QueEx, do you think Obama got the big MO?
- Thread starter VegasGuy
- Start date
VG,
For the moment, it looks to me as well that Obama has gotten Big Mo. For the moment. As you well know, its early and big Mo is a very fickle bitch. Sometimes all it takes is a seamingly small, insignificant, little stumble on the candidate's part or a fleck of the mud being thrown that sticks - that causes her to turn favor elsewhere.
Right now, I'm wondering whether there is something going on up in the O-Zone ???
Oprah bringing them out; and Obama sitting them down.
QueEx
For the moment, it looks to me as well that Obama has gotten Big Mo. For the moment. As you well know, its early and big Mo is a very fickle bitch. Sometimes all it takes is a seamingly small, insignificant, little stumble on the candidate's part or a fleck of the mud being thrown that sticks - that causes her to turn favor elsewhere.
Right now, I'm wondering whether there is something going on up in the O-Zone ???
Oprah bringing them out; and Obama sitting them down.
QueEx
Huckabee
Appears to be gaining similar momentum against Giuliani and Romney.
Unfortunately
I don't think either Obama or Huckabee has seen the best dirt-shots likely to be thrown and I'm just not yet believing that South Carolina is indicative of the rest of the south, with respect to Obama.
QueEx
Appears to be gaining similar momentum against Giuliani and Romney.
Unfortunately
I don't think either Obama or Huckabee has seen the best dirt-shots likely to be thrown and I'm just not yet believing that South Carolina is indicative of the rest of the south, with respect to Obama.
QueEx
I was going to mention the Huckster. Seems he's been gathering some steam pretty quick as well. Not sure what to make of it especially in light of comments in the media that he would be easy to bet in the general. I don't know how they could possibly assume that. Sounds tactical to me.
Are you betting Rodham to take South Carolina at this point?
-VG
billary is shedding staff like gangbusters too. First the muslim emails then the drug use bullshit. Billary wont get the nod. More people hate her. The only reason Billary is in the race is the backing of corporate america and political insiders. Youd be surprised at how some Dem writers are pullin undercover bullshit to try and silence Obama
Makk, did you hear Obama say how many ex clinton folk he has working for him in the debate last night? Bitch looked foolish as hell with that cackle trying to laugh it off. lol. It's on Youtube if you missed that little gem.
-VG
that shit was fantastic - i posted someone getting kicked in the chest in the thread with the video
stupid bitch shouldnt have opened her mouth
he played her so nicely the shit was terrific
He did! Played it just right. Just enough for that bitch to choke on, after she realized what just happened to her stiff ass that is, but not so much that she would look like "THE VICTIM".
Obama spoke from the heart with that final question about their New Year's wish. Talked about being a better father, a better husband and hope this sacrifice he's making will be a benefit to the country. Shit was well spoken.
Hillary on the other hand didn't have a script or a teleprompter and basically sounded like she really didn't want to tell you shit about her new years plans.
The fact is Makk, that bitch is famous for one reason only. And it's the same reason Monica Lewinski is famous. Bill's sperm in her mouth. Beyond that, hillary if straight vacuous.
-VG
Totally agree about Billary. That bitch has the four horsemen of the apocalypse in her vagina and they are riding out if she wins.
Who are you going to vote for? If anyone at all.
wow thats pretty impressive. I didnt think you'd want to vote dem with your position on taxes etc
I don't like his tax policy and I hope that if he makes it into the white house, he'll not be so careless about spending other people money. Besides, as long as we have a divided congress, I wouldn't worry about that aspect too much.
-VG
congress is going to be lopsided towards dems after the next election
I'm starting to like Obama because he is beating Hilary with kindness. The beauty about Obama is the fact that he has the JFK appeal to him. I think he will do the logical thing once he gets in office *if he don't screw himself while dealing with Hilary*.
I wouldn't count on Obama to really change the course we are on dramatically though. Especially if the Republicans win the congress and senate back. *which is highly likely*
are you sure?
Whats congress approval rating right now?
*remember both houses are for the Dems*
I wouldn't count on Obama to really change the course we are on dramatically though. Especially if the Republicans win the congress and senate back. *which is highly likely*
are you sure?
Whats congress approval rating right now?
*remember both houses are for the Dems*
the approval rating of congress has nothing to do with the congressional seats up for grabs and the overwhelming hatred and distrust of all things republican
there will be a two thirds majority and hopefully the depublicans like pelosi etc will be beat into compliance
the old school scumbags from both parties need to be purged
Poll: Obama makes gains, is even with Clinton in N.H.
USA TODAY
By Susan Page,
December 21, 2007
PELHAM, N.H. — Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are locked in a dead heat among New Hampshire voters in a statewide USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, underscoring the volatility of the race less than three weeks before the nation's first primary.
. . .
The USA TODAY poll, taken Monday through Wednesday, finds voters assessing the contenders as having distinctive strengths:
•Republicans view Romney as someone who shares their values, has new ideas to solve the country's problems and has the best chance of winning in November. McCain ranks first as someone who is in touch with average Americans, stands up for what he believes and can get things done in Washington.
•Democrats view Clinton as the candidate who knows how to get things done and is most likely to win the general election. But the New York senator ranks third, behind Illinois Sen. Obama and former North Carolina senator Edwards, as someone who offers new ideas and is "in touch with the average American."
Obama is seen as most likely to share voters' values and be willing to stand up for what he believes.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-12-20-NHpoll_N.htm
USA TODAY
By Susan Page,
December 21, 2007
PELHAM, N.H. — Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are locked in a dead heat among New Hampshire voters in a statewide USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, underscoring the volatility of the race less than three weeks before the nation's first primary.
. . .
The USA TODAY poll, taken Monday through Wednesday, finds voters assessing the contenders as having distinctive strengths:
•Republicans view Romney as someone who shares their values, has new ideas to solve the country's problems and has the best chance of winning in November. McCain ranks first as someone who is in touch with average Americans, stands up for what he believes and can get things done in Washington.
•Democrats view Clinton as the candidate who knows how to get things done and is most likely to win the general election. But the New York senator ranks third, behind Illinois Sen. Obama and former North Carolina senator Edwards, as someone who offers new ideas and is "in touch with the average American."
Obama is seen as most likely to share voters' values and be willing to stand up for what he believes.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-12-20-NHpoll_N.htm
Looks like the Clinton's are starting to play rough. Joe Wilson in an article on the Huffington Post had some tough remarks directed towards Obama and the ex-Clinton advisors now supporting him.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-wilson/the-real-hillary-i-know-_b_77878.html
A few excepts:
So it is mystifying to me that they have allowed themselves to "forget" the key role Hillary played in such a major shift in approach to that part of the world and have participated in a negative campaign tactic on the part of the Obama campaign to demean her significant contributions to foreign policy of which they are well aware.
After he came to Washington, Obama's views were thoroughly conventional and even timid. In 2004, he said about the 2002 congressional Authorization for the Use of Military Force: "I'm not privy to Senate intelligence reports. What would I have done? I don't know." On Iraq-related votes in the Senate, Obama's record identically matches Senator Clinton's--with the exception that Senator Clinton voted against the confirmation of General George Casey as Army chief of staff. Obama's vote was typically passive.
We know that she has won and lost but always fought for her beliefs, which are widely shared within the Democratic Party. The battles she had been in have been fierce--and the battles in the future will be no less intense--and she has proven her steadfastness and is still standing. She does not have a cowardly record of voting "present" when confronted with difficult issues. She does not claim "intuition" as the basis of the most dangerous and serious decision-making. What she has is deep and vital experience, more important than ever in restoring our country's place in the world.
I'm positive the Clintons are working to get Joe Wilson on the Sunday talk shows.
How are the ex-Clinton advisors gonna handle this? Joe wilson was there and so were they. Will Obama's advisors say openly that Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Joe Wilson are liars and still expect to get a job in a Hillary administration if she wins it all?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-wilson/the-real-hillary-i-know-_b_77878.html
A few excepts:
So it is mystifying to me that they have allowed themselves to "forget" the key role Hillary played in such a major shift in approach to that part of the world and have participated in a negative campaign tactic on the part of the Obama campaign to demean her significant contributions to foreign policy of which they are well aware.
After he came to Washington, Obama's views were thoroughly conventional and even timid. In 2004, he said about the 2002 congressional Authorization for the Use of Military Force: "I'm not privy to Senate intelligence reports. What would I have done? I don't know." On Iraq-related votes in the Senate, Obama's record identically matches Senator Clinton's--with the exception that Senator Clinton voted against the confirmation of General George Casey as Army chief of staff. Obama's vote was typically passive.
We know that she has won and lost but always fought for her beliefs, which are widely shared within the Democratic Party. The battles she had been in have been fierce--and the battles in the future will be no less intense--and she has proven her steadfastness and is still standing. She does not have a cowardly record of voting "present" when confronted with difficult issues. She does not claim "intuition" as the basis of the most dangerous and serious decision-making. What she has is deep and vital experience, more important than ever in restoring our country's place in the world.
I'm positive the Clintons are working to get Joe Wilson on the Sunday talk shows.
How are the ex-Clinton advisors gonna handle this? Joe wilson was there and so were they. Will Obama's advisors say openly that Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Joe Wilson are liars and still expect to get a job in a Hillary administration if she wins it all?
Last edited:
<font size="5"><center>Obama widens lead in Iowa</font size></center>
United Press International
Published: Jan. 1, 2008 at 10:17 AM
DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- A poll indicates Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is widening his lead for the Democratic presidential nomination in Iowa ahead of the state's Jan. 3 caucuses.
The Des Moines Register telephone poll of 800 likely Democratic caucus-goers, taken Dec. 27-30, found Obama in the lead with 32 percent support, up from 28 percent in November, while Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., was supported by 25 percent of respondents and 24 percent voiced support for former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
None of the other Democrats in the field received more than 6 percent support in the poll.
Obama's support comes largely from first-time caucus participants, with 72 percent of those backing him in the poll saying this would be their first caucus. The Register said Obama also is aided by strong support among independents and support from some Republicans.
The poll was criticized by Clinton strategists, who said the number of independents and Republicans likely to participate in the Democratic caucuses was overestimated by pollsters, the Post said. Edwards strategists said the poll may also overestimate the number of first-time caucus-goers likely to show up to Thursday's event.
The poll had a 3.5 percent margin of error.
© 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/01/01/poll_obama_widens_lead_in_iowa/7173/
United Press International
Published: Jan. 1, 2008 at 10:17 AM
DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- A poll indicates Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is widening his lead for the Democratic presidential nomination in Iowa ahead of the state's Jan. 3 caucuses.
The Des Moines Register telephone poll of 800 likely Democratic caucus-goers, taken Dec. 27-30, found Obama in the lead with 32 percent support, up from 28 percent in November, while Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., was supported by 25 percent of respondents and 24 percent voiced support for former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
None of the other Democrats in the field received more than 6 percent support in the poll.
Obama's support comes largely from first-time caucus participants, with 72 percent of those backing him in the poll saying this would be their first caucus. The Register said Obama also is aided by strong support among independents and support from some Republicans.
The poll was criticized by Clinton strategists, who said the number of independents and Republicans likely to participate in the Democratic caucuses was overestimated by pollsters, the Post said. Edwards strategists said the poll may also overestimate the number of first-time caucus-goers likely to show up to Thursday's event.
The poll had a 3.5 percent margin of error.
© 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/01/01/poll_obama_widens_lead_in_iowa/7173/
<font size="5"><center>Who Can Stop Obama?</font size><font size="4">
His Iowa win gives him momentum that will be hard to slow</font size></center>
Newsweek
By Jonathan Alter
Jan 3, 2008
With his victory tonight, Barack Obama is now the strong favorite to be the Democratic nominee for president. The only one who can stop Obama from making history is Obama.
It's hard to believe a few thousand votes in Iowa can have so shaken the political landscape, but the front-loading of the primary process—originally meant to be a way to settle on Hillary Clinton early so she could concentrate on defeating the GOP in November—has backfired badly for the Democratic Party establishment.
Unless he makes a terrible mistake in this weekend's WMUR debate in New Hampshire, Obama will be the strong favorite to win in the Granite State. That leaves 18 days until the South Carolina primary, but even that time will probably not be enough for Clinton to fight her way back. With half of South Carolina's Democrats being African-American, her chances won't be good.
Many blacks have been waiting to see if Obama was for real. Now that white Iowa has voted for him, they will likely move strongly toward him. That was the pattern among black voters when Obama ran for the Senate in Illinois.
Sources within John Edwards's campaign tell me that if Edwards drops out (unlikely before New Hampshire), he will throw his support to Obama. Should the Illinois senator win New Hampshire and South Carolina, it will be next to impossible to prevent him from becoming the nominee on Feb. 5, Super Tuesday.
The only way he gives Edwards or Clinton a second wind is to mess up. The press will get more intense, increasing the likelihood of a crippling mistake. But so far, Obama has suffered no more than the normal number of relatively minor gaffes. One or two flat debate performances won't be enough to sink him. It will take the kind of big gaffe that only rarely transforms campaigns.
Clinton and Edwards aides will spin Iowa like crazy, but that is the new reality of American politics.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/84290
His Iowa win gives him momentum that will be hard to slow</font size></center>
Newsweek
By Jonathan Alter
Jan 3, 2008
With his victory tonight, Barack Obama is now the strong favorite to be the Democratic nominee for president. The only one who can stop Obama from making history is Obama.
It's hard to believe a few thousand votes in Iowa can have so shaken the political landscape, but the front-loading of the primary process—originally meant to be a way to settle on Hillary Clinton early so she could concentrate on defeating the GOP in November—has backfired badly for the Democratic Party establishment.
Unless he makes a terrible mistake in this weekend's WMUR debate in New Hampshire, Obama will be the strong favorite to win in the Granite State. That leaves 18 days until the South Carolina primary, but even that time will probably not be enough for Clinton to fight her way back. With half of South Carolina's Democrats being African-American, her chances won't be good.
Many blacks have been waiting to see if Obama was for real. Now that white Iowa has voted for him, they will likely move strongly toward him. That was the pattern among black voters when Obama ran for the Senate in Illinois.
Sources within John Edwards's campaign tell me that if Edwards drops out (unlikely before New Hampshire), he will throw his support to Obama. Should the Illinois senator win New Hampshire and South Carolina, it will be next to impossible to prevent him from becoming the nominee on Feb. 5, Super Tuesday.
The only way he gives Edwards or Clinton a second wind is to mess up. The press will get more intense, increasing the likelihood of a crippling mistake. But so far, Obama has suffered no more than the normal number of relatively minor gaffes. One or two flat debate performances won't be enough to sink him. It will take the kind of big gaffe that only rarely transforms campaigns.
Clinton and Edwards aides will spin Iowa like crazy, but that is the new reality of American politics.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/84290
Google "175 delegates clinton," and you'll see tons of news stories about it. However, they are all just reporting it matter of factly, and no one is bothering to explain anything. I doubt they even know why.
I went to the democrats website and couldn't find a link explaining the process either.
I went to the democrats website and couldn't find a link explaining the process either.
<font size="5"><center>Most 'Superdelegates' Uncommitted </font size></center>
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER
Associated Press Writer
December 2, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) - New Hampshire and Iowa will have to wait.
The nation's first presidential primary, for Democrats anyway, is being waged among hundreds of party insiders - superdelegates who could play a big part in selecting the nominee at next summer's national convention.
So far, most of them still haven't been sold on any of the candidates.
The Associated Press contacted 90 percent of the 765 superdelegates, mostly elected officials and other party officers, who are free to support anyone they choose at the convention, regardless of what happens in the primaries.
Hillary Rodham Clinton leads Barack Obama by more than a 2-1 margin among those who have endorsed a candidate. But a little more than half of those contacted - 365 - said they haven't settled on a Democratic standard bearer.
"The fact that under half have publicly committed shows me how open the Democratic race still is," said Jenny Backus, a Democratic consultant who is not affiliated with any campaign. "It's a sign that the race isn't totally done in many people's minds."
Clinton has the endorsement of 169 superdelegates. She is followed by Obama, 63; John Edwards, 34; Bill Richardson, 25; Chris Dodd, 17; Joe Biden, 8, and Dennis Kucinich, 2.
Superdelegates tend to support the front-runner, said David Rohde, a political scientist at Duke University. "They want to be on the winning side," he said.
So why don't more of them back Clinton, who leads in national polls?
"They are still concerned about her ability to win the general election," Rohde said.
He said Clinton's high negative numbers among likely voters have many party insiders skittish. However, he added, if Clinton sweeps the early voting in Iowa and New Hampshire, "these people will flock to her."
On the other hand, a spokeswoman for Obama expressed confidence he would pick up superdelegates after doing well in early voting states. "We are pleased with our current support in the DNC and know that as the states go, so will superdelegates," said Jen Psaki.
Superdelegates are the ultimate party insiders, including all Democratic members of Congress, as well as a number of other elected officials and members of the Democratic National Committee. They will attend the convention next summer with about 3,200 other delegates who have been pledged to various presidential candidates based on the outcomes of primaries and party caucuses in their states.
Democratic candidates need a little more than 2,000 delegates to claim the nomination. That can make the superdelegates, who will number about 800 after state parties select a few more this summer, important players in choosing a nominee.
The Republicans have far fewer unaffiliated delegates, a little more than 100, making Democratic superdelegates a unique political force.
Don Fowler, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said many superdelegates delay public endorsements because they don't want alienate the other candidates.
"It's a club and they don't like to offend their fellow club members until they have to," said Fowler, himself an uncommitted superdelegate from South Carolina.
Nevertheless, Fowler was surprised that Richardson, Dodd and Biden had such little support, despite so many years in public office. Dodd and Biden are both longtime senators, and Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, has served in Congress and as a member of former President Clinton's Cabinet.
"That's just astounding to me," Fowler said. "The (superdelegates) know these people, and they've known them for years."
Four of the Democratic candidates are senators: Clinton from New York, Obama from Illinois, Dodd from Connecticut and Biden from Delaware. A fifth, Edwards, is a former senator from North Carolina. Yet 33 of the 49 Democratic senators, who are all superdelegates, remain uncommitted. Clinton, with 10 senators in her corner, is the only candidate with endorsements from more than two, according to the AP survey.
They all, however, have more superdelegates than Kucinich, who has only one not named Kucinich.
Jon Ausman, a DNC member from Tallahassee, Fla., said he likes the congressman from Cleveland because of his steadfast opposition to the war in Iraq, his support for universal health care and his opposition to NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.
And, Ausman said, his mom lives in Cleveland, and Kucinich's staff helped her when she had a problem with her Medicare benefits.
"He saved my mom's life." Ausman said. "He gets my vote."
Ausman's vote might not count because the national party has stripped Florida of all of its delegates for holding its Jan. 29 primary before Feb. 5.
That would leave Kucinich with just one superdelegate so far - himself.
--
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-elect/2007/dec/02/120209114.html
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER
Associated Press Writer
December 2, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) - New Hampshire and Iowa will have to wait.
The nation's first presidential primary, for Democrats anyway, is being waged among hundreds of party insiders - superdelegates who could play a big part in selecting the nominee at next summer's national convention.
So far, most of them still haven't been sold on any of the candidates.
The Associated Press contacted 90 percent of the 765 superdelegates, mostly elected officials and other party officers, who are free to support anyone they choose at the convention, regardless of what happens in the primaries.
Hillary Rodham Clinton leads Barack Obama by more than a 2-1 margin among those who have endorsed a candidate. But a little more than half of those contacted - 365 - said they haven't settled on a Democratic standard bearer.
"The fact that under half have publicly committed shows me how open the Democratic race still is," said Jenny Backus, a Democratic consultant who is not affiliated with any campaign. "It's a sign that the race isn't totally done in many people's minds."
Clinton has the endorsement of 169 superdelegates. She is followed by Obama, 63; John Edwards, 34; Bill Richardson, 25; Chris Dodd, 17; Joe Biden, 8, and Dennis Kucinich, 2.
Superdelegates tend to support the front-runner, said David Rohde, a political scientist at Duke University. "They want to be on the winning side," he said.
So why don't more of them back Clinton, who leads in national polls?
"They are still concerned about her ability to win the general election," Rohde said.
He said Clinton's high negative numbers among likely voters have many party insiders skittish. However, he added, if Clinton sweeps the early voting in Iowa and New Hampshire, "these people will flock to her."
On the other hand, a spokeswoman for Obama expressed confidence he would pick up superdelegates after doing well in early voting states. "We are pleased with our current support in the DNC and know that as the states go, so will superdelegates," said Jen Psaki.
Superdelegates are the ultimate party insiders, including all Democratic members of Congress, as well as a number of other elected officials and members of the Democratic National Committee. They will attend the convention next summer with about 3,200 other delegates who have been pledged to various presidential candidates based on the outcomes of primaries and party caucuses in their states.
Democratic candidates need a little more than 2,000 delegates to claim the nomination. That can make the superdelegates, who will number about 800 after state parties select a few more this summer, important players in choosing a nominee.
The Republicans have far fewer unaffiliated delegates, a little more than 100, making Democratic superdelegates a unique political force.
Don Fowler, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said many superdelegates delay public endorsements because they don't want alienate the other candidates.
"It's a club and they don't like to offend their fellow club members until they have to," said Fowler, himself an uncommitted superdelegate from South Carolina.
Nevertheless, Fowler was surprised that Richardson, Dodd and Biden had such little support, despite so many years in public office. Dodd and Biden are both longtime senators, and Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, has served in Congress and as a member of former President Clinton's Cabinet.
"That's just astounding to me," Fowler said. "The (superdelegates) know these people, and they've known them for years."
Four of the Democratic candidates are senators: Clinton from New York, Obama from Illinois, Dodd from Connecticut and Biden from Delaware. A fifth, Edwards, is a former senator from North Carolina. Yet 33 of the 49 Democratic senators, who are all superdelegates, remain uncommitted. Clinton, with 10 senators in her corner, is the only candidate with endorsements from more than two, according to the AP survey.
They all, however, have more superdelegates than Kucinich, who has only one not named Kucinich.
Jon Ausman, a DNC member from Tallahassee, Fla., said he likes the congressman from Cleveland because of his steadfast opposition to the war in Iraq, his support for universal health care and his opposition to NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.
And, Ausman said, his mom lives in Cleveland, and Kucinich's staff helped her when she had a problem with her Medicare benefits.
"He saved my mom's life." Ausman said. "He gets my vote."
Ausman's vote might not count because the national party has stripped Florida of all of its delegates for holding its Jan. 29 primary before Feb. 5.
That would leave Kucinich with just one superdelegate so far - himself.
--
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-elect/2007/dec/02/120209114.html
<font size="6"><center>
Can Obama Keep the Momentum?</font size></center>
U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama
speaks during a rally at T.C. Williams High School in
Alexandria, Virginia, on February 10, 2008.
TIME
Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty
By JAY NEWTON-SMALL/WASHINGTON
Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008
On the heels of larger-than-expected victories in three states this weekend, Barack Obama is heading into Tuesday's primaries in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia with momentum, money and a small but growing lead in the delegate count. As much as he prefers to play the underdog role, three decisive wins on Tuesday could make him, at least for now, the undisputed Democratic front-runner.
That has been a dubious honor in this year's chaotic Democratic race, especially for Hillary Clinton, who comes into the so-called Potomac Primaries after a challenging week. Not only did she admit to loaning her cash-strapped campaign $5 million in order to keep pace with Obama ahead of Super Tuesday, but on Sunday Clinton replaced her campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle with long-time confidante Maggie Williams, and Monday she had to reassure some nervous donors and endorsers that the nomination was still within her reach. Still, Clinton is nowhere near being counted out: she has raised more than $10 million online since Super Tuesday, she still leads in most national polls and is making a big push to be competitive in Virginia, where her campaign has been headquartered for nearly a year.
Both campaigns, as has been customary in recent weeks, sought to lower expectations ahead of the contests. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, an Obama supporter, warned reporters on a conference call over the weekend that Clinton "has a lot of significant Virginia expertise on her campaign team," including some of his former advisers. Added David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager in another conference call with reporters: "We expect these to be very, very competitive races. In the Virginia primary, her headquarters are there, her senior staff is very steeped in Virginia elections. And in Maryland, Senator Clinton has the support of the governor and a lot of political support in the state."
Conversely, the Clinton campaign has stressed that both states' large African-American populations, a demographic Obama has won by large margins in every state so far, would make Obama hard to beat. Mo Elleithee, a Clinton campaign spokesperson, said that "Senator Obama's got a lot of built-in advantages across the region. Having said that, we will be able to do well enough to win our fair share of delegates."
Clinton herself has already started to shift the focus away from this week's contests to Ohio and Texas, which vote on March 4. With their large Hispanic and working-class populations, Clinton's staff and many observers have believed the two delegate-rich states will be more friendly territory for her campaign, but increasingly they are viewed as must-wins, her last chance at the nomination—so much so that she is traveling to Texas on Tuesday. "I believe if you look at the states ... upcoming, I am very confident," Clinton told reporters after touring a General Motors plant outside Baltimore, before turning her fire on the media. "Before Super Tuesday you all were reporting on all the momentum. It didn't turn out to be true. Let's have the elections. Instead of talking about them, pontificating and punditing, let's let people actually vote."
At the same time, Mark Penn, her chief strategist, held a conference call this afternoon to try out a new attack line against Obama, underlining Clinton's electability and her proven record of having withstood the glare of the public eye for so many years as First Lady. "The G.O.P. attack machine skewed the perceptions of such distinguished public servants as Al Gore and John Kerry," he said adding the Obama would "evaporate relatively quickly once he faced the Republicans."
Regardless of the spin coming from both camps, there is no denying that Obama holds double-digit leads in most polls of Maryland and Virginia likely voters. "Maryland and Virginia both seem likely to go for Obama," said Clyde Wilcox, a political science professor at Georgetown University in Washington. "Both have substantial African-American populations, and although not all blacks vote for Obama he certainly does well in that group. Both states are relatively well educated, which is a demographic that Obama has carried very well in past primaries. Both states have done relatively okay financially the past several years, which again makes them more likely to go for Obama."
After the first 26 contests Obama and Clinton remained neck-and-neck in the pledged delegate count. But this past weekend Obama won by wide margins in Washington State, Nebraska, Maine and the U.S. Virgin Islands, in addition to a tight but impressive victory in Louisiana. If he overwhelmingly wins the so-called Potomac Primaries, where 237 delegates are at stake, he could start to break away from Clinton, especially since he's also favored in the next two states due to vote on February 19, his native Hawaii and Wisconsin, next door to his home state of Illinois. If Clinton can pull off a stronger-than-expected showing — or even a win — in Virginia, it could give her a much-needed boost in the run-up to Texas and Ohio. Obama now actually leads Clinton in delegates 1,143 to 1,138; it takes 2,025 delegates to win the nomination. Not counting Super delegates — fickle lawmakers and party leaders who may endorse a candidate but often change their minds — Obama leads Clinton 1,004 to 925, according to Real Clear Politics, a website that is tracking the delegate count.
In addition to investing in television and radio ads here, Clinton, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and their daughter Chelsea spent the weekend campaigning across the Chesapeake Bay area. "Right now polls have Obama with a lead in the state, but the Clinton campaign is putting a lot of effort here, indicating that they have not given up on Virginia," said Mark Rozell, a political science professor at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. "Certainly the immediate schedule favors building some momentum for Obama, and that could help him solidify his existing advantages in the Potomac primary states."
The Maryland and Virginia contests, which are open to all voters, could also have general election implications, testing Obama's appeal to independent and Republican voters. The Republican front-runner, Arizona Senator John McCain, is expected to win both G.O.P. primaries, but pundits and analysts will be examining the results to see how many Republicans may have switched over and which way the independents went: for Obama or McCain, who also has a history of appealing to voters across the aisle.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1712198,00.html
Can Obama Keep the Momentum?</font size></center>
U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama
speaks during a rally at T.C. Williams High School in
Alexandria, Virginia, on February 10, 2008.
TIME
Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty
By JAY NEWTON-SMALL/WASHINGTON
Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008
On the heels of larger-than-expected victories in three states this weekend, Barack Obama is heading into Tuesday's primaries in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia with momentum, money and a small but growing lead in the delegate count. As much as he prefers to play the underdog role, three decisive wins on Tuesday could make him, at least for now, the undisputed Democratic front-runner.
That has been a dubious honor in this year's chaotic Democratic race, especially for Hillary Clinton, who comes into the so-called Potomac Primaries after a challenging week. Not only did she admit to loaning her cash-strapped campaign $5 million in order to keep pace with Obama ahead of Super Tuesday, but on Sunday Clinton replaced her campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle with long-time confidante Maggie Williams, and Monday she had to reassure some nervous donors and endorsers that the nomination was still within her reach. Still, Clinton is nowhere near being counted out: she has raised more than $10 million online since Super Tuesday, she still leads in most national polls and is making a big push to be competitive in Virginia, where her campaign has been headquartered for nearly a year.
Both campaigns, as has been customary in recent weeks, sought to lower expectations ahead of the contests. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, an Obama supporter, warned reporters on a conference call over the weekend that Clinton "has a lot of significant Virginia expertise on her campaign team," including some of his former advisers. Added David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager in another conference call with reporters: "We expect these to be very, very competitive races. In the Virginia primary, her headquarters are there, her senior staff is very steeped in Virginia elections. And in Maryland, Senator Clinton has the support of the governor and a lot of political support in the state."
Conversely, the Clinton campaign has stressed that both states' large African-American populations, a demographic Obama has won by large margins in every state so far, would make Obama hard to beat. Mo Elleithee, a Clinton campaign spokesperson, said that "Senator Obama's got a lot of built-in advantages across the region. Having said that, we will be able to do well enough to win our fair share of delegates."
Clinton herself has already started to shift the focus away from this week's contests to Ohio and Texas, which vote on March 4. With their large Hispanic and working-class populations, Clinton's staff and many observers have believed the two delegate-rich states will be more friendly territory for her campaign, but increasingly they are viewed as must-wins, her last chance at the nomination—so much so that she is traveling to Texas on Tuesday. "I believe if you look at the states ... upcoming, I am very confident," Clinton told reporters after touring a General Motors plant outside Baltimore, before turning her fire on the media. "Before Super Tuesday you all were reporting on all the momentum. It didn't turn out to be true. Let's have the elections. Instead of talking about them, pontificating and punditing, let's let people actually vote."
At the same time, Mark Penn, her chief strategist, held a conference call this afternoon to try out a new attack line against Obama, underlining Clinton's electability and her proven record of having withstood the glare of the public eye for so many years as First Lady. "The G.O.P. attack machine skewed the perceptions of such distinguished public servants as Al Gore and John Kerry," he said adding the Obama would "evaporate relatively quickly once he faced the Republicans."
Regardless of the spin coming from both camps, there is no denying that Obama holds double-digit leads in most polls of Maryland and Virginia likely voters. "Maryland and Virginia both seem likely to go for Obama," said Clyde Wilcox, a political science professor at Georgetown University in Washington. "Both have substantial African-American populations, and although not all blacks vote for Obama he certainly does well in that group. Both states are relatively well educated, which is a demographic that Obama has carried very well in past primaries. Both states have done relatively okay financially the past several years, which again makes them more likely to go for Obama."
After the first 26 contests Obama and Clinton remained neck-and-neck in the pledged delegate count. But this past weekend Obama won by wide margins in Washington State, Nebraska, Maine and the U.S. Virgin Islands, in addition to a tight but impressive victory in Louisiana. If he overwhelmingly wins the so-called Potomac Primaries, where 237 delegates are at stake, he could start to break away from Clinton, especially since he's also favored in the next two states due to vote on February 19, his native Hawaii and Wisconsin, next door to his home state of Illinois. If Clinton can pull off a stronger-than-expected showing — or even a win — in Virginia, it could give her a much-needed boost in the run-up to Texas and Ohio. Obama now actually leads Clinton in delegates 1,143 to 1,138; it takes 2,025 delegates to win the nomination. Not counting Super delegates — fickle lawmakers and party leaders who may endorse a candidate but often change their minds — Obama leads Clinton 1,004 to 925, according to Real Clear Politics, a website that is tracking the delegate count.
In addition to investing in television and radio ads here, Clinton, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and their daughter Chelsea spent the weekend campaigning across the Chesapeake Bay area. "Right now polls have Obama with a lead in the state, but the Clinton campaign is putting a lot of effort here, indicating that they have not given up on Virginia," said Mark Rozell, a political science professor at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. "Certainly the immediate schedule favors building some momentum for Obama, and that could help him solidify his existing advantages in the Potomac primary states."
The Maryland and Virginia contests, which are open to all voters, could also have general election implications, testing Obama's appeal to independent and Republican voters. The Republican front-runner, Arizona Senator John McCain, is expected to win both G.O.P. primaries, but pundits and analysts will be examining the results to see how many Republicans may have switched over and which way the independents went: for Obama or McCain, who also has a history of appealing to voters across the aisle.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1712198,00.html
Similar threads
