Election News

Friday 2/29/2008

Barack Obama's Israel Bond 2/29/2008 AntiWar: ""Now the gravest threat ... to Israel today, I believe, is from Iran. There the radical regime continues to pursue its capacity to build a nuclear weapon and continues to support terrorism across the region," he explained. "Threats of Israel's destruction can not be dismissed as rhetoric. The threat from Iran is real and my goal as president would be to eliminate that threat."After reiterating that he'd end the war in Iraq first, Obama then promised he would turn his attention to the country's neighbor. "My approach to Iran will be aggressive diplomacy: I will not take any military options off the table." In fairness, Obama did mention something few Democrats in Washington dare to utter, "I think there is a strain within the pro-Israel community that says unless you adopt a unwavering pro-Likud approach to Israel that you're anti-Israel and that can't be the measure of our friendship with Israel.""

Count Me Out - The Obama Craze 2/29/2008 Counterpunch: "Once I started looking at the votes Obama actually cast, I began to hear his rhetoric differently. The principal conclusion I draw about "change" and Barack Obama is that Obama needs to change his voting habits and stop pandering to win votes. If he does this he might someday make a decent candidate who could earn my support. For now Obama has fallen into a dangerous pattern of capitulation that he cannot reconcile with his growing popularity as an agent of change."

Thursday 2/28/2008

Michelle Obama's comments were more patriotic than critics realize  2/28/2008 Capitol Outlook: "During Mrs. Obama’s childhood, blacks were still the victims of terrorism in the South, where homes and churches were often bombed to keep blacks in line. During Obama’s teenage years, she, like many blacks in her age groups, was among the first wave to integrate public schools, a transition that was neither smooth nor without violence in many cities. During Obama’s young adulthood, she understood, as she often states on the campaign trail, the feeling that her presence at upper tier schools like Princeton or Harvard was a result of race- based programs, not sweat equity. Mrs. Obama’s adulthood has been marked by two presidents facing impeachment, countless years of petty partisan bickering in Congress and the hypocrisy of the current administration that excoriates other nations for human rights abuses while tacitly allowing torture at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib."

Concerns over Obama’s shift to left  2/28/2008 FT

Officials: Clinton aides threatened lawsuit over Texas caucuses  2/28/2008 McClathcy: "Democratic sources said both campaigns have made it clear that they might consider legal options over the complicated delegate selection process, which includes both a popular vote and evening caucuses. But the sources made it clear that the Clinton campaign in particular had warned of an impending lawsuit."

State GOP uses Obama’s middle name until chastised  2/28/2008 Nashville City Paper: "The chain of events began Monday when the Tennessee GOP sent out a press release entitled “Anti-Semites for Obama” in which the Illinois Democrat was referred to as “Barack Hussein Obama.” The press release also had a controversial picture of Obama donning traditional Somali attire. Tuesday, after a conservative talk show host made disparaging comments about Obama, McCain, the Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, said it was “inappropriate” to refer to Obama that way and he “repudiates those comments.” "

TWO MORE DC SUPERDELEGATES ENDORSE BARACK OBAMA  2/28/2008 Time: "Two more superdelegates have endorsed Barack Obama today. Shadow United States Senators Paul Strauss and Michael D. Brown endorsed Obama, citing his longstanding commitment to the rights of DC residents and his ability to unite Americans to bring change. Senator Paul Strauss said, “I am excited to endorse Barack Obama today. Barack Obama has been a leader for promoting unity and equality for all Americans, and has shown a steadfast commitment to the DC voting rights and full representation in Congress."

Raising Obama  2/28/2008 Vanity Fair: "As the presidential campaign whirls through the front-loaded primary season, Obama’s character has been under high magnification. The main point of attack is that he is not “tough enough” or experienced enough; New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd titled a column about him “The 46-Year-Old Virgin.” Hillary Clinton has openly encouraged this derisive assessment for many months. At the same time, coming across as too tough and gritty—too skilled at the sharp-elbowed arts of politics—will undermine the very qualities that make Obama attractive in the first place. The trap is obvious."

Wednesday 2/27/2008

Obama's Farrakhan Dilemma by Earl Ofari Hutchinson  2/27/2008 Alternet

Anti-Defamation League: Obama okay; McCain equivocates  2/27/2008 Daily Kos

Republicans Abroad blast Obama as threat to Israel  2/27/2008 Global Research

McCain has edge over Democrats  2/27/2008 LA Times: "In head-to-head contests, the poll found, McCain leads Clinton by 6 percentage points (46% to 40%) and Obama by 2 points (44% to 42%). Neither lead is commanding given that the survey, conducted Feb. 21-25, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points."

John McCain's Sweet Ride - Lobbyist's Plane Flew Saudi Royals After 9/11  2/27/2008 Mad Cow Morning News: "The lavishly-furnished custom Boeing 727 airliner (727PX) which ferried Senator John McCain on four occasions during his Presidential run in 2000 also flew Saudi Royals out of the U.S. right after 9/11, carrying an entourage of Saudi Royals from Las Vegas to London six days after the 9/11 attack in a controversial operation later scrutinized by the 9/11 Commission. The 727 figures in the current tempest over his relationship with female lobbyist Vicki Iseman, who provided and flew with McCain on the plane. With hundreds of air charter companies and airliners to choose from, the Saudis chose a company that owns “Worship Ministries” and Christian Network, Inc., turning to Paxson Communications, a “Christian broadcaster” which owned the plane, to make its corporate jet available to spirit the Saudi princes and their entourage out of the U.S. six days after 9/11."

Tuesday 2/26/2008

Clinton: Be wary of Obama on foreign affairs  2/26/2008 Boston Globe: Venezuela joins the new axis of evil - "Clinton, flanked by senior retired military officers who have endorsed her candidacy, said she would meet with adversaries as president but would not be "penciling in the leaders of Iran, or North Korea, or Venezuela, or Cuba on the presidential calendar without preconditions.""

Obama's Line On Lobbyists is Misleading  2/26/2008 Colombia Journalism Review: "Consider the sector called lawyers and law firms. Clearly, lawyers and law firms lobby on behalf of their own interests -- like fighting malpractice reform, which could again surface as a thorny issue for the new administration. Clinton and Obama have raised similar amounts from lawyers and law firms -- $11.8 and $9.5 million. McCain and Huckabee have taken far less. The health sector has also given to Obama, Clinton, and McCain. In the pharmaceutical and health product industries, contributions to Clinton total $349,000 and $338,000 to Obama. Again, McCain trails in donations at about $98,000, an indication that the sector sees the real action on the Democratic side of the ballot. Health professionals, which include doctors, nurses, and dentists, have given Clinton some $2.3 million and Obama $1.7 million. Last August The Boston Globe, in a piece by Scott Helman, took a hard look at Obama's contributions, noting that "behind Obama's campaign rhetoric about taking on special interests lies a more complicated truth." That truth revealed that as a state legislator in Illinois, a U.S. senator, and as a presidential aspirant, Obama had collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from lobbyists and PACs. Helman quoted an Obama campaign spokeswoman saying that after he experienced firsthand the influence of Washington lobbyists, he was taking a different approach to fundraising than he had in the past, and that "his leadership position on this issue is an evolving process." If Obama's leadership on campaign financing is indeed evolving, more news outlets should be following the evolution."

Obama's One Million Donors  2/26/2008 Consortium News: "Behind the scenes, Hillary Clinton's campaign has been disparaging Barack Obama's enthusiastic supporters as "cult-like" and naive, but that derision may be the sounds of a Democratic Establishment frightened by what this democratic surge really means. As Obama closes in on one million mostly small donors, he is striking at the heart of the old order -- its dominance over political money, the ability to cut off this life blood to wayward politicians and to turn it on for compliant ones. In this guest essay, former Democratic congressional staffer Brent Budowsky discusses the revolutionary potential of the Obama campaign."

Why the War on Obama  2/26/2008 Consortium News: "One former Israeli official told me that the Israeli government feels it can work with Obama, Clinton or McCain, but that the Israeli lobby in the United States is adamantly opposed to Obama, preferring Clinton because “they own her.” The ex-official said the lobby has some concern, too, with McCain because of his independent streak. Like other powerful lobbies, AIPAC is threatened by Obama’s ability to raise large sums of money from everyday Americans, thus reducing the need of Washington politicians to hold out their tin cups to AIPAC’s legendary network of wealthy donors."

Dodd to Endorse Obama  2/26/2008 Hartford Courant: "The last-minute postponement of a prominent Senate hearing may have received an explanation tonight. Sen. Chris Dodd won't be able to chair his banking, housing and urban affairs committee in the morning because he'll be campaigning for Barack Obama. The Connecticut senator is announcing his Obama endorsement in Ohio, according to sources close to Dodd. (You can read more about it in this morning's Courant or online .) He's the first in the pool of former Democratic presidential candidates to jump headlong into one of the final two campaigns."

Hillary Clinton Campaign Connection to Drudge Report Detailed by International Herald Tribune (NYT) in October of 2007  2/26/2008 IHT: "Clinton's communications team, led by Howard Wolfson, is not leaving Drudge to the Republicans. Five current and former Democratic officials said Clinton has on her side the closest thing her party has ever had to Rhoades [a GOP leaker to Drudge] in Tracy Sefl, a former Democratic National Committee official. The officials said that Sefl had established a friendly relationship with Drudge and that Clinton's campaign often worked quietly through her to open a line of communication with Drudge."

Clinton slams Obama for pledge to meet with rogue leaders without preconditions  2/26/2008 Jerusalem Post: "Meanwhile, Likud MK Yuli Edelstein gave a positive twist Tuesday to the negative comments about his party that were made on Monday by Obama while campaigning in Ohio, that to be pro-Israeli one did not have to be pro-Likud. Edelstein said Obama's comments only proved what he had known all along, that his party was pro-Israel and patriotic. Obama had said, "I think there is a strain within the pro-Israel community that says unless you adopt an unwavering pro-Likud approach to Israel, then you're anti-Israel, and that can't be the measure of our friendship with Israel." "

A New Smear Email: Obama Gave an Anti-Israel Speech at a Black Church  2/26/2008 Mother Jones: "Obama sounds "a GREAT DEAL like Malcolm X." "

Key McCain, Clinton fundraisers lobby for foreign governments  2/26/2008 Nieman Watchdog: "Can you give some examples for Clinton and McCain? Clinton has two top fundraisers [John Merrigan and Matthew “Mac” Bernstein] who have raised at least $100,000 each, and they both work for clients such as the government of Turkey, which is trying to kill the Armenian Genocide resolution and also the government of Dubai, which is trying to defend against accusations of child slavery. Their firm [DLA Piper] arranged meetings with Clinton and her staff on both of those issues. On the McCain side, you have his national finance chair Thomas Loeffler. He is a long-time lobbyist for Saudi Arabia, and his firm has collected millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia. Loeffler personally set up a meeting between McCain and then Saudi ambassador to the United States [Prince Turki al-Faisal] in 2006. What about the fundraisers for Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee? Obama has a policy against accepting money from registered lobbyists or having any registered lobbyists as his bundlers. We went through the entire list of his fundraisers anyway and didn’t find anyone. Mike Huckabee—there is not as much known about his top fundraisers because he does not disclose. We went through what we knew and couldn’t find anything. Mitt Romney—we found one fundraiser who was a lobbyists for a foreign country. [Rudy] Giuliani—we found two. [John] Edwards—we did not find any. Even though they are all out of the race, it gives you a sense that McCain and Clinton had the most. Clinton had six. McCain had five."

Monday 2/25/2008

McCain Says He Could Lose Over War Issue  2/25/2008 AP

CBS Poll: Obama Surges Ahead Nationally  2/25/2008 CBS: "A new CBS News/New York Times poll finds Barack Obama with a 16-point lead over rival Hillary Clinton among Democratic primary voters nationwide. Obama, coming off 11 straight primary and caucus victories, had the support of 54 percent of Democratic primary voters nationally. Clinton had 38 percent support. In a CBS News poll taken three weeks ago, shortly before Super Tuesday, Obama and Clinton were tied at 41 percent. Clinton led by 15 points nationally in January."

Why I'm Running By RALPH NADER  2/25/2008 Meet the Press

Sunday 2/24/2008

Obama: McCain Aides Lobby On Campaign Bus  2/24/2008 CBS

John McCain’s denials start to unravel in tale of the blonde lobbyist  2/24/2008 London Times: "But when the Arizona senator reached for the lawyer who steered Bill Clinton through his women troubles, it was a sign that he was seriously rattled."

Obama pledges self-determination to Puerto Rico – with independence as an option  2/24/2008 SF Bay View: "Puerto Rico's status must be based on the principle of self-determination. Puerto Rico has a proud history, an extraordinary culture, its own traditions, customs and language, and a distinct identity. As president, I will work closely with the Puerto Rican government, its civil society and with Congress to create a genuine and transparent process for self-determination that will be true to the best traditions of democracy. As president, I will actively engage Congress and the Puerto Rican people in promoting this deliberative, open and unbiased process, that may include a constitutional convention or a plebiscite, and my administration will adhere to a policy of strict neutrality on Puerto Rican status matters. My administration will recognize all valid options to resolve the question of Puerto Rico's status, including commonwealth, statehood and independence. I strongly believe in equality before the law for all American citizens. This principle extends fully to Puerto Ricans. The American citizenship of Puerto Ricans is constitutionally guaranteed for as long as the people of Puerto Rico choose to retain it. I reject the assertion in reports submitted by a Presidential Task Force on Dec. 22, 2005, and Dec. 21, 2007, that sovereignty over Puerto Rico could be unilaterally transferred by the United States to a foreign country, and the U.S. citizenship of Puerto Ricans is not constitutionally guaranteed."

Political opposition research team shows up in western Kenya  2/24/2008 Wayne Madsen: Requires subscription.

Saturday 2/23/2008

Clinton blasts claims in two Obama mailers  2/23/2008 Newsday: "Obama's campaign fired back: "Everything in those mailers is completely accurate. We look forward to having a debate this Tuesday on the facts, and the facts are that Sen. Clinton was a supporter of NAFTA and the China permanent trade treaties until this campaign began." Its statement added that, on health care, Clinton "herself has said that under the Clinton health-care plan, she would consider 'going after the wages' of Americans who don't purchase health insurance, whether they can afford it or not." Obama responded at a news conference later in the day, saying he's puzzled why Clinton brought up the mailers now because they had been circulating for days. "It makes me think there is something tactical about her getting so exercised this morning," Obama said."

A Hole in McCain’s Defense? An apparent contradiction in his response to lobbyist story.  2/23/2008 Newsweek: "A sworn deposition that Sen. John McCain gave in a lawsuit more than five years ago appears to contradict one part of a sweeping denial that his campaign issued this week to rebut a New York Times story about his ties to a Washington lobbyist."

With Friends Like These  2/23/2008 NY Daily News: ""You don’t raise it unless you have a winner, and that line that she had about Xerox actually was a lead balloon," Rangel said. "It didn’t get off the ground…One of the professionals is the governor of Massachusetts feeding him lines that are great. Someone fed her a line that didn’t work. That’s all.” ...This Rangel criticism of Clinton comes on the heels of his comment last weekend in Albany that the people - not superdelegates - would choose the Democratic nominee."

My friends" with John McCain... starring Vicki Iseman!  2/23/2008 The Real McCain: "You said "I'm the only one the special interests don't give any money to." Yet you have 59 lobbyists raising money for your campaign! "

McCain Disputed On 1999 Meeting - Broadcaster Recalls Urging FCC Contact  2/23/2008 WaPo

Friday 2/22/2008

Many blacks worry about Obama's safety  2/22/2008 AP

I Refuse to Buy into the Obama Hype  2/22/2008 Daily Kos: "I went to the Library of Congress Website. The FACTS of what each did in the Senate last year sure surprised me. I'm sure they will surprise you, too. Whether you love or hate Hillary, you will be surprised. Whether you think Obama is the second coming of JFK or an inexperienced lightweight, you will surprised. Go check out the Library of Congress Website. After spending some time there, it will be clear that there is really only one candidate would is ready to be the next president, even better than Gore. If you don't want to spend an hour or two doing research, then I'll tell you what I discovered on the jump… In my eyes Obama is the superior choice in every way. He cares about more of the issues that matter to me. Kids and health care are important but so is the issue of global warming, on which Clinton introduced not a single bill last year. Obama is a leader. With bigger majorities in Congress, much of his agenda should sail through. He can inspire this country to change course on so many things, from health care to global warming, where attitudes have to be changed first. I remember Bill Clinton's endless laundry lists of small, focus group approved initiatives. For those who say Hillary will not govern like Bill did, I respond that the people who were doing the market testing of his proposed policies were Dick Morris, of course, and Mark Penn, who is now running Hillary's campaign."

Jack Abramoff: John McCain’s other Lobbyist problem...  2/22/2008 Daily Kos: "These documents and many, many more were turned over to McCain. When the dust settled McCain had 750,000 pages of documents. He had everything. He had Jack’s Little Black Book as it were. He had the goods on Jack and everybody who ever worked with Jack. It was easy to leak details to the press to drive the story in whatever direction McCain wanted the narrative to take. It was easy for McCain to let the folks who took him down in 2000 know that payback time was on the horizon… As the details of the scandal emerged it quickly became clear that this was bigger web of corruption than anybody thought (well except me, I had been following Jack for year by 2004—and I knew it was and is a massive scandal). It quickly became apparent that the Abramoff scandal—if fully investigated—would defeat George W. Bush in 2004 and throw Republicans out of power in the House and Senate. By mid 2004, McCain was slow-walking his "investigation". After Bush was re-elected it picked up a little steam in 2005 but went dark again as the 2006 election approached. Finally, with little fanfare, McCain’s committee released a report of their investigation in July 2006. The investigation had been slow-walked into a cover-up. Still, McCain took parting shots at Reed, Norquist and Abramoff."

Samantha Power v. Jeremy Scahill: A Debate on U.S. Actions in the Balkans, the Independence of Kosovo, the Iraq Sanctions and Humanitarian Intervention  2/22/2008 Democracy Now: Samantha Power is a senior foreign policy adviser to Obama who defends key elements of the genocidal Clinton campaign against Yougoslavia.

Rick Renzi Indicted: McCain Co-Chair Hit For Fraud, Extortion  2/22/2008 Huffington Post: "Republican Rep. Rick Renzi (REN-zee) has been indicted for extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other charges related to a land deal in Arizona. A 26-page federal indictment unsealed in Arizona accuses Renzi and two former business partners of conspiring to promote the sale of land that buyers could swap for property owned by the federal government. The sale netted one of Renzi's former partners $4.5 million. Renzi is a three-term member of the House. He announced in August that he would not seek re-election."

Spending by Clinton Campaign Worries Supporters  2/22/2008 NYT: "Nearly $100,000 went for party platters and groceries before the Iowa caucuses, even though the partying mood evaporated quickly. Rooms at the Bellagio luxury hotel in Las Vegas consumed more than $25,000; the Four Seasons, another $5,000. And top consultants collected about $5 million in January, a month of crucial expenses and tough fund-raising. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s latest campaign finance report, published Wednesday night, appeared even to her most stalwart supporters and donors to be a road map of her political and management failings. Several of them, echoing political analysts, expressed concerns that Mrs. Clinton’s spending priorities amounted to costly errors in judgment that have hamstrung her competitiveness against Senator Barack Obama of Illinois."

Michelle Obama thesis was on racial divide  2/22/2008 Politico: "Read the full thesis here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4... "My experiences at Princeton have made me far more aware of my 'blackness' than ever before," the future Mrs. Obama wrote in her thesis introduction. "I have found that at Princeton, no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my white professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don't belong. Regardless of the circumstances underwhich I interact with whites at Princeton, it often seems as if, to them, I will always be black first and a student second." "

Battle of the Books - Why Obama whups Clinton in the war over word ownership.  2/22/2008 The New Republic: "The Clinton campaign's latest tactic is to smear Barack Obama by claiming he plagiarized material in some of his speeches. As many pundits have noted, this was a move right out of Karl Rove's playbook--try to take an opponent's strength (in this case, Obama's eloquence) and turn it into a weakness. But when you consider the different approaches that Hillary and Obama took in writing their respective books, the Clinton campaign's attack is especially Rove-ian: When it comes to the issue of ownership of words, let's just say Obama is on much firmer ground than Clinton. For Clinton's two literary efforts--the 1996 book It Takes A Village and the 2003 book Living History--she used ghostwriters. That's no grave sin: Plenty of politicians use ghostwriters. But it should be noted that Clinton didn't exactly shower hers with credit. In Village, Clinton infamously failed to include Barbara Feinman--the ghostwriter Simon & Schuster paid $120,000 to help Hillary with the project--in her acknowledgements. Hillary haters subsequently made Feinman a literary martyr, alleging that she'd written the entire book. More recently, Hillary's advocates told the New Yorker that Feinman's work was so unsatisfactory that it was basically unusable and Hillary didn't credit her out of spite. The truth probably lies somewhere in between--which still doesn't make Hillary look particularly good."

Thursday 2/21/2008

Election Analysis: Obama - Between Super Tuesday and The Ohio and Texas Primaries  2/21/2008 Black Commentator

I found the BEEF - Obama's Senate Record  2/21/2008 Daily Kos

Did Vicki Iseman “Steal Honor” in THREE Presidential Elections?  2/21/2008 EmptyWheel: "For the moment, though, I'm more interested in the 2004 election--the one McCain didn't run in. You see, I find it a mighty curious coincidence that two of the companies for which Iseman was lobbying John McCain in 1999 and 2000--the time of their potentially inappropriate relationship--also happen to be the two television companies that championed the Kerry smear, "Stolen Honor," in 2004."

Hillary: ‘Ready to Lie From Day 1' About Venezuela  2/21/2008 Huffington Post: "In a major speech yesterday at George Washington University, Sen. Clinton drove the wedge [with Sen. Obama] deeper: “If I am entrusted with the presidency, America will have the courage, once again, to meet with our adversaries. But I will not be penciling in the leaders of Iran or North Korea or Venezuela or Cuba on the presidential calendar without preconditions; until we have assessed, through lower-level diplomacy, the motivations and intentions of these dictators.”"

Obama takes heat for skipping annual black forum  2/21/2008 McClatchy: ""Her coming to the event, it's a bit of a risk. She could get a chilly reception," Walters said. "If it hadn't been for South Carolina, she could go into the forum expecting a good reception." Minyon Moore, a Clinton campaign adviser, said the New York senator doesn't know what to expect on Saturday. "After all that's been reported and said, what hasn't changed is the commitment of Hillary, and Bill, Clinton to civil rights and racial equality," Moore said. "If people are willing to listen to her, we'll win the day.""

For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk  2/21/2008 NYT

Timing, Sourcing Suggest GOP, Not Dems, Behind McCain ‘Smear Campaign’  2/21/2008 Pensito Review: "The source of the story was most likely one of McCain’s rivals. Judging by their actions, almost all of them could be eliminated except for Mitt Romney, who, as has been noted here and elsewhere, made a big show of “suspending,” not ending his campaign. (Campaigns are often technically “suspended” when they close in order to keep payroll and accounting functions open but the difference here is how Romney stressed the word “suspended” in his concession, and how that keyword was picked up and repeated over and over by Beltway pundits and newsreaders — all of whom have known about this story since before Christmas.) The possibility that Romney’s mitts were all over this might explain McCain’s palpable antipathy toward him. The Huckabee campaign has known about the story, too, which explains Huckabee’s insistence on staying in, despite the dead-certain odds he’ll never get the delegates to beat McCain at the convention. Huckabee has said he’s sticking around in case McCain has a “macaca moment.”"

Wednesday 2/20/2008

Battle for Texas Latino vote challenges conventional wisdom  2/20/2008 American Statesman

Obama wins Wis. primary, Hawaii caucus  2/20/2008 AP

Texas' Complicated Rules May Favor Obama  2/20/2008 AP: "Hillary Rodham Clinton has been waiting to get to Texas to begin her comeback against a surging Barack Obama. She might be more careful about what she wishes for. Clinton has been banking on the state's large Hispanic population — typically about a quarter of the turnout in Democratic primaries — to give her a victory on March 4. But the Democratic Party in President Bush's home state has a complicated, hybrid primary-caucus that might just be better suited for Obama. "I had no idea how bizarre it is," Clinton told reporters this week. "We have grown men crying over it.""

Obama’s White Male Voters: Do They Hear Something Blacks Don’t?  2/20/2008 Black Agenda Report: "White men have always been the most reactionary, racially-bonded voting group, the deepest well of anti-Black hostility in the country. So, what makes them flock to Obama's banner? The answer is simple: Obama has based his entire strategy on sending messages to white males, assuring them he will take race and sex privilege off the table of American discourse. They got the message, and vote accordingly. The other side of this color blind coin is Black Americans, who don't seem to hear the conversation that's going on all around them." [This curious article makes the assumption that white men spend a lot of time worrying what folks like Sharpton and Jesse Jackson say about them.]

John McCain, Vicki Iseman: Who Is Vicki Iseman?  2/20/2008 Death by 1000 paper cuts: has original material on Iseman now missing from her company web site.

Two N.J. super delegates go to Obama; Norcross backs Obama; key Clinton supporters endorse Obama  2/20/2008 Politicker, NJ: "Barack Obama today picked up the support of two super delegates from New Jersey as several major Democratic leaders in South Jersey announced that they would switch their endorsements from Hillary Clinton to Obama. Super delegates Donald Norcross, who had previously been uncommitted, and State Sen. Dana Redd, who had backed Clinton, are now for Obama. This is a net pickup of two super delegates for Obama and a loss of one for Clinton."

Jackson to Dems: Play nice  2/20/2008 Politico: "The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, warned Wednesday that Democrats “could hurt themselves substantially, perhaps irreparably, in November” if fallout from the clash between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is not addressed quickly."

Obama not yet wise to Freak Show  2/20/2008 Politico: "Last year, Obama's campaign largely ignored the persistent rumor that he was some sort of crypto-Muslim. Emails to this effect circulated for months, tainting the first impression many casual voters had of the young senator. Obama's camp didn't want to give the smear more attention by spotlighting it, but it reached such a fever pitch in the days leading up to Iowa that the candidate himself finally had to bring it up in his stump speech. And even now, new anecdotes emerge every day about voters who are wary of Obama's middle name (Hussein) or his purported Muslim roots."

Obama surges past Clinton  2/20/2008 Reuters: "The poll showed Obama with a 14-point edge over Clinton, 52 percent to 38 percent, after being in a statistical tie with the New York senator last month. Obama's new lead follows a string of 10 wins in February for the Illinois senator, who has moved ahead in the battle for pledged delegates who vote on the party's nominee at the August convention."

HILLARY CLINTON SPEAKS AT TAVIS SMILEY’S 2008 SYMPOSIUM TO FOCUS ON DEMOCRACY & ENGAGE 1,000 VOLUNTEERS TO REBUILD POST-KATRINA NEW ORLEANS  2/20/2008 Tavis Smiley Presents

Pro-Clinton 527 Prepares For Ohio, PA and Texas  2/20/2008 The Atlantic: "Allies of Hillary Clinton plan an expensive, stealth campaign to buttress her standing in the must-win states of Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania. They're canvassing Clinton donors for pledges of up to $100,000 in the hope of raising at least $10M by the end of next week. The money will be placed in the account of a political committee organized under section 527 of the tax code. A Democrat who was briefed on the project said that Pennsylvania attorney William A. K. Titelman is leading the effort to solicit money. Titleman, who raised money for Gov. Bill Richardson's presidential campaign, has not contributed money to Clinton. He did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment. By law, the 527 cannot coordinate its activities with the Clinton campaign, although at least one major Clinton donor with direct ties to the campaign said last night that the effort was an open secret among donors."

Tuesday 2/19/2008

Clintons Plumb Absurd Depths  2/19/2008 Consortium News: "So, even as Hillary Clinton’s cornerstone argument – her “ready on Day One” superior management skills – has crumbled amid the wreckage of her inept campaign, she sends her surrogates out to attack Barack Obama over trivial matters, like whether he adopted a rhetorical argument that his friend, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, once used. Though politicians often borrow phrases – and policies – from one another, the Clinton campaign accused Obama of “plagiarism,” an over-the-top attack on his character. It didn’t seem to matter that Obama and Patrick had discussed the use of the phrasing and that the Massachusetts governor – an Obama campaign co-chair – wasn’t complaining. Nor did it seem to matter that the substance of the Obama/Patrick argument was correct – that inspiring words can be crucial in rallying citizens in a democracy to join in an important cause or to overcome entrenched interests."

Larry Sinclair's Obama Allegations: MSM Has Plenty of Practice Ignoring Certain Stories YouTube Suppressing the Popularity of the Sinclair Video?  2/19/2008 Death by 1000 paper cuts: "Larry Sinclair has filed a federal suit against Barack Obama and others for harassment since the gay man released his video on YouTube alleging that the Senator from Illinois and Sinclair shared gay sex and cocaine in the back of a limo in Gurnee, IL in 1999."

Clinton targets pledged delegates  2/19/2008 Politico: "Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign intends to go after delegates whom Barack Obama has already won in the caucuses and primaries if she needs them to win the nomination. This strategy was confirmed to me by a high-ranking Clinton official on Monday. And I am not talking about superdelegates, those 795 party big shots who are not pledged to anybody. I am talking about getting pledged delegates to switch sides."

Sen. Clinton to attend New Orleans symposium  2/19/2008 Times Picayune

Monday 2/18/2008

Screw the Voters. Let Superdelegates Decide!  2/18/2008 Common Dreams: "The superdelegate system, as we know it, came from the backlash of the 1980s. In January 1982, supported by Mondale, the Hunt Commission and Democratic National Committee reversed grassroots reforms. They rewrote the rules, not to make elections open and fair, but to make sure that centrist (right-wing) candidates maintained hegemony over nominees and party affairs. It was out of fear of new uncontrollable voters that the Commission created a block of uncommitted delegates drawn from a primarily white, male establishment. Mondale, the same insider who prevented elected Mississipppians from taking their seats in 1964, played the pivotal role in creating hundreds of unelected delegates in 1984. Superdelegates comprised 14 percent of the convention in 1984, and eighty-five percent of the superdelegates picked Mondale. Not long after superdelegates picked “the sure winner,” Mondale was trounced in the presidential election. Nevertheless, the superdelgate number passed the 600 mark by 1988. The Jesse Jackson campaign, especially the massive victory over Dukkakis on Super Tuesday, electrified the party and the country. Jackson won 7 million primary votes in 1988, more than Mondale won as the nominee in 1984. Many party regulars were gripped with panic, and some superdelegates organized a stop-Jackson movement within the party. Jackson protested the role of superdelegates, but his challenge went unheeded. Party leaders continued to look for ways to blunt the growing power of grassroots movements. While they could not stop voters from voting, they could dilute the impact of the reform movements by manufacturing added voters as a countervailing force."

Hillary's New York superdelegates are feeling the heat  2/18/2008 NY Daily News: "The Queens Democrat and superdelegate, Rep. Gregory Meeks, who remains solidly in Hillary Clinton's corner despite the fact that Barack Obama won his district, was the target of a mysterious flyer circulated at the Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators' 37th annual conference in Albany this weekend. "Now that you won't be part of the White House, and we know you like taking trips, we guess you'll be going to Disneyland," read the unadorned black-and-white flyer, signed by "people united for quality representation in government." The "taking trips" gibe referred to the fact that Meeks made a top 10 list for privately funded congressional travel in 2006. Meeks' nameless critics urged "someone" to "please step up" against him, singling out state Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Queens) and Democratic City Councilmen Leroy Comrie and James Sanders of Queens - none of whom have so far expressed an interest in mounting a primary challenge."

More on the War Over ‘Words’  2/18/2008 NYT: "“Let’s see, I’ve written two books. I wrote most of my speeches,” Mr. Obama said. “I would add that I noticed Senator Clinton, on occasion, has used words of mine as well.” Indeed, two of Mr. Obama’s standard lines – “It’s time to turn the page,” and “Fired up and ready to go,” – have made their way into Mrs. Clinton’s campaign appearances during their contentious fight for the Democratic presidential nomination. In recent days, echoes of his “Yes we can,” chant has surfaced in Mrs. Clinton’s speeches as “Yes we will.” "

Clinton Ups the Ante in Wisconsin  2/18/2008 WaPo: "Barack Obama's campaign is showing it will not stand down in the increasingly vituperative ad war with Hillary Rodham Clinton ahead of Wisconsin's primary on Tuesday."

Sunday 2/17/2008

Has Obama Trapped the Israel Lobby? A Theory…  2/17/2008 Israel e News

Do-or-die Hillary turns bully as Obama starts to pull away  2/17/2008 London Times: "Clinton’s camp has been circulating stories criticising the “cult” of Obama in the hope of portraying “Obamania” as a mass delusion. Media Matters, a watchdog organisation sympathetic to Clinton, compiled a report headlined, “Media figures call Obama supporters’ behaviour ‘creepy’, compare them to Hare Krishna and Charles Manson followers”. It was forwarded by Sidney Blumenthal, a top Clinton adviser, to select reporters. The campaign entered a nasty phase last week with the determination of Clinton’s team to revive delegates from the “ghost” primaries of Michigan and Florida, by legal action if necessary."

Right slams Obama as 'shady Chicago socialist'  2/17/2008 London Times: "LEADING Republicans believe they can trounce Barack Obama in the presidential election by tarring him as a shady Chicago socialist. They are increasingly confident that his campaign could collapse by the time their attack machine has finished with him. Grover Norquist, an influential conservative tax reform lobbyist, said: “Barack Obama has been able to create his own image and introduce himself to voters, but the swing voters in a general election are not paying attention yet. He is open to being defined as a leftwing, corrupt Chicago politician.” Norquist’s comments will be music to the ears of Hillary Clinton, Obama’s Democratic rival, who believes Obama has not been sufficiently “vetted” for the White House. She has been unable to attack him too vociferously without risking a backlash from Democratic primary voters, but Republicans may salvage her campaign by doing the job for her."

Obama wears bracelet in memory of dead soldier  2/17/2008 The Root: "Barack Obama is wearing a wristband in memory of a soldier killed in Iraq, given to him by a mother who said she wants the Democratic presidential candidate to keep others from dying. Tracy Jopek of Merrill, Wis., gave Obama the bracelet at a rally Friday night in Green Bay, and Obama was still wearing it Saturday as he campaigned across the state before Tuesday's primary."

In praise of Barack - Raanan Shaked explains why he cast his fears aside and started adoring Barack Obama  2/17/2008 Ynet News, Israel

Saturday 2/16/2008

No, He Can't Because Yes, They Will  2/16/2008 Huffington Post: "Obama's untested achilles heel is his relationship with three men -- Tony Rezko, William Ayers, and Rashid Khalidi. These names will become shorthand for Corruption, Terrorism, and the Destruction of Israel. Oh yes, I know. I am going to extremes. Well, let me lay out the facts and explain how the Republicans will likely use these relationships to bludgeon Obama's presidential aspirations into dust. My challenge to you Obama supporters is to explain to me and other readers of this blog how Obama will defuse these issues."

Clinton scales back campaign schedule here  2/16/2008 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton has scaled back her Wisconsin campaign schedule by a full day, and is now planning to leave the state after Monday morning instead of Tuesday morning. The move suggests the campaign does not think it can overtake rival Barack Obama here. Obama has already campaigned in the state Tuesday night, Wednesday, Friday, and today. He also has single events planned for Sunday (Kaukauna) and Monday (Beloit). While the two have exchanged hard-hitting TV ads here, Obama began airing ads a week earlier and has spent much more on TV. "

Democrats Look for Way to Avoid Convention Rift  2/16/2008 NYT: "Former Vice President Al Gore and a number of other senior Democrats plan to remain neutral for now in the presidential race in part to keep open the option to broker a peaceful resolution to what they fear could be a bitterly divided convention, party officials and aides said Friday."

Wexler blasts e-mails disputing Obama's support for Israel  2/16/2008 Palm Beach Post: "U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Delray Beach, an early, ardent supporter of Obama's presidential campaign and one of the staunchest Israel supporters in Congress, said of the e-mail: "It's not true." Wexler said he and former Ambassador Dennis Ross, who advised both President George H.W. Bush and President Clinton on the Middle East, are Obama's principal advisers on Israel policy. "I think it's fair to say that no one in Congress is more dedicated to Israel's security than I am, and that's why Sen. Obama includes me at this level," Wexler said."

Hillary's "McGovern" Problem - An Inside Report By Robert D. Novak  2/16/2008 Rasmussen Report: "Strategists for Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign believe it is imperative to identify her high-flying opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, with the "McGovern wing" of the Democratic Party -- but they want to keep their candidate's fingerprints off the attack. During the two weeks remaining before the important Ohio and Texas primaries on March 4, Clinton insiders want to spread the message that Obama represents the radical left-wing politics of George McGovern's 1972 candidacy, which won only one state. But they don't know how to accomplish this. When Clinton herself has launched past attacks on Obama, it has hurt her with voters. The Clinton campaign is confident of winning in Texas because of the state's Hispanic vote. But it sees the need in Ohio to identify Obama as a leftist in the eyes of lower-income white voters, who often have supported Republican candidates against Democratic opponents they consider too liberal."

Obama as the Next McGovern?  2/16/2008 Talk Left: [the pro-Hillary attack machine finally swings into action on this theme]

Friday 2/15/2008

February 15, 2008 - Texas Primary Preferences  2/15/2008 American Research Group, Inc.: "Clinton 42%, Obama 48%, Someone else 3%, Undecided 7% - Hillary Clinton leads Barack Obama among self-described Democrats 47% to 42%. Obama leads Clinton among self-described independents and Republicans 24% to 71%. Obama leads among men 55% to 29% (47% of likely Democratic primary voters) and Clinton leads among women 54% to 42%. Clinton leads Obama among white voters 51% to 40% (53% of likely Democratic primary voters), Obama leads Clinton among African American voters 76% to 17% (22% of likely Democratic primary voters), and Clinton leads Obama among Latino voters 44% to 42%."

The War Party Targets Obama - They'll never let him become president  2/15/2008 AntiWar: "In the face of this nationwide upsurge of Obama-mania, the War Party is making threatening noises, such as in this piece in the Jerusalem Post reporting Malcolm Hoenlein's visit to Israel, where he announced that Obama's candidacy may represent a threat: "All the talk about change, but without defining what that change should be is an opening for all kind of mischief. Of course Obama has plenty of Jewish supporters and there are many Jews around him. But there is a legitimate concern over the zeitgeist around the campaign." Yes, the "zeitgeist" just isn't right, according to Hoenlein, who also took out after Obama for going after Hillary Clinton's vote in favor of putting the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on the official list of terrorist organizations. This election year, warns Hoenlein, is signaling a sea change away from unconditional support to Israel, which most Americans see, he avers, as "a dark and militaristic place." Gee, I wonder why? Could it be the repeated invasions of neighboring states by the IDF? Or perhaps it's the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories, which is both brutal and seemingly never-ending."

Obama Likely to Get SEIU Endorsement  2/15/2008 AP: "Sen. Barack Obama is poised to get a coveted endorsement from the Service Employees International Union, which could give his campaign a major boost going into the March primaries in Ohio and Texas against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton… Clinton has at least 12 union endorsements, the latest coming from the United Farm Workers, also a Change to Win member."

Obama's Ties Might Fuel `Republican Attack Machine' (Update2)  2/15/2008 Bloomberg: "I think that it is inevitable that the media and Republicans will try to resort to these tactics,'' said Julian Epstein, a Democratic strategist. Epstein says he isn't affiliated with any campaign, though he has raised money for Clinton, given advice to Clinton and former candidate Bill Richardson, and would advise Obama if asked."

Jewish functionaries stirring the Clinton-Obama race  2/15/2008 Haaretz, Israel: "Official Israel is making an effort to maintain a respectable neutrality. Has-beens are being called into the ring, like a former ambassador to Washington, Dan Ayalon, who jabbed Obama in a sensitive spot - the volume of his support for Israel. Ayalon is not alone. Jewish advisers and non-Jewish supporters are almost obsessively occupied with searching for skeletons in the black candidate's past. The Republican Party's neoconservative clique is trawling archives for "anti-Israeli" essays by advisers who had been seen in Obama's staff. Robert Malley, who was President Bill Clinton's special assistant during the Camp David talks, joined Obama. The neoconservatives reached Malley's father, a Jew of Egyptian descent, who, alas, kept childhood ties with Yasser Arafat. Malley junior is accused of publishing a joint article with an Oslo-supporting Palestinian, in which they dared to argue that Ehud Barak played a major role in the Camp David summit's failure in July 2000. Obama is working hard to allay the fears of "Israel's friends," a description reserved mainly for activists of the pro-Israeli lobby AIPAC and for Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents. As far as they're concerned, whoever doesn't support the Israeli government's policy 100 percent is unfit for leadership. Clinton is reaping the fruit of her investment in the Jewish community and Israel since first running for a Senate seat in New York. She is also benefiting from Bill Clinton's popularity in synagogues, Israeli homes and among his rich Jewish friends. A long list of initiatives and declarations has erased from the collective Jewish memory the first lady's "slip" in spring 1998, after Arafat threatened Benjamin Netanyahu with a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. Clinton then said at a gathering of Israeli and Palestinian youth, members of the Seeds of Peace organization, that it was important to have a "functioning modern" Palestinian state." She also said "it will be in the long-term interest of the Middle East for Palestine to be a state...responsible for its citizens' well-being...education and health care.'' "

Inside Track: Taking Stock of Barack  2/15/2008 National Interest: "Still, Obama can be fairly criticized on a key aspect of his Iran position. Obama has maintained that Hillary Clinton’s vote in favor of the Kyl-Lieberman Amendment, which designates the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a foreign terrorist organization, could potentially provide Bush with a political pretext to take America to war with Iran. Obama said he would have voted against the amendment, but he was absent from the vote. If Obama felt that passage of the amendment could potentially serve as something as dramatic as a pretext for war, he certainly should have made himself available to vote against it. Obama’s record is not free of vacillation or disconnect, but in broad strokes it seems to reflect logical cohesiveness and a tendency to stake politically risky positions in forthright terms—such as his stated willingness to meet with the Iranian leader. It is perhaps for this reason that his opponents prefer to recast his past positions, rather than reckon fairly with his record and proposals."

Pelosi: Don't overrule the voters  2/15/2008 SF Chronicle: ""I think there is a concern when the public speaks and there is a counter-decision made to that," she said, adding quickly, "I don't think that will happen." She said the governors, lawmakers, DNC members and others picked as super delegates are chosen through a grassroots process and are accountable to the party's voters. "I do think that they have a respect -- it's not just following the returns, it's also having a respect for what has been said by the people," Pelosi said. "It would be a problem for the party if the verdict would be something different than the public has decided." That message will be music to the ears of Barack Obama, who's building a lead in pledged delegates and is urging the super delegates to follow the voters. He now leads 1,133 to 996 in pledged delegates, while Hillary Clinton has a 242-163 edge among super delegates, according to the latest tally by RealClearPolitics. Obama holds the overall edge, 1296-1238."

Thursday 2/14/2008

Former GOP senator to endorse Obama  2/14/2008 AP: "Former Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee is endorsing Democratic Sen. Barack Obama. The Rhode Islander told The Associated Press he is endorsing Obama in a conference call Thursday. Chafee left the Republican Party last year and became an independent."

After Potomac Sweep, Can Obama’s Momentum Be Stopped? Clinton’s Determined to Try  2/14/2008 Black America Web

Clinton leads in Ohio poll  2/14/2008 Boston Globe: "The SurveyUSA survey gives her a 56 percent to 39 percent lead over Barack Obama, thanks to a 3-2 lead among whites and strong support in the central and eastern parts of the Buckeye State."

Holding Barack Obama Accountable  2/14/2008 Democratic Underground

Ohio: Obama Lands His A-Team  2/14/2008 Huffington Post: "Behind the scenes of the Obama-Clinton race to capture Ohio's 161 delegates, the biggest jackpot of states still in contention, it will be a killer match between each campaign's point man: Paul Tewes and Robby Mook. Among campaign professionals,Tewes is widely regarded among the very most talented of political organizers in the nation - he's largely responsible for Obama's surprise win in Iowa, which proved that the "inevitable" nomination of Hillary Clinton wasn't so inevitable and that white voters, independents, and women could be lured to Obama. Mook also comes with an impressive campaign record. He was Howard Dean's field director in the New Hampshire Primary and a former deputy field director for the Democratic National Committee. As the state director for Nevada, he led Hillary Clinton's impressive win there last month, successfully wooing Latinos and women back to the Clinton fold."

Latino vote is not a myth  2/14/2008 News Herald, NC: "There are those who still question whether the Latino vote is as important as it is proclaimed to be. Some wonder if Latinos actually go out and vote, and if it's an exaggeration to say that Latino voters will decide who will be the next president of the United States. Even those of us who actively promote the Hispanic vote sometimes are fearful that our optimistic outlook on the awakening of the sleeping giant could fall flat on its face. But Super Martes helped clear up any doubt skeptics might have had about the political clout of the fastest-growing sector of our electorate. Now we know. Latinos do go out and vote, and not only will they decide who will be the next president of the United States, but for the first time they have a say in who will be the candidates for the Republican and Democratic parties."

Clinton leading Obama in Ohio, Pennsylvania: poll  2/14/2008 Reuters: "Clinton, a New York senator, has lost eight straight nominating contests to Illinois Sen. Obama, but leads him 55 percent to 34 percent among likely Democratic primary voters in Ohio, the poll found. Among Ohio Democrats, women back Clinton, 56 percent to 30 percent for Obama, while men back Clinton 52 percent to 42 percent, the poll found."

Change Obama can believe in: Socialism?  2/14/2008 World Tribune, Falls Church, VA: "He is, in fact, an associate of a Chicago-based socialist group with ties to the Socialist International, access to millions of labor union dollars and connections to expert political consultants, including a convicted swindler. Obama’s socialist backing goes back at least to 1996, when he received the endorsement of the Chicago branch of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) for an Illinois state senate seat. Later, the Chicago DSA newsletter reported that Obama, as a state senator, showed up to eulogize Saul Mendelson, one of the “champions” of “Chicago’s democratic left” and a long-time socialist activist."

Clinton Team Seeks to Calm Turmoil  2/14/2008 WSJ: "Earlier this week, Mr. Mantz held a quick meeting in a hotel lobby in Washington with donors, some of whom are involved in the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC and were in town for other business. Mr. Mantz also went to Philadelphia to meet with Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and supporters there. "Momentum [for Mr. Obama] doesn't amount to a sweep, and we can weather the storm in February," Mr. Mantz told the groups. "This is a roller coaster; hang on for the topsy-turvy ride.""

Wednesday 2/13/2008

Pressure's on Mass. Superdelegates 2/13/2008 Boston Globe

Che flag sends 'disturbing' message about Obama 2/13/2008 World Net Daily: Che iconography

Tuesday 2/12/2008

Clinton Accuses Obama of Cutting Deals With Contributor  2/12/2008 ABC

Rendell: Race Factor Could Hurt Obama  2/12/2008 AP

Exit polls: Obama stealing Clinton's base  2/12/2008 CNN: "According to exit polls out of both Virginia and Maryland, in both states Obama won roughly 60 percent of the female vote — a demographic that has carried Clinton to success in past primaries. Clinton fared even worse among men – more than two-thirds in both states chose Obama. Meanwhile, the Illinois senator scored his highest percentage of African-American support to date — winning close to 90 percent of that voting bloc in each state. And the two evenly split the white vote in Virginia, while Clinton slightly beat Obama among the white vote in Maryland. In most past primaries, Clinton has held an edge among white voters. Obama even beat Clinton among Latino voters, a group that has heavily favored Clinton in most past primaries. In Virginia and Maryland, Latinos went for Obama over Clinton by 6 points, though their support was not decisive in either contest – only 5 percent of Democratic primary voters in Virginia, and 4 percent in Maryland, were Latino."

Clinton campaign emits end-of-the-line vibes as lags nag at Hillary  2/12/2008 NY Daily News

Monday 2/11/2008

What Dems Need to Know About John McCain 2/11/2008 Alternet: "A former GOP operative gives the background on what it will take to compete with the likely GOP nominee."

Women 'falling for Obama' 2/11/2008 News 24, South Africa

Sunday 2/10/2008

Hillary, Will You Renounce Your Ties to Monsanto? 2/10/2008 Counterpunch: "Your Orwellian-named "Rural Americans for Hillary" were Monsanto's lobbyists. My greater concern, though, is you former-employer, Rose Law Firm, representing Monsanto, world's largest GE (GE - genetic engineering) corporation; Tyson, world's largest meat producer; Walmart, the world's largest retailer. Rose is home to Industrial FOOD."

Local Pressure Builds On Superdelegates 2/10/2008 Sirotablog: "The question is whether politicians and party officials with superdelegate votes will be loyal to a fellow politician or loyal to small-d democracy. The history of the superdelegates, which I trace in my upcoming book The Uprising, is one that designed the superdelegates to thwart democracy. In order to stop that this year, I have written that we need to start pressuring superdelegates to do what the Maine Democratic Party chairman did: pledge their superdelegate vote to whomever their voters support in primaries and caucuses."

Saturday 2/9/2008

Dem Latino Vote Is No One's Big Enchilada  2/9/2008 Alternet: "A careful look at Super Tuesday's Latino vote shows it was not monolithic -- it was segmented across regional and other demographic lines."

How Obama Could Create a Long-Term Democratic Majority  2/9/2008 Alternet: "Obama also offers the chance to make this new generation part of an enduring Democratic coalition -- because once young voters support a particular party a few times in a row, they're likely to gravitate toward that party for the rest of their lives. That so many young Obama supporters are turning out to rally, volunteer and vote suggests that he might be one of those watershed candidates who really can bring a new generation into politics and help shape their long-term loyalties, permanently enlarging the Democratic share of the electorate. But because of Hillary Clinton's attacks on Obama, she risks destroying this shift just as it's beginning to emerge."

Where Does Obama Come Down on Bush's 'War on Terror'?  2/9/2008 Alternet: "Barack Obama has pushed for restoring habeas corpus and closing Gitmo, but some of his positions on terrorism and civil liberties are vague."

Wilder Still Sore Over Clinton Comment  2/9/2008 AP: "The nation's first elected black governor said Saturday he is not ready to excuse comments former President Bill Clinton made about Barack Obama. In campaigning for his wife last month on the eve of the New Hampshire primary, Clinton called Obama's opposition to the Iraq war "a fairy tale." Clinton suggested Obama had toned down his early anti-war fervor during his 2004 Senate campaign. "Barack Obama is not a fairy tale. He is real," former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder told reporters at a Democratic fundraiser as the former president spent the day campaigning for Hillary Rodham Clinton in Richmond and three other Virginia cities."

Hillary's Curious Campaign Loan  2/9/2008 Consortium News: "Unlike other well-to-do politicians, the Clintons did not inherit their wealth or amass a fortune during a prior business career. Just seven years ago, on leaving the White House, the Clintons were millions of dollars in debt due to the costs of fighting legal battles. Since then, they amassed a personal fortune – now estimated at about $30 million – largely from book contracts and the cachet of a former U.S. President, whose status attracted lucrative business deals and speaking tours, many involving overseas interests. The proximity between the Clintons’ new-found wealth and Hillary Clinton’s presidential run raised eyebrows over whether the $5 million loan – and any future financial help she might give her campaign – could constitute backdoor financing from benefactors beyond what they could legally donate."

Hillary’s List - Republican strategies to guarantee that Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination  2/9/2008 Global Research: "Overt Republican operations to ensure Senator Clinton’s victory have ranged from destructive email campaigns against her opponents to massive direct financial support to her campaign from corporate lobbyists loyal to the neoconservative and corporate ideals of the Republican Party. Serious question marks have been raised over the role of heavyweight Republican contributors, Alan Quasha and Hassan Nemazee, who have been described as “Hillary’s mystery money men.” These two valuable political assets have records of financial backing for both George W. Bush and former Senator Jesse Helms. In a suspicious transaction, Quasha acquired Harken Oil from George W. Bush providing the future president with a financial windfall that launched him into his career as an owner of a team in minor league baseball. Bush bought the Texas Rangers and financed his campaign for governor with the capital provided by Quasha, who is now backing Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the presidency. With his longstanding relationship with George W. Bush, there is little wonder why Quasha is referred to as “Hillary’s mystery man.” But, Quasha’s ties to Hillary are not as simple as that, because his family is linked to both: the former dictator of the Phillipines, Ferdinand Marcos, and the international intelligence community – a linkage that brought him into the charmed circle of George Bush, Sr. over two decades ago. Hillary’s other “mystery man,” Hassan Nemazee is the employer of the long-serving Clinton apparatchik: Terry McAuliffe, a former head of the Democratic National Committee."

Californy power - How heartland beat hip on Super Tuesday.  2/9/2008 LA Times: "Inland California was Clinton country, providing her the huge margins that paved the way for her 10-point victory statewide. Her performance in the interior demonstrated once again her national stranglehold on poor and working-class voters. In California, she won big majorities among people who make less than $50,000 a year, while Obama won majorities among those making $100,000 or more, according to exit polls. Her much-touted Latino backing -- she won two-thirds of Latino Democratic voters statewide -- also gave her an inland boost. Riverside County is now 42% Latino, according to the most recent census figures. San Bernardino County is 46%. For many, the results were unsurprising. "Hillary particularly attracts blue-collar voters," says Carol Robb, a retired alternative high school teacher who serves as the county Democratic chair in San Bernardino. "We also have a very high percentage of Hispanic voters. When you put those two together, that's my take on how you get the result you got."

The Foulmouthed & Lying Clintons  2/9/2008 Maledicta Press: "Larry Patterson confirmed that he frequently heard Bill Clinton use "nigger" to refer to both Jesse Jackson and local Little Rock black leader Robert "Say" McIntosh. Longtime Clinton paramour Dolly Kyle Browning corroborated Patterson on Clinton's use of "nigger." "Not only did he use the 'N' word, he called him a 'GDN' [goddamn nigger], if you catch my drift," Browning told Fox News in 1999. [NewsMax, 17 July 2000] Brown also told NewsMax that the president would regularly make derogatory comments about African-Americans in private. "He has used the 'N' word before. Bill would make snide remarks about blacks behind their backs." [Carl Limbacher and NewsMax Staff, 17 July 2000] Patterson said Hillary was no stranger to the "N" word either. He heard her say "nigger" "probably six, eight, ten times. She would be upset with someone in the black community and she would use the 'N' word, like, you heard they've got the president's brother on tape using the 'N' word." [NewsMax, 17 July 2000]" [NewsMax is a right wing publication of doubtful veracity]

Live updates from the Nebraska Democratic caucuses  2/9/2008 Omaha World Herald: "11:42 a.m. It doesn't look good for Clinton at Monroe Middle School. The line to the Clinton box is empty. The line to vote for Obama is about a half block long."

Obama's first coming  2/9/2008 the Australian: "The Clinton camp is now on the defensive and in an extraordinary turnaround started calling him the "establishment" candidate. But the danger remains for Obama in managing the cult-like fervour. Obviously, he's no messiah and lofty expectations of his supporters is something that Obama is also acutely aware of. In stockmarket parlance, Obama's share price is soaring on expected future earnings. Clinton, 20 years in the public eye, is like the industrial conglomerate: steady share price and reliable dividends. Think of Obama as Google and Clinton as General Electric. The problem for high-flying stocks is that any bad news can cause the share price to drop sharply. So far Obama has played the bad news extraordinarily well. What turned out to be a shock loss in New Hampshire to Clinton last month might have taken the wind out of his sails but in fact it only galvanised his supporters more: they bought more Obama "stock". The campaign revealed this week that the biggest fund raising day in that whopping $US32 million month was the day after Obama lost New Hampshire."

Hillary Inc.  2/9/2008 The Nation: published May 07

Friday 2/8/2008

Sleepless in Seattle, for Delegates  2/8/2008 ABC: "Clinton and Obama both flew to this Pacific Northwest state Thursday in preparation for Saturday's caucuses. Both campaigns had assumed that by now one of the candidates would have taken the lead, but instead the the two fought to a draw in the 22 Democratic contests on Super Tuesday, Feb. 5. There are 78 delegates up for grabs at the Washington state caucuses, along with 19 superdelegates. All told, about 161 Democratic delegates are at stake Saturday in Washington , Louisiana, Nebraska and the Virgin Islands. Washington's two Democratic Senators, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, have endorsed Clinton — endorsements that mean all the more because the two are also superdelegates. Clinton made sure to send them a strong shout-out Thursday night. Superdelegates can change their votes any time they want, for whatever reason they want."

The Three Co-Chairs of the DNC Delegate Credentials Committee All Served in Clinton Administration  2/8/2008 Buzzflash

Examining Clinton & Obama’s Stances on the Subprime Mortgage Crisis, Universal Healthcare, Privatizing Social Security and Nuclear Energy  2/8/2008 Democracy Now

Prediction: Barack Obama Wins Majority of Super-Delegates! (Brent Budowsky)  2/8/2008 Pundits' Blog: "In the end, I believe they will, because with such enormous national antipathy to insiders in Washington, it would be a mega-disaster for Democrats if the insiders disrespected the voters. Here is why I predict Barack Obama wins the derby for super-delegates in the end: First, I believe Obama will end the primary season with a modest to moderate lead in pledged delegates. Not overwhelming, but real. We shall see, but that is my call based on current trends. Second, and this is important, in almost all recent polls, Obama has outperformed Hillary Clinton in match-ups against John McCain. This has been a consistent pattern in recent polling and I definitely predict this will continue because Obama has far more support among political independents than does Clinton."

Washington Presidential Caucus Information  2/8/2008 Seattle Medium: for the Feb 9th Caucuses.

I Heard That: Super Bowl Sunday, Michelle Obama and Espanola Jackson  2/8/2008 SF Bay View: "Check it out - Michelle Obama, pretty wife of Senator Barack Obama, captured my attention, glued to C-Span's coverage of the Barack Obama for President rally at the University of California, Los Angeles! I could not leave my pad to join Big Mac McGriff and his Super Bowl Posse, late, mesmerized by Michelle's rallying speech talking about her man! The Sistuh' can talk! A phenomenal woman whose feisty, intelligent, upbeat, and tough! "

The Obama campaign: Organizing and empowering the people  2/8/2008 SF Bay View: "Obama has enlisted hundreds of seasoned organizers -including unions, community groups, churches and environmental groups - into his campaign. They, in turn, have mobilized thousands of volunteers - many of them neophytes in electoral politics - into tightly knit, highly motivated and efficient teams. This organizing effort has turned out a new group of voters, many of them young people and first-time voters. Obama's landslide victory in South Carolina was due in large measure to this grassroots organizing approach, which dramatically expanded voter turnout. Obama's campaign had organizers in each of South Carolina's 46 counties, 32 get-out-the-vote offices throughout the state, and 154 "staging" areas where volunteers picked up precinct lists and campaign materials. The South Carolina campaign was so well organized they conducted two GOTV "dry runs" on the two previous Saturdays before the primary, practicing every step of the election day operation to make sure that all staff and volunteers understood their responsibilities."

Caught Between Race and Class  2/8/2008 Sirotablog: "But the decision also likely has to do with the fact that Obama knows that if he voiced a more full-throated populism, he would be depicted in the media as a race-centric candidate - even if his populism was race-blind. As my column shows, power-challenging African-American politicians have been marginalized in this way for the better part of a half century. The moment a black leader talks about class or threatens the Establishment, he or she is billed as a race-centric radical."

Thursday 2/7/2008

Obama's Campaign after South Carolina and Super Tuesday  2/7/2008 Black Commentator: "Clinton haughtily defended her curious view of the history of the Civil Rights Movement and the enactment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, saying that it was Barack Obama who distorted the meaning of her comment as news of it reverberated through the African-American population. However, in an interview with the press during Sunday afternoon of January 13th, Obama replied forcefully, as reported in the Boston Globe (January 14, 2008): "What we saw this [Sunday] morning is why the American people are tired of Washington politicians and the games they play. But Senator Clinton made an unfortunate remark, an ill-advised remark, about King and Lyndon Johnson. I didn't make the statement. I haven't remarked on it, and she, I think, offended some folks who felt that somehow diminished King's role in bringing about the Civil Rights Act. She is free to explain that, but the notion that somehow this is our doing is ludicrous." ...It happened that polls taken in October and November 2007 found Hillary Clinton leading Barack Obama among Black voters in South Carolina by as much as 20 percentage points. And Black women voters favored Clinton more strongly than Black male voters. But a combination of new developments from late November onward slowly but surely reversed this equation."

Cash-rich Obama ready to take boost from next battlegrounds  2/7/2008 Guardian, UK: "Barack Obama goes into the next stage of the campaign to win the Democratic nomination with clear advantages in funding and electoral appeal after the Super Tuesday mega-showdown ended close to a dead heat. Clinton emerged from the biggest-ever series of primaries and caucuses in the US, sprawling over 22 states, with close to 90 more delegates than Obama. But he won more states and is expecting wins in the next round of seven contests where the demographics suit him, with large African-American populations in Louisiana, Washington DC and Maryland."

Four more American drug planes seized  2/7/2008 Mad Cow: "The Republican connection begins with the statement in court filings that the money to purchase the planes was laundered through a bank which is almost invariably described as “fast-growing” in admiring business news articles. The drug money was wired, usually from Mexico, to an account at Commerce Bank in Miami, whose Chairman, Dennis Nixon, is the South Texas Co-chair of John McCain’s campaign. Nixon was also a Bush Pioneer and Ranger in George W. Bush’s two Presidential campaigns, raising $300,000 in one night for Bush’s re-election bid in Texas border town Laredo. High-profile Texas businessman Dennis Nixon's bank is even— in one of the sales—involved on both ends. Money was wired from Mexico, first to an account at Commerce Bank in Miami, then on to International Bank of Commerce (IBC) in Oklahoma to complete the sale. Dennis Nixon's International Bancshares of San Antonio owns both banks."

And Obama Wept  2/7/2008 Political Punch, ABC: ""Excuse me, but this sounds more like a cult than a political campaign. The language used here is the language of evangelical Christianity – the Obama volunteers speak of 'coming to Obama' in the same way born-again Christians talk about 'coming to Jesus.'...So I say, we should all get a grip, stop all this unseemly mooning over Barack, see him and the political landscape he is a part of in a cooler, clearer, and more realistic light, and get to work." Joe Klein, writing at Time, notes "something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism" he sees in Obama's Super Tuesday speech."

Dead heat: Obama and Clinton split the Syracuse vote 50-50  2/7/2008 Post Standard, Syracuse: "Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama received the exact same number of votes, according to unofficial Board of Election results. Clinton: 6,001. Obama: 6,001."

A Short-Term Solution to the Potential Superdelegate Problem  2/7/2008 Sirotablog: "As I discuss more fully in my upcoming book, The Uprising, superdelegate system was created to make sure the party Establishment - not rank-and-file voters - gets control over the nomination. And if such superdelegates make up the margin of victory for the nominee this year, then it means the Establishment will have control over who the nominee is - not us the voters."

Cleaning up Dean's big mess  2/7/2008 St Petersburg Times: "We were among the many voices who argued before the primary election that the national party should have made the primary votes of Florida Democrats count. We begged Clinton and Obama to campaign here. Dean and the candidates refused to listen and treated this state as if it were invisible. So no one can argue with a straight face that the votes the Democrats would not recognize on election day now should decide the Democratic nomination. If the election had counted, Clinton and Obama would have campaigned here. Even more Democrats would have gone to the polls. The outcome might have been different, or the delegate count might have been closer. We will never know. What we do know is Dean and the national party have made a spectacular mess that could affect who becomes the Democratic nominee and who wins the White House in November. They better come up with a fair way to clean it up."

The Democrats’ Class War  2/7/2008 Truth Dig: "Though Obama certainly is less industry-owned than Clinton, the Washington Post noted last spring that he was the top recipient of Wall Street contributions. That cash is hush money, contingent on candidates silencing their populist rhetoric. But while this pressure to keep quiet affects all politicians, it is especially intense against black leaders. “If Obama started talking like John Edwards and tapped into working-class, blue-collar proletarian rage, suddenly all of those white voters who are viewing him within the lens of transcendence would start seeing him differently,” says Charles Ellison of the University of Denver’s Center for African American Policy. That’s because once Obama parroted Edwards’ attacks on greed and inequality, he would “be stigmatized as a candidate mobilizing race,” says Manning Marable, a Columbia University history professor. That is, the media would immediately portray him as another Jesse Jackson—a figure whose progressivism has been (unfairly) depicted as racial politics anathema to white swing voters."

Chesapeake Primaries now the focus  2/7/2008 Washington Afro: "The senator’s campaign is already running three different ads in the two states and the District, one featuring Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former President John Kennedy, who endorsed Obama last week, and the others showing snippets of the senator’s speeches on the campaign trail. The campaign is also targeting Latino voters through its Maryland Latinos for Obama initiative, which was launched Feb. 4. But most of the campaign involves volunteers canvassing neighborhoods and holding house parties and rallies, Tolliver said. “The blueprint for the rest of the country is the blueprint we’re following here,” she said. “It’s a bottom up, strategy; we’re empowering people in their communities to act as agents of change and ambassadors of Sen. Obama.” she said. “It’s really working for us on the ground.”

Wednesday 2/6/2008

Barack Obama Wins Majority of Super Tuesday States, but Clinton Wins California and N.Y.  2/6/2008 Black America Web

State-by-State Delegate Allocation 02/05/08 Presidential Primary / Caucus  2/6/2008 Cspan

State-by-State Votes 02/05/08 Presidential Primary / Caucus  2/6/2008 Cspan

Not a tie  2/6/2008 Daily Kos: "States Obama won with (so far) more than 60% of the vote: Alaska (over 70%) Colorado Georgia Idaho (over 70%) Illinois Kansas (over 70%) Minnesota North Dakota States Clinton won with (so far) more than 60% of the vote: Arkansas"

Lieberman No Longer a Superdelegate  2/6/2008 Hartford Courant

The One Indicator of Yesterday's Rampaging Hodgepodge  2/6/2008 p m carpenter's commentary: ""Most of the states in the Democratic contest yesterday were predicted and predictable, from Georgia to California. Missouri, however, was not. It was the one to watch. Sure enough, it remained in play and indeed went right down to the wire, even to the point of the Associated Press at first calling it for Clinton. But that wasn't to be. Obama pulled it out. The state's major metropolitan areas saved him, according to the sketchy data yet available from exit polling. And in those areas Obama did more than just win -- he crushed Clinton, and I mean crushed, such as by nearly 70 percent. Missouri has an intriguing knack for picking winners, and I say that out of more than just fondness for my native land. It's a historical fact… Furthermore, Obama's dominance in Missouri's metro areas (which lie in the north) would rather obviously indicate that Clinton dominated downstate, which, I can tell you from firsthand familiarity, is as red as Ozark clay. Any downstate denizen who knows anything of the universe outside of what Fox News broadcasts is instantly labeled an unnaturally inhuman Limbaugh-hater of communistic proportions, and presumed to be in cahoots with al Qaeda as well. In other words, and extrapolating further, it would seem that Clinton did exceptionally well mostly among the most conservative of Democrats -- that peculiar breed of muscular foreign-policy fixations that resides largely in red states, which is to say, states that won't vote Democratic in November. Hence in further, other words, her 48-percent Missouri showing was largely a throwaway, as were her victories in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee."

Five reasons Hillary should be worried  2/6/2008 Politico

Clinton Loans Herself $5 Million, Staff Skips Pay [Updated]  2/6/2008 The Nation

Tuesday 2/5/2008

Anti-War Candidates Are Top Recipients Of ‘08 Donations From U.S. Troops 2/5/2008 Think Progress: "Individuals in the Army, Navy and Air Force made those branches of the armed services among the top contributors in the 4th Quarter, ranking No. 13, No. 18 and No. 21, respectively. In 2007, Republican Ron Paul, who opposes U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, was the top recipient of money from donors in the military, collecting at least $212,000 from them. Barack Obama, another war opponent, was second with about $94,000."

Obama: On a Mission to Translate Belief Into Reality 2/5/2008 WaPo: "The campaign is betting on closing the gap further in the next week, when there are six primaries or caucuses, in places where Obama is fairly well-positioned: Maine, Louisiana, Washington state, Virginia, Maryland and the District. And the campaign says it will have the time to do the more intense kind of campaigning it prefers in big states that do not vote until next month, such as Ohio and Texas."

Monday 2/4/2008

Obama's False Hope: Why I will not Vote for Obama 2/4/2008 Global Research: "Senator Obama is not anti-war, nor does he genuinely seek appropriate alternatives to militarism in the Middle East. Arab-Americans and putative leftists naively, and sometimes willfully, overlook the fact that he is an ardent supporter of the invasion, bombing, and ongoing occupation of Afghanistan. One also cannot dismiss that his views are consistent with the Democratic Party platform, which aspires to refocus on Afghanistan. Such views bode well with Obama’s plan to deploy additional troops and increase funding, but as with the case in Iraq, it will only intensify the struggles of the civilian population of Afghanistan. Obama fully supported the Lebanon war (even as the Israeli military killed hundreds of Lebanese civilians and leveled civilian infrastructure with tens of thousands of US-shipped cluster bombs), and played up his pro-Israel rhetoric nearly as much as his current democratic opponent, Hilary Clinton. As with nearly every other candidate, Obama fully supports Israel’s 40 year occupation of Palestinian land and dutifully endorsed the besiegement of Gaza. Surprisingly, this is a politician who once curried favor with prominent members of the Palestinian community, attending a community fundraiser in which Edward Said was the keynote speaker, dining with Rashid Khalidi in Chicago, and receiving praise from Ali Abuminah during his time as a state senator. Domestically, his shift to the right is glaringly apparent, reflecting weaker stances on undocumented residents, the patriot act, gay rights, and a host of other domestic issues. Obama may have voiced opposition to the Iraq war five years ago, but his “courage” came at a time when it minimally affected his political aspirations. Since entering the senate, he has voted in favor of nearly 300 billion dollars in war appropriations and will continue to appropriate billions more if elected president. Obama is already playing up his ability to be hawkish on foreign policy (e.g. his illustrious declaration that he’d bomb Pakistan on “actionable intelligence”) and has tried to validate himself as a “tough when necessary” type of leader."

A Talk With Michelle Obama, the Woman Beside the Man 2/4/2008 Louisiana Weekly

Sunday 2/3/2008

Clinton health plan may mean tapping pay  2/3/2008 AP: "Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday she might be willing to garnish the wages of workers who refuse to buy health insurance to achieve coverage for all Americans."

Obama draws some 15,000 in 'red state' Idaho  2/3/2008 Baltimore Sun

Our recommendations  2/3/2008 La Opinion: Largest Latino paper in LA supports Obama.

Clinton's '35 years of change' omits most of her career  2/3/2008 McClatchy: "The overall portrait is of a lifelong, selfless do-gooder. The whole story is more complicated — and less flattering. Clinton worked at the Children's Defense Fund for less than a year, and that's the only full-time job in the nonprofit sector she's ever had. She also worked briefly as a law professor. Clinton spent the bulk of her career — 15 of those 35 years — at one of Arkansas' most prestigious corporate law firms, where she represented big companies and served on corporate boards. Neither she nor her surrogates, however, ever mention that on the campaign trail. Her campaign Web site biography devotes six paragraphs to her pro bono legal work for the poor but sums up the bulk of her experience in one sentence: "She also continued her legal career as a partner in a law firm.""

State poll shows huge gains by Obama, McCain  2/3/2008 SF Chronicle: "A startling surge of support for Barack Obama has catapulted the Illinois senator into a virtual tie with Hillary Rodham Clinton in California's Democratic presidential primary, a Field Poll released Saturday shows. Arizona Sen. John McCain lengthened his lead in the state Republican primary, grabbing a 32 to 24 percent edge among likely voters over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was at 13 percent and Texas Rep. Ron Paul at 10 percent. But the Democratic numbers are the shocker. Clinton, a longtime California favorite, saw her once-commanding lead slip to two percentage points, 36 to 34 percent, in the new survey. That's down from the New York senator's 12 percentage point lead in mid-January and a 25 percentage point margin over Obama in October."

Zogby: Obama, Romney Ahead In California  2/3/2008 Talking Points Memo

Obama and Israel: A Different Angle  2/3/2008 TPM Café: "the Israel-America relationship is best served by a president who can bring external strength to the US through greater internal unity, can restore America’s standing and credibility in the Middle East, be an effective global coalition-builder and deal-broker and end, how can I put it, fairy-tale based foreign policy. And Barack Obama looks like the person to do those things. The Jewish community is not immune to the kind of smear campaigns, ugly innuendos and direct appeals to racism and Islamophobia that have been a feature of the more general anti-Obama sewer politics. MJ has written about this, and the alpha list of Jewish leadership, Orthodox, Reform, ADL, AJC and more, did the right thing and published this open letter speaking out against the “hateful emails,” and “abhorrent rhetoric,” that “mischaracterized Senator Barack Obama’s religious beliefs and who he is as a person.” "

Obama, Clinton Are Even In Poll  2/3/2008 WaPo: "Two days before voters in 24 states go to their polling places, 47 percent of likely Democratic voters said they back Clinton and 43 percent said they support Obama, with neither candidate decisively benefiting from the departure of former senator John Edwards (N.C.) from the race. By contrast, McCain's wins in primaries in South Carolina and Florida and the winnowing of the Republican field have had a dramatic result: The senator from Arizona is now the clear front-runner for his party's nomination."

Why Republicans Like Obama  2/3/2008 WaPo: "A number of prominent Republicans I know, who would wage a pitched battle against Hillary Clinton, like Obama and would find it hard to generate much enthusiasm in opposing him. What is at the core of Obama's appeal? Part of it is the eloquence and uplift of his speeches, combined with his personal grace and dignity. By all accounts, Obama is a well-grounded, decent, thoughtful man. He comes across, in his person and manner, as nonpartisan. He has an unsurpassed ability to (seemingly) transcend politics. Even when he disagrees with people, he doesn't seem disagreeable. "You know what charm is," Albert Camus wrote in "The Fall," "a way of getting the answer yes without having asked any clear question." Obama has such charm, and its appeal is not restricted to Democrats."

Saturday 2/2/2008

Is Bill Jealous of Obama's Slipperiness? Barack's Bubble, Bubba's Trouble  2/2/2008 Counterpunch

The Israel Factor: Ranking the Presidential Candidates  2/2/2008 Haaretz, Israel: Hillary gets a 7.5 out of 10, McCain a 7.75, and Obama a 5.12. McCain's many planned wars will be good for Israel?

Latinos may hold key to Super Tuesday for Democrats  2/2/2008 McClatchy: "After winning South Carolina, he said, "When I hear the cynical talk that blacks and whites and Latinos can't join together and work together, I'm reminded of the Latino brothers and sisters I organized with and stood with and fought with side-by-side for jobs and justice on the streets of Chicago." At Thursday night's debate in California, Obama denounced a suggestion that Latinos are taking jobs from African-Americans as "scapegoating that I do not believe in.""

Presidential race could still be muddled after Super Tuesday  2/2/2008 USA Today

Why I'm Backing Obama By Susan Eisenhower  2/2/2008 WaPo: "Forty-seven years ago, my grandfather Dwight D. Eisenhower bid farewell to a nation he had served for more than five decades. In his televised address, Ike famously coined the term "military-industrial complex," and he offered advice that is still relevant today. "As we peer into society's future," he said, we "must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow." Today we are engaged in a debate about these very issues. "

Friday 2/1/2008

Obama Raising $32 Million Since January 1st – Over a Million a Day – Sets New Record  2/1/2008 AP: ""We think that the strength of our financial position and the number of donors does speak to financial sustainability if it ends up going through March and April," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said of the race. "We think we will have the financial resources to conduct vigorous campaigns in the states to come." While the Clinton campaign has not released its January totals, Obama's fundraising for the month was expected to eclipse hers. Obama aides indicated the $32 million figure could grow once the month's fundraising is totaled."

Pre-Super Tuesday Debate Between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton Cordial, Issue-Driven  2/1/2008 Black America Web

The Jesse Jackson Card  2/1/2008 Black State: "It was inevitable that political pundits would compare Senator Barack Obama's run for President with that of Rev. Jesse Jackson's run of 1984 and 1988, however, no one knew that pundit would be former President Bill Clinton. The Clinton camp and Obama camp insists that race and gender will play no role in their campaign tactics, if this is true then why would Bill compare Obama's winning in South Carolina to Jesse Jackson's victories? What do Obama and Jesse have in common other than their race? Bill Clinton told a reporter in South Carolina, “Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in ’84 and ’88. Jackson ran a good campaign. And Obama ran a good campaign here.” "

Democratic Presidential Nomination Could Hinge on Divided Latino Vote  2/1/2008 Democracy Now: "With Super Tuesday just four days away, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are actively courting support from Latino voters across the country. We speak to Dolores Huerta, a longtime labor activist and co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America, who is supporting Clinton; Federico Pena, a former Clinton cabinet member and Denver mayor, now co-chairing Obama’s campaign; and California State Senator Gilbert Cedillo, who is also backing Obama. [includes rush transcript–partial]"

Clinton lead crumbles in coast to coast trend for Obama  2/1/2008 Global Research

MoveOn Endorsement Throws Progressive Weight Behind Barack Obama  2/1/2008 MoveOn: "In a resounding vote today, MoveOn.org Political Action's members nationwide voted to endorse Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for President. The group, with 3.2 million members nationwide and over 1.7 million members in Super Tuesday states, will immediately begin to mobilize on behalf of Senator Obama. The vote favored Senator Obama to Senator Clinton by 70.4% to 29.6%."

Barack + GOP = ‘Obamacans’  2/1/2008 Newsweek: "Eisenhower is one of a small but symbolically powerful group of what Obama recently called "Obamacans"—disaffected Republicans who have drifted away from their party just as Eisenhower Democrats did and, more recently, Reagan Democrats in the 1980s. They include lifelong Republican Tricia Moseley, a former staffer for the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, the one-time segregationist from South Carolina. Now a high-school teacher, Moseley says she was attracted to Obama's positions on education and the economy."

Calif. Service Union Backs Obama  2/1/2008 NYT: "The largest labor union in California, the Service Employees International Union, with 650,000 members in the state, decided Friday to endorse Barack Obama. That endorsement, by the California state chapter of the nation’s most political potent union, will help build momentum for Mr. Obama. In addition, because of the union’s large Latino membership, the endorsement could prove important in persuading more Hispanics to vote for Mr. Obama in the California primary next Tuesday."

Oprah’s Back  2/1/2008 NYT: "On Sunday, Oprah Winfrey is returning to the presidential campaign trail to headline a California event for Senator Barack Obama. The Obama campaign has yet to announce details, but people familiar with the event say the television talk show magnate will join Michelle Obama at a campaign rally in the Los Angeles area. The goal? Closing the gap with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in California before Tuesday’s primary. The target? Women voters. It has been nearly two months since Ms. Winfrey made her debut on the trail, drawing tens of thousands of people to arenas in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Mr. Obama won Iowa and South Carolina, which aides attribute to the attention stirred by Ms. Winfrey. (Particularly the landslide South Carolina victory.) Ms. Winfrey has not played a role in Mr. Obama’s television advertising campaign and has been out of the political spotlight since that weekend in December., when she strode onto a stage in Des Moines, declaring: “Oh my goodness. At last, I’m here.” "

Why Barack?  2/1/2008 SF Bay View: by Tony West, "an Oakland resident. A former Clinton administration Department of Justice official and former federal prosecutor, West is now a partner at Morrison and Foerster, where he practices civil litigation and criminal defense."

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