open mind ... and see if he pricks your conscience."
St. Paul AME pastor Ronald Slaughter and one of his chief church members, church CFO Melvin Jones, described Wright as a brilliant man and mesmerizing speaker. The controversy over his remarks has come because the media loves a good conflict and because Obama is a presidential candidate, Slaughter said.
Wright has been heavily condemned since some of the more inflammatory snippets of his sermons circulated on the Internet. Eventually Obama, an Illinois senator and longtime member of Wright's Chicago church, condemned the remarks, but not the man. Obama spoke at length on the topic Tuesday in a speech that focused not only on Wright's remarks but also on race in America.
Perhaps the remark that most offended people was Wright saying black people shouldn't sing "God Bless America" but "God d--- America" for treating its citizens as "less than human."
Said Reichert: "You talk about inflammatory. ... He is really attempting to pose a moral question in some of these situations. What do you think? Do you think 'God bless America' when we do this, when we do that? Or do you think God's going to bring judgment on us for some of this? He is intentionally provocative."
Slaughter said he isn't sure whether St. Paul AME had made a DVD of Wright's Macon sermons, but he also said he wouldn't provide them to The Telegraph if it had. The church did, however, provide photographs of Wright's visit.
Reichert said one of the more provocative moments of Wright's lengthy sermons here was a description of his black grandmother or great-grandmother, a slave, being forced to have sex with a white man. Reichert said Wright made reference to his own light complexion, which didn't come "from standing in the shade." Read the full story here
AL CALLOWAY SAYS: It’s time for blacks to jump ship! by Al Calloway, South Florida Times
If you are both an American of African descent and a member of the Democratic Party, one question looms more magnified with each passing day: Are you at least vexed, if not disappointed and angry, at Hillary Clinton and her presidential campaign?
It is well documented that Barack Obama supporters and many high placed Democratic Party officials worry that Bill and Hillary Clinton’s scorched earth campaign against Obama will burn the possibility of a Democratic presidency down to the ground.
What is not being openly talked about is the possibility that Hillary’s campaign could also seriously diminish the Democratic Party’s core, which for too long has been taken for granted. Since the South Carolina primary, African-American voters have abandoned the Clintons with 80 to 90 percent voting for Obama.
Americans of African descent appear to be galvanizing with an understanding that more than 90 percent of their voters are Democrats. If a sizable chunk of these voters organize across the country in a loudly publicized fashion to attract even more numbers, and quit the Democratic Party and become Independents, they could reshape the American political and economic landscape.
Clintonism is providing the impetus for such abandonment and a consequent paradigm shift. Many black elected officials, preachers and Democratic Party operatives who have sided with Hillary’s campaign are not only caught in the mire, but must also face a wounded constituency to which they proved to be unaccountable. Read the full story here
It looks like the Republicans know the Clinton's have too much baggage and are not electable. Why else would they are encouraging voters to switch parties to vote for Hillary Clinton? They know the long list of dirt they can release on the Clintons. They lived in scandal.
Will the Democrats let this go on and allow the Republicans to select the least electable candidate? What a pitiful party. At least Republicans have the sense, class and chutzpa to select a candidate and move on to the race for president. I suspect that if it were anyone but a Clinton, the democratic primaries would be over. Democrats should be ashamed.
Primary spurs party changes by Julie Benamati, The Tribune-Democrat
As Monday’s deadline fast approaches to sign up to vote in Pennsylvania’s presidential primary, elections offices in Cambria and Somerset counties report a significant increase in Democratic registrations.
Political party leaders say the contest between Democratic hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton is bringing new voters to the polls – and causing some to change party affiliation altogether.
Cambria County’s election office has seen 955 new voter registrations since October, and 377 voters have changed parties in the past four weeks – about 90 percent of those from Republican or other party to Democrat.
That brings the total number of registered Democrats in Cambria County to 55,098.
Republicans decreased by 79 to 27,811 since October, while 6,643 voters belong to other parties.
A clerk at the county’s elections office said workers have been busy processing forms in recent weeks, which she said is typical in presidential election years. Read the full story here
SANTA FE, N.M. -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president, calling him a "once-in-a- lifetime leader" who can unite the nation and restore America's international leadership.
Richardson, who dropped out of the Democratic race in January, is to appear with Obama on Friday at a campaign event in Portland, Ore., The Associated Press has learned.
The governor's endorsement comes as Obama leads among delegates selected at primaries and caucuses but with national public opinion polling showing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton pulling ahead of him amid controversy over statements by his former pastor. Read the full story here
Since the reports claim Bill in Monica got it on in the bathroom and hallway, she wouldn't be considered a bed buddy. This is an old story, with the same old Clinton's. While people are trying to figure out Obama's connection with a minister or his African family, Bill Clinton is wheeling and dealing with all kinds of folks. Wonder what Bill has to deliver for $20 million dollars.
Does anyone realize that the reason the Republicans are voting for Clinton is because she's not electable. Too much baggage.
Here an F.O.B., There an F.O.B.
Even so, Bill Clinton seems to recognize that some of his relationships could become politically problematic. Aides to the former president recently told reporters Clinton would move to sever his business ties with billionaire Ron Burkle. An entrepreneur with a playboy reputation, Burkle signed up Clinton as a senior adviser to the Yucaipa Cos., Burkle's private investment firm. The arrangement included stakes in Yucaipa partnerships. Little was known about Clinton's profits from this arrangement until last week, when The Wall Street Journal reported that the former president was expected to reap about $20 million when the company bought back his shares. Clinton's spokesman tells NEWSWEEK the amount of his compensation has not yet been determined.
One possible issue that might have affected Clinton's decision to reconsider his business relationship with Burkle: the financier's ties to the Arab emirate of Dubai. One of Clinton's partners in a Yucaipa fund is the Dubai Investment Group, a company closely linked to Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Dubai's ruler. Clinton and Maktoum have a warm relationship, and the sheik, along with other Middle Eastern leaders, was a major contributor to Clinton's presidential library.
Bill's Dubai connection is potentially problematic for Hillary. Two years ago, the New York senator denounced the Bush administration when it failed to block a deal that would have handed over operations of six major U.S. ports to Dubai Ports World, a firm owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates. (The company eventually withdrew its bid.) This month, Hillary criticized oil-rich foreign governments that use "huge pools of money" to buy up stakes in major U.S. financial institutions. That's a good applause line—but a tough one to deliver with a straight face while her husband has a business partnership with a similar foreign fund. Mark Saylor, a U.S. spokesman for Dubai, tells NEWSWEEK that neither Dubai nor Maktoum would comment on their dealings with Bill Clinton. Read the full Newsweek story
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